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I've written a lot about whining over the years because, as an early childhood educator for the past 50 years, I've heard plenty of it. I've tried many different responses, and some work better than others. Here are a few: My ears don't hear that tone of voice. Ask me again, without whining, and I'll answer you. We don't serve whine at Nanci's. What am I waiting for? I use sign language by pointing to my ear after explaining that it means you are whining, and it won't be ad

Enjoy this ad-free post from Early Childhood Rocks, a nonprofit organization Some people feel that when a young child mistreats another young child, they need to receive immediate punishment to teach them a lesson. Others think they need to be reasoned with and gently told what the right thing to do is over and over again until it sinks in. But another question remains. Could we teach young children to problem-solve instead? Is that even possible? Problem-Solving Science and

At Early Childhood Rocks, we want to bridge the gap between what we know academically about early childhood brain development and the experiences babies and toddlers have on a daily basis. And we want to support you in providing those experiences. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the world through early childhood care and education. We have compiled a toolkit highlighting four essential brain-building experiences that every baby needs, but some may not re

I don't know of many young children who have never hit or tried to hurt someone out of anger. It's all part of the learning process. That fact, however, doesn't make it any easier to deal with. And it certainly doesn't mean we should ignore it. Ignoring or making light of a child's attempts to control what's happening by using force is a mistake. Even though most children will try almost anything to get what they want in the moment, it's our job, as responsible adults, to te

With the new school year coming up, it's time to talk about the dreaded child care drop-off dilemma. Maybe your child loves to go to school, and drop-off is always easy, but for most of us, it varies depending on the day, the time, and the child. After 50 years in early care and education, I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly side of child-care drop-off scenarios. Nothing is guaranteed to work for every child, so don't worry if you have to switch strategies and try agai

Sooner or later, all children will be exposed to violence in some way. If we ignore the opportunity to intentionally teach non-violent yet assertive communication skills during the first few years of life, we miss the greatest imaginable potential for change. The opportunity to observe a problem and to work to solve it without hurting others in the process is a skill worth teaching. And problem-solving starts early on in life. Hitting is normal behavior in very young children

Enjoy this ad-free post from Early Childhood Rocks, a nonprofit organization. If you're seeing this article, please take advantage of the free program it offers. We wouldn't want you to miss out on any of the 4 critical brain-building techniques included. Here's a nice surprise. You do not have to sign up for our community to get a copy of our free problem-solving toolkit/curriculum created for ages 0-3. In fact, you can grab a copy right away by visiting our website and cli

Why do kids tattle? Do they want to be know-it-alls? Make others feel bad? Look better than others? Get someone else in trouble? Possibly, especially after tattling becomes a habit. But why do kids tattle to begin with? As an infant, toddler, preschool, kindergarten, Head Start, and family child care teacher for over 50 years. I've had some experience with tattling. As an adult, I have to admit that I still cringe imperceptibly when I hear a child tattle, especially in a

Now that you're noticing how bright and downright intelligent your baby or toddler is, what can you do to nurture their budding capabilities without turning them off to learning? For one thing, you can continue to notice what they're interested in and supply them with the knowledge they. need. Just don't hand it to them on a silver platter when they might learn from doing some of the research themselves. Educators call this scaffolding. For a young child, doing the research

If you've noticed how smart your little one is and want to know the best ways to nurture their intelligence, you may also feel confused about how to proceed. There's a lot of conflicting parenting information online and elsewhere. Here's some advice from a child development specialist with 5 decades of hands-on experience and a couple of degrees. Read the experts, but trust your instincts. When in doubt, talk to friends and family. Weigh what they say carefully, but still,

Enjoy this professional post, with no annoying outside ads, from early childhood rocks a non-profit organization. Nobody likes whining! Not even kids. And the adults who are the biggest whiners hate it the most when their own kids or other adults do it. But if whining is so poorly tolerated in our society, why is it present at such epidemic proportions? It could be that whining feeds on guilt. But that's a topic is for another day. Today, I'm going to share with you some

step one Connections Your interactions with your infant are the first neural pathways to learning that they will form outside of the womb. Every time you gaze into their eyes or speak to them lovingly, millions of brain connections are formed. That's why parents and all early childhood educators need to be respected and honored for their importance to society. By spending time communicating and playing with infants, we are teaching them about language, expression, feelings,

I'm sorry that the path to high-quality early care and education has to be so difficult. As an advocate for systematic change for over 5 decades, I hoped to see more progress. Some of us still have several positive child care options, while too many do not. Or if high-quality care and education is available, most can't access it due to affordability issues. I want to be clear that my intention is to help and uplift parents and providers, not to make them feel less capable

Enjoy this post, free of outside ads and pop-ups, from Early Childhood Rocks, a nonprofit organization At your wits' end with a child or two in your care? Please don't feel alone; that's why we're here. We hope to give you ideas that help you right away, whether you're at home or in a classroom. These particular ideas work best with children aged 12 months.-8 years, but can easily be adapted to any age, including adults. These techniques are backed by science, research, and

As a new parent or provider, you probably aren't thinking about teaching your infant problem-solving skills, but you are. You're helping them shape their approach to everything as they watch you go about your day, dealing with life. Your interactions with them during this crucial period of development mean so much. Most people want their children to grow up solving their own problems non-violently. The alternative is frightening. Yet infants and toddlers seem so vulnerable t

Enjoy this ad-free article from Early Childhood Rocks, a nonprofit organization. Any references to outside products are unpaid recommendations. What if you could use fun and excitement to supercharge your child's learning and help them reach their full potential? Fun and excitement are feelings that spark learning. Sometimes it's hard to see, but learning isn't boring. It's fun! But here's something serious. During the first few years of life, we learn self-regulation. If

Once upon a time, preschool and nursery school teachers used songs to teach the children. We sometimes played old vinyl records, but mostly we sang. In the classrooms, we had a few puzzles, art supplies, books, and toys. We sang ABC's, nursery rhymes, and a few pop songs like "Monster Mash". We made our own fun with what we had. Children do the same today. Whether they have fancy wooden toys galore or just a stick and a ball, they play. Young children are wired to play b

What science has learned about the infant brain in the last 30 years is amazing! Magnetic Resonance Imaging can now be done noninvasively. This means babies' brains can be tested while sitting on their parents' laps or comfortably looking at images moving across a screen. These breakthroughs allow scientists to measure many things they previously could not. One example that comes to light is from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Here's a quote from

Gentle parenting is a means of parenting without shame, blame, or punishment— Kimberly Zapata This is a wonderful philosophy until, as parents, we have to decide what to do when a child misbehaves and then doesn't listen to our gentle, reasonable explanation when we ask them to stop. Or what to do when they seem to listen but then repeat the behavior, or hold off on it until they're sure we're not looking, and do it anyway. Gentle parenting prescribes an ideal first response

If you're a working parent, stay-at-home parent, or a child care provider, you may have more in common with the others than you think. During the first few years of a child's life, we are all teachers, and we hold tremendous power to influence the young children we care for. In a world that tends to dole out too much judgment, pressure, tension, and blame, we want to help you relieve some of that stress and have more fun with your kids. We believe this is the key to helping y