Displaying items by tag: Healthy Kids
Sweet Lullaby
Better Sleep for Children
Sleep is essential for both survival and the ability to thrive, yet as children’s schedules get busier and they spend more time in front of screens, their average sleep time often decreases. While the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that kids between the ages of 6 and 12 get...
Heart-Healthy Kids
Setting a Course for Cardiovascular Wellness
When a middle-aged, thin adult comes to the hospital with heart attack symptoms, the doctors will ask about family health history; alcohol, drug and cigarette use; current medications; and cholesterol levels. But because the person is...
Health In a Smile
A Holistic Solution to Impaired Mouth Syndrome in Children
One of the first things we notice when we meet someone is their smile, so it is easy to understand why children with crowded teeth might be self-conscious when they encounter new people. But the condition is not just...
Preventing Sleep Apnea in Children
It’s holiday time. Lots of jokes about how Uncle Joe falls asleep after dinner and snores. Sometimes he seems to stop breathing for a moment and then almost gasps as he snorts. Everyone laughs and turns up the TV. Sound familiar? What if we rolled back...
The Colors of Healing
Art Therapy for Kids
Opening a brand-new box of crayons or making a happy mess with homemade salt dough can provide hours of fun for most kids, but art therapy—based in a clinical setting—can help children achieve...
Green Schoolyards
Concrete Jungles Become Natural Playgrounds
Skipping rope, playing hopscotch or shooting hoops have traditionally been enjoyed on asphalt-paved schoolyards enclosed by chain-link fencing. But over the last few decades, city leaders, school districts and other stakeholders have been...
Learning to Grieve
How to Help Children Navigate Through Loss
Adults often want to shield children from suffering, but that isn’t always possible or advisable. Loss and grief are natural parts of life. Acknowledging and expressing uncomfortable feelings are necessary lessons in being human, and while there is no right way to grieve, adults can provide...
Mindful Kudos
Best Ways to Praise Kids and Boost SELF-confidence
Giving ample kudos to our kids is an everyday part of parenting. To motivate youngsters to excel in school and activities, we pat them on the back repeatedly in ways that were unimaginable a century ago, when even kissing babies was frowned upon by...
How to Raise Empathetic Kids
Simple Ways Parents Can Cultivate Compassion
Empathy is the foundation of a caring society. While we are all born with a certain amount, cultivating it is a skill that can be strengthened with practice, and it is critical that the learning process start early, say childhood educators. An empathetic child can better...
Nature Speaks
Storytelling Connects Kids to the Natural World
Children are natural storytellers with imaginations that shape their play and learning. In outdoor settings, everything from puddles to pine cones can engage children and draw them closer to the natural world, opening up a...