A Troubling Trend: Preschool Suspensions on the Rise I read a recent article about suspensions in Tulsa – hundreds of children are being expelled or suspended for aggressive, out-of-control behavior, including assault – and they weren’t just limited to high school students. We’re talking about hundreds of preschool students who have been suspended over the […]
As parents and children prepare to go back to school, there’s a special cohort of kindergarteners heading to elementary school – “COVID Babies.” These 5-year-olds were born during a time of face masks, social distancing and isolation, among other preventative measures and circumstances, that undeniably affected the development of these babies and toddlers when their […]
Summer is here! School is out, summer programs and camps are underway, and routines are shifting for children, families, and educators everywhere. That’s why the summer is the perfect time to support families in continuing to nurture children’s emotional intelligence skills. We’ve created this guide to foster the home-school connection and keep children’s emotional intelligence […]
We could all use an extra dose of sunshine and fresh air to shake off the last remnants of winter and feel more like ourselves again! Being cooped up inside for too long can certainly take a toll on your mental health, and the teachers and families of young children know this all too well […]
I recently shared with Good Housekeeping my thoughts on the pros and cons of being a highly sensitive parent. We so often talk about managing our own emotions before we can model and guide children through theirs that it can be easy to forget that for some highly sensitive adults, it can be more difficult than for […]
What do we want most for our children? We want them to be content, successful in learning and in life, and become the best versions of themselves through the growth of character and moral development. To support our children in developing a positive sense of self, the ability to be caring, compassionate and empathetic with […]
A recent New York Times article1 began with emphasizing how important it is to give children the opportunity to take initiative, problem-solve and build resilience by pointing out how underprepared young adults are for succeeding in life given: “Many recent (high school) graduates aren’t able to set targets, take initiative, figure things out and deal with setbacks — because […]
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 […]
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 […]
Welcome back to our “begin to ECSEL School Stories” blog series, where we address common challenges that early childhood educators face on their journey to support children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Our last two installments focused on how to support children in learning and practicing important social-emotional skills like empathy and inclusion, and how to […]
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a month where we raise awareness about the importance of mental health and ways to support mental well-being. At Housman Institute, emotional well-being and mental health are central to all of our efforts. In my last blog post, we took a look at a New York Times article that explored chronic absenteeism […]
Welcome to the third installment of “begin to ECSEL School Stories,” the blog series where we address common challenges that early childhood educators face on their journey to support children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Last time, we explored the important role that early childhood educators play in modeling, guiding, and teaching foundational social-emotional skills to […]
The New York Times1 recently explored chronic absenteeism in K–12 students since the pandemic, finding it has spiked and delving into the reasons and statistics. Alarmingly, many of the children have stayed home due to anxiety, other mental health issues, illnesses other than COVID, and to support their families, among other reasons. A Texas mother shared […]
Emotional Intelligence Day is recognized on June 6th to promote the importance of nurturing self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication. Here at Housman Institute, we’re dedicated to promoting the building blocks of emotional intelligence all day, every day. We believe that educators and parents should be equipped with the tools they need to support children’s emotions in […]
Each year we think in earnest about how to become our better selves when traversing questions having to do with our bodies, our minds, and our souls. Whether it be about weight, knowledge, spiritual engagement or our relating and relationships. But what about our emotions – the instrumental force driving our thinking, our behavior, and […]
How does storytelling help children process intense emotions? Loss and death affect us all – regardless of age. However, it can be especially confusing and overwhelming to children who lack the life experience to comprehend the meaning of loss and death, the basic understanding of these complex emotions, and the ability to process these big […]
