Ask Dr. Donna: The Challenges of a THREEnager
Dear Dr. Donna,
Age-Appropriate Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this blog, you will learn some recommendations of what key lessons from Martin Luther King, Jr. to teach to young children, and see a book list of children’s books about MLK, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. What lessons from MLK, Jr. should we teach children? When it comes to young children, teaching involves […]
Emotional Intelligence for Early Childhood Educators-Dr. Housman in Exchange Magazine
Before you can help children deal with their stress, you also must learn how to cope with stress yourself and the feelings that accompany it.”
Ask Dr. Donna: Home for the Holidays- Covid and Anxiety?
Many people will be gathering for the first time in almost two years. This will bring on stress and anxiety for some as they navigate vaccine status, politics and the general strains of gathering family from near and far.
Holidays Are New in the “New Normal”
There’s no sugar-coating it: The holidays are here, and for young children, celebratory gatherings might be a new thing, even with family. It’s a strange time to be a young child… But it’s an even stranger time to be a parent of a young child. Yes, this holiday season is so much better than last year, when […]
Helping Children Understand and Celebrate Differences from a Young Age-Dr. Housman on The PreSchool Podcast
Children are born ready to learn with an insatiable curiosity and sense of wonder, oftentimes we make the assumption that understanding differences is engrained. While they begin to notice and question everything from the start, children have not yet formed their understanding and critical judgment of differences.”
Introducing ASK Dr. Donna
As a clinical child psychologist and early childhood child development specialist, Dr. Donna Housman has spent more than 35 years studying the emotional world of children, training educators and parents, and helping children become the boss of all their emotions starting from birth.
The Hope for Early Childhood Education
The federal debate over “Build Back Better” has everyone who loves and cares for children holding our breath. The huge bill includes a plan for historic investment in child care and early learning, representing a sea change for families, early childhood educators, and the future for every child. The significance of what the impact of […]
Empowering Small Learners
Children are at the center of our world each and every day. They are our axis – we spin around their needs and focus our energy on what is best for their education, development, sense of security, and well-being. We work to ensure they are safe, fed, supported, learning, and healthy. But are we doing […]
Helping Kids Catch Kindness
There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” ~Mr. Rogers Research tells us that acts of kindness release hormones that contribute to your mood and well-being. When you perform an act of kindness, you are not […]
Preparing Emotionally Competent Early Educators-Dr. Housman’s Article in Phi Delta Kappan
Emotional competence must be at the heart of every childcare center or preschool program. Emotional development happens early. All educators and support staff need training rooted in emotional competence to ensure that every child is heard, respected, and given the opportunity to succeed. Now more than ever we need to focus on our early childhood […]
The Real Treat This Halloween-The Magic of Imagination
Halloween is quite literally at our doorstep complete with pumpkins, giant spider webs, inflatable monsters…and Trick or Treat bags waiting to be filled. This Halloween is still haunted by many ghouls and goblins – social distancing, little ones with no vaccine available, scaled-back celebrations and events, and real masks to wear under our costume masks. […]
Want quality child care? Pay and train workers like the pros they are-Dr. Housman’s Commentary on EdSource
To accomplish the moonshot goal of providing every family access to quality child care, we — the policymakers, business leaders and community members who all rely on child care — need to seriously consider how we support the field and the providers and educators who make it run every day. We need to fix the […]
Modeling Resilience in the Autumn of Uncertainty
When it comes to our children’s emotional and social well-being, there are ways to ensure the autumn of our uncertainty doesn’t become another winter of our discontent Most schools are planning for in-person classrooms this fall, though debates continue across the country over vaccine and masking requirements for protection from the Delta variant. We are […]
Parent-Teacher Relationships: The Key to Back-to-School Success: Dr. Housman’s Blog Post for Big Heart World
Over my 30 years in education, research, and child psychology, I have seen the powerful impact strong parent-teacher relationships have on children.” Children are heading to school this fall, many for the very first time. Although the pandemic was an emotional rollercoaster for children and families, there is a silver lining: parents and teachers developed […]
Back to…. School?
This is no ordinary Back to School season. When classrooms moved online last year, parents got a front-row seat to daily classroom life, from listening to remote “circle time” to trying to engage and motivate children slumping disengaged in their chairs. It gave many parents a first-time opportunity to participate in their children’s schooling, including […]