What “Can Do” kids can do, accentuating the positive, nonverbal communication, teen relationships and help for winter blahs are the topics that carried us through this week of frosty temps and biting winds. We invite you to curl up with a blanket and a hot drink and read these articles.
31 Things My Sons Should Be Able to Do Before They Move Out
PEP’s Can Do Kids Fair is around the corner, and there’s no better place to get your kids moving toward independence. Emily Mendell’s list of 31 things isn’t limited to boys, of course—all kids should be capable of handling these everyday tasks. Join us at the Can Do Kids Fair, March 14, where children can learn to sew a button, iron a cloth and paint a wall. Check out Emily’s list here.
The Ideal Praise-to-Criticism Ratio
At PEP, we call it “encouragement,” not praise. Whether you’re dealing with a client, colleague, child or significant other, the facts remain the same. “Top performing teams give each other more than five positive comments for every criticism.” We talk about it in our classes, and you’ll find more supporting information in this piece from Harvard Business Review.
7 Ways to Boost Kids’ Emotional Intelligence
In our classes we also refer to the work of Albert Mehrabian, who found that “the percentage of communication actually sent through spoken words is only seven per cent”! Reading nonverbal cues can be challenging for children and adults. Michele Borba has some clever ideas for parents to improve a child’s ability to read nonverbal cues and boost their Emotional Intelligence.
Trends in How Today’s Students Handle Relationships
“In times past, every generation of young adults had to learn how to handle the pain of initiating, cultivating and sometimes ending a serious relationship.” In the age of electronic devices, these experiences are radically different. Rather than talking face to face, teens are more likely to connect via social media or a text message. As parents, we have another opportunity here to talk to our kids about cultivating relationships, and Tim Elmore of Growing Leaders has a few thoughts to get us started.
Four ways to combat the winter blahs
While we’ve managed to dodge a major snowstorm so far this year, Amy Joyce of The Washington Post talked with the experts, including our own Patti Cancellier, about combating the winter blahs with our kids. If you try some of these ideas over the weekend, give us a shout out here on the blog or on Twitter @PEPparent—we would love to know what worked!
Compiled by Trish Pannuto, PEP leader and president of PEP’s board of directors.