Your blog category
It’s a new year — a fresh start, a clean slate, and a much-needed reset. Educators and children have returned to school to continue the second half of the school year, making it the perfect time to give classrooms the “new year treatment” and breathe new life into your classroom environments. Why a Classroom […]
It’s holiday time – full of music, lights, food, family and friends! The holidays present a whole host of opportunities… and challenges. It’s a time full of opportunities to engage, connect, and share with family members and friends, or perhaps just to enjoy being with oneself, which can provide us with feelings of excitement, happiness, […]
The end of the year marks a key opportunity for self-reflection. This is the perfect time to look back and acknowledge the victories, and challenges, we faced over the past year. Reflecting on what hasn’t been working for us and why, reflecting on what has been working for us and why, identifying areas in our lives where change is […]
With Black Friday this week, many parents are searching for the perfect gifts for their children. Toys and books are a great way to celebrate this joyful season, and Housman Institute Founder, Dr. Donna Housman, recently had one of her six ECSELent Adventures children’s books featured in the New York Post’s “32 best Christmas gifts […]
Every year as the leaves fall to the ground in the chilly November air, I’m reminded of how much storybooks meant to me throughout my own childhood. They were an outlet that helped me begin to understand, cope with, and manage my emotions, both big and small. Now, as a clinical psychologist with over 35 […]
As an author with more than 35 years of experience as a psychologist in the field of child development and early childhood education, I know firsthand the impact stories can have on young minds. Through storytelling, we can often help children understand and face difficult emotions in a safe and engaging way. My latest […]
Book recommendations & activities are included! Halloween is almost here, which means feelings like excitement, fear, and even disappointment are starting to bubble to the surface for children everywhere. Don’t let their trick-or-treat bags get weighed down by big feelings this year! Dedicate time to helping children explore their emotions so they feel prepared, safe, […]
Read more to learn what is Emotional Intelligence, what are the four quadrants of Emotional Intelligence, and some language tips for fostering Emotional Intelligence integrated with a real-life parent scenario. Modeling Language Fosters Emotional Intelligence As an educator and parent, I have learned just how much children listen to our conversations and imitate our interactions and […]
It’s hard to believe it is already November – leaves are falling off the trees, there is a chill in the air, and it’s the time of year when we are once again reminded to think about what we are most grateful for. With so much going on in our daily lives and in the […]
National Emotional Wellness Month is upon us once more, and not a moment too soon. This month marks a time where we can look inward, reflect on our stress levels, and make necessary changes to collectively improve our mental health and emotional well-being. With my years of experience as a clinical psychologist and founder of […]
In my decades of experience working with children and in the early childhood education field, one thing is clear – children love stories. Not only listening to them, reading them, and exploring the pictures on the pages, but the opportunity to share their own stories (and feelings) with anyone who will listen. When it comes […]
There is no faster time of brain development than from zero to three, and some of the most formative experiences that have lifelong consequences occur in early childhood. Because of this period of expedited development, babies’ and young children’s needs vary during these early years. That’s why I’m going to focus on age-by-age information during […]
Each back-to-school season comes with the typical jitters and excitement; however, this year is unique in that it’s the first time pandemic babies and young children are school-aged. The New York Times¹ recently wrote an article highlighting how the pandemic affected babies’ and young children’s development–with many of them experiencing higher than average developmental challenges. The reason: isolation and […]
I’m thrilled that we’ve released the fifth book in the ECSELent Adventures series, “Franklin’s World Takes a Turn.” Each book in the series addresses topical developmental issues by helping children explore their emotions, relationships, and the world around them. Each book is designed with support to scaffold learning around familiar topics children encounter while also […]
Welcome back to “begin to ECSEL School Stories,” a blog series where we address common challenges that early childhood educators face on their journey to support children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Throughout this series, we have explored ways to help children through their big feelings like anger and disappointment, provided strategies to support children’s development […]
During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the New York Times ran a piece entitled “Are We Talking Too Much About Mental Health?” In the article, the journalist cited some research that pointed to the possibility of overdoing coursework in emotional learning and mindfulness. The article explained, “…two research psychologists at the University of Oxford, Lucy Foulkes […]
