Social Skills

Kindergarten Prep: Spending Time With FriendsFriendship is an important part of kindergarten success. Young children need to feel accepted by their peers and have the skills to play cooperatively, productively, and positively with others. What ...

It's dinner time and everyone in your family is nose-down, glued to their phones and mobile devices, rather than making good ol'-fashioned eye contact. Sound familiar? Setting limits on screen time — and remembering to put down our own devices ...

Should cell phones be allowed in school? A 2010 Pew Research Center study found that 65 percent of cell-owning teens bring their phones to school despite any bans that may be in place. Most schools now allow students to have cell phones but requi...

Raise your hand if your child thinks your phone is just another one of her toys. We all know the feeling! Smartphones can be a great source for educational entertainment for children, but let's face it — curious kids have the uncanny ability to...

At what age should you get your child a cell phone? According to PewResearch Center, the average age is between 12 and 13, but when to get your child a cell phone is a personal decision, and can vary from kid to kid based on maturity and need. Be...

It goes without saying that smartphones and apps have become an integral part of our everyday lives. But what about our children's lives? At what age is it okay to let your kids start using smartphones? Which apps are safe and which are not? We...

Boys and Their Friends Boys, like girls, crave connection and belonging. Like all of us, boys need friends, suffer when they don't believe they have any, and agonize over the ups and downs of relationships. Many adults believe that somehow boys ...

When it comes to screen time and kids, it isn't all bad news. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers guidelines on how to make screen time healthy and educational.

Learning to Negotiate On a daily basis, your child will encounter situations in which her own wishes and needs clash with those of other people. Learning how to handle these situations is a critical life skill that children need to start practic...

Cell Phones and Brain Tumors: A Valid Concern? Since the 1990s, cell phones have been a daily accessory for most Americans. More than 82 percent of Americans, or 250 million people, now have a cell phone. That number is more than quadruple the nu...

Your Child and Cliques Cliques--you've probably heard the word before. You may have heard your son or daughter say, "Oh, he/she's in the popular clique. I can never be a part of that group." But you may not understand exactly what being in a cliq...

Dealing with Bad News Gracefully More often than we'd like to think, and often when we least expect it, people we know end up getting fired, going into bankruptcy, having accidents, getting indicted, and experiencing the death of a loved one....

Boys and Their Friends Boys, like girls, crave connection and belonging. Like all of us, boys need friends, suffer when they don't believe they have any, and agonize over the ups and downs of relationships. Many adults believe that somehow boys ...

Raising Girls: Unsafe Friends Countless proverbs warn of the strong influence your daughter's friends can have on her, such as "Show me your friends and I show you who you are." While you do not want to belittle your daughter's friends, you do ...

Raising Girls: Finding Positive Friends One of the best protective strategies for your daughter is to surround herself with numerous positive friends. You cannot be with her in school, after school, and during her practices and meetings. You can...

Preschool can be a great time for children to have social experiences with their peers and to be positively influenced by other caring adults. ...

Are you worried about your kids being online? Fact Monster is a KidSafe-certified site for your kids to get homework help, play games and watch educational videos. Check it out...and give Same Game a try yourself!

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The "Mean Chicks" Phenomenon Since the early 1980s, our country has seen a sharp rise in violence among boys that has not abated. While the nation's attention has been focused more on them—especially since the Columbine tragedy—more girls ha...