Posts tagged ‘academic performance’
The Benefits of Family Meal Time
Being a parent of an infant or toddler is a wonderful, and yet at times, exhausting role. It’s tempting to get food prepared for the kids, and worry about yourself later, particularly if you have a picky eater. However, research shows that families who share most mealtimes together raise kids who are healthier – both physically and emotionally – and who do better in school. As soon as your baby is eating solid foods, it’s a good idea instill the habit of eating together as a family, particularly given the vocabulary advantages for preschoolers who eat with their parents and siblings.
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Praising a Child as “Smart” Can Be Detrimental
We’ve been told for years that praising our children is a good thing; that it builds self-esteem and confidence. It’s almost instinctual to applaud a child as smart when they do something clever. My four year-old just recited the fifty states in alphabetical order (thanks to his nanny’s fondness for the Fifty Nifty United States song) and then proceeded to identify more states than I can on his map puzzle. So I had to bite my tongue not to say “you’re so smart!” or “your memory is amazing!” I’m fighting my ingrained habits of praise because a growing body of research is showing that complementing innate talents such as intellect or athletic ability can have a number of negative consequences. (more…)
