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Volunteer with Your Tween

Looking for ways to spend time together with your tween? A great option is to discover volunteer opportunities for kids that you can participate in as a family.  

It is important to instill the value of giving in our children early in life because it provides a feeling of pride. Using time and talent to help others, rather than just providing money, allows kids to see an immediate positive impact on someone's life. When volunteering, kids will experience first-hand how other’s live and this gives them a sense of gratitude for what they have. It can be difficult to find volunteer opportunities that allow children to participate so we rounded up a few of our favorities to provide you with options.

Community clean-up days are a great way for the whole family to volunteer and spend time outside. Keep American Beautiful provides an extensive list, by zip code, of clean-up days in your community. 

Instead of gifts, ask for donations to...

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New Year, New Reads

All children need to see both themselves and their peers in stories for healthy child development. Diversity in storytelling can include more than race or religion. Stories capture and share the experience of children with different abilities, socio-economical statuses, learning differences, and cultures. Reading diverse books teaches children a valuable skill, empathy.

We selected four outstanding middle grade novels that share an experience that maybe your child will resonate with or allows them to see the world from a different perspective. 

Shelter by Christie Matheson

Perfect for grades 4-6

Maya, her younger sister, Gabby, and her parents use to live in a quaint cottage in the city. Her dad use to be a writer and would cook them delicious homemade meals. Maya use to have sleepovers with her best friend, Abby. Maya's mom use to be an art teacher. But all of that changed when her father was in an accident. 

After her dad was struck by a car on his bike, her...

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8 Tips to Boost Your Child's Self-Esteem

A child can never have too much self-esteem. On the other hand, the outcomes for children with low self-esteem can be quite poor. As a parent, your child’s level of self-esteem is largely your responsibility. There is much you can do to make your child feel confident and competent.

Children are sensitive and have a peer group that can be quite harsh, so what you do at home matters. It’s vital that your child have a reserve of self-esteem that can survive the unpleasantness of other kids.

Give your child the best chance to be happy and successful.

Use these strategies to help your child feel good about themselves:

Love your child unconditionally. Every child should believe they are loved unconditionally. Every child should believe that no matter what mistake they makes or failure they suffer that they are still loved.

Consider the impact it has on a child’s self-esteem when she believes she’s only loved when she behaves a certain way or achieves a certain...

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Help Your Kids Deal with Disappointment

Disappointment is a normal part of life, and the lockdowns due to COVID-19 caused some major disappointments while disrupting lives everywhere. It’s enough to make anyone feel a little sad and discouraged. But disappointments don't only pop up during global pandemics, they are mixed in with all the joy and excitement life can bring. 

It’s also natural for parents to want to shield children from such unpleasant situations. However, dealing with losses can be a beneficial experience. Otherwise, your sons and daughters may struggle when they run into bigger letdowns as adults.

How can you guide your children without taking over? Try these ideas for helping your kids to deal with disappointment.

Talking with Your Kids about Disappointment

There are major differences between dwelling on disappointments, trying to suppress them, and dealing with them constructively. Your child will probably find it easier to move on if they can talk about their feelings.

Try these...

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6 Middle Grade Books Perfect for Building a Girl-Power Collection

emotion family reading tween Mar 01, 2021

It is important for young girls to see themselves represented in book characters. When young girls can relate to strong female character in a story it helps them build strength, know it is acceptable to be vulnerable, and provides examples of creative solutions in relatable life situations. 

On the flip side, it is also important for readers to see young girls from different backgrounds in a story because it brings visibility to cultural differences, builds empathy, and creates unity.

We picked six girl-power novels for your middle grade reader to find relatable characters and learn from others in a different life situations. 

 

In a Flash by Donna Jo Napoli

Simona and Carolina's father is a beloved cook in Italy but when the Italian ambassador request his cooking skills in Japan, the girls travel thousand of miles to have an adventure with their Papa. At first, living in Japan is exciting and each sister works to learn the language and customs.

But...

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Get 4 daily actions you can take today to support your daughter! 

How can you strengthen your bond with your tween during this part of their life? Download 4 actions you can take now to support your daughter.