Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Parents: Are you keeping up with new research?

IQ or EQ (Intelligence Quotient or Emotion Quotient)
I keep wanting to use research to get parent's attention! Why? Because, finally we have "a science" to back up what mankind knew innately since the beginning of time. Data collected over the past ten years is showing up everywhere and at Tools of Growth, we are happy to share! So here is a clip from a great article posted by The Mother Company , compiled from an interview with Clinical Psychologist , Dr. Laura Markham! IN JOY!

"Kids with high EQ, on the other hand, do better in school, are more cooperative with parents, are healthier, are happier, and choose friends who are closer to their own parents and less likely to engage in risky behaviors. As they grow up, their emotional intelligence helps them build more rewarding relationships in every area of their lives, which also leads to professional success and better parenting." Read More


Here's a great TOG video from Kozy  Bear and The Feefers, that can help any age child (and parent!) understand "emotions".
"Emotions are ..... what you feel IN-side..... a feeling you just can't hide....", Sing along.......


Many of the books recommended on her site can also be found in our store, the TOG Box, under "Parent TOGs"


If you make it "fun" for your children, they will be encouraged to understand their feelings and express them. Of course, it is our job as parents to build their Emotional Vocabulary. At Tools of Growth, we can provide you with TOGs to help become familiar with Emotional Vocabulary AND bring to you "fun" tools to help apply the words they learn.  Watch this together!  Build their EQ or EI (Emotional Intelligence) and Raise Happy and Caring Kids that are equipped with a strong EQ to enhance their IQ!


Yet another TOG supporting our TOG Philosophy and Emotional Intelligence:


Share
, 0 comments

Monday, February 14, 2011

"I Need My Quiet Time!"

As we work towards the final phases of development and marketing of our first TOG, a children's book, "Happy Heart, Happy Face", I asked our Director of Brilliant Ideas, Nitasha, to repost a favorite blog that she thought was brilliant and needed more attention.  So here it is! In Joy:

Having raised my own children, now 22 and 19, I look back asking myself, "If I could pick one thing in my early parenting days that has had a permanent positive impact on my kids, what would it be?"

THE ANSWER: Encouraging "QUIET TIME"... a time for yourself to just be.

My 19 year old son, Navin, came home for winter break last night, after a grueling week of finals! (We all remember what that's like). Needless to say, he looked exhausted. He slept for 12 hours last night, and went to the gym first thing this morning. We talked for a few minutes as he was making breakfast and I said to him, "You need to refuel, love, what can I do for you?" He answered, "You know, Mom, I just need food and some QUIET TIME!" As a Mom, I am always happy to facilitate quiet time. This was his time to refuel, refresh, and recreate. It was simply his time to heal. And this quiet time, in whatever shape or form it may be, is one of the most important TOGs that one can benefit from... at any age!

With all the challenges that kids face today, from constant cell phone stimulation and internet usage to various types of social media, how can we expect our kids to know how to make QUIET TIME, if it is not a habit we have encouraged from their early years?

Here are some TOGs to get you started!

1. I came across this very short and simple article, "Quiet Times,"and found it to be very informative! It even helped me make "Quiet Time" for myself today!

2. For our little TOG fans, here is a Sesame Street classic:



3. Check out these amazing books in our TOG Box .... It's all about QUIET TIME!














Share
, 0 comments

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Would the World End If We Just Said Yes?

Do you ever find yourself as a parent saying "no" all the time?  Can I have a cookie?  No.  Can I wear shorts even though it's 50 degrees out?  No.  Can we play Candyland again?  No.  Sometimes I'm even more upset by the endless stream of "no"s than my kids.

What would it be like to say "yes" for a change instead of answering all those little questions with the knee jerk "no" response?  At least for the things that really aren't dangerous or world-ending. Yes, you can wear whatever you like, even if it doesn't match.  Yes, you can have Mac and Cheese for breakfast even though it seems thoroughly unappetizing to me.  Yes, you can pull out the fingerpaints even though I hate cleaning them up.  Yes, I will spend an extra 10 minutes playing a board game that makes me feel brain dead.  The message is, if it's important to your child and not going to hurt you or them in the process, why not?  It might just strengthen your relationship in the long-term.

In an article "Just Say Yes" by Sandra Tsing Loh in Wondertime Magazine, the author talks about an experiment in which, for an entire week, she tried to put "yes" in place of the automatic "no's" that come up on a daily basis.  It is a funny piece, but it has some poignant truths, too, about the fact that children will grow up and grow away and that what they probably want most of all is to spend time with us.  Time that we all too often say "no" to.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal also has a wonderful children's book on this theme, Yes Day!, about a day once a year where the answer to everything a child asks for, including using hair gel and staying up late, is yes.  You MIGHT even be inspired to put this holiday on your own family's yearly calendar!




Share
, 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
Tools of Growth is a subdivision of ECOW, Inc.