KEYS TO PARENTING MAGICA Workshop to be Presented at
The 2016 School Counselor Conference
January 31 – February 2, 2016
“Our baby came without instructions!”
This phrase represents a familiar lament among generations of parents. Too often parenting is of the do-it-yourself variety. For the most part, new parents deal with children the way their parents handled them.
OUR JOURNEY TO SUCCESS BEGINS EARLY IN LIFE AT HOME. Home is where children observe and form views about LIFE. Interactions (even in infancy) can stimulate neural connections for lifetime coping skills
PARENTS ARE THE FIRST & PRIMARY TEACHER OF CHILDREN. Parents have the strongest influence on young children before age eight. When kids enter school, teachers share the realm of influence (to a lesser degree). But during their eighth year, youngsters naturally seek to socially fit in with peers. The desire for social acceptance generates a strong competition in the hierarchy of influence.
Recent scientific research from arenas of education, medicine, nonprofit organizations and government agree: Nearly 20 percent of children born in the US will perform at below grade levels by the time they are six or seven years old. These are the same students who fit the profile of the typical school drop-out.
Early informed parental involvement is the missing key to success in educating/preparing children for fulfilling potential in school and life. Failure in this area impacts future U. S. domestic and international economic success.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is now formally urging parents to read aloud to their children daily from infancy. Doing so stimulates early brain development and helps build key language, literacy and social skills. Many pediatricians now include daily reading on health check lists. Some pediatricians recommend BBB time: Bath, Book, Bed. It works!
A GOLDEN KEY TO SUCCESS IN LIFE! Reading on a regular basis enables deeper bonding between children and parents. Interactive reading of books enables enhanced talking, playing, singing … and simply having fun together. Planning time for reading together enables a bond that is not subject to diminishing when a kid turns eight.
I wrote MAGICAL YEARS TO LEARN WITH ME to function as a textbook for families. It focuses on three specific childhood tasks: Communication, The Job of Parents and the Magical Power of Choice.
KEYS TO PARENTING MAGIC SERIES resulted from the idea that some parents may prefer to read shorter books about one subject at a time. Therefore, SEE ME TALK, WHAT ARE MOMMIES AND DADDIES FOR? and MAGICAL POWER OF CHOICE (together) provide information from MAGICAL YEARS TO LEARN WITH ME. Future books of the series will reflect new topics.
Think of them as activity books that parents can use to enhance mutual understanding, strengthen the bond with their children, and improve two-way communication. The overall goal is to better prepare young children for future academic and social success.