by Jan Pierce, M.Ed
Every Parent Needs to Know…
My husband and his brother were raised by their grandmother during the days of WWII. Grandma Mary, called Mom by the boys and everyone else in the rural neighborhood, was a school teacher who began teaching in Montana at age eighteen and went back to college to receive her education degree at age 67. She wanted to set a good example for her family. She had spunk.
Grandma Mary also had rules. The boys had to wash before meals, use correct English and had to finish projects they began. She was a loving caregiver, but she wanted the boys to do well in the world. Their mother had abandoned them and their father was away at war. She had a big job to do for those boys and she did it well. Life was simple. There were long days playing in the woods and riding their bikes. They ate hearty home-cooked meals and spent their evenings at home by the radio and later the television.
Fast forward to today’s world. Family life is complicated and fast-paced. Schedules are packed with activities of all kinds and most of them take place away from home. Children have little time to play creatively out of doors. They are used to being in a hurry, to having full days that begin early and end late. They may feel rushed, over-extended.
Each generation faces new challenges. Back in Grandma Mary’s day there were decisions about chores, how far to allow the children to ride their bikes away from home. (It was miles and miles) whether or not to watch television and go to movies, and when to set bedtimes.
Today’s challenges involve limiting screen time, selecting appropriate classes, sports and other extra-curricular activities, whether or not to allow sleepovers, and when to buy children their own cell phones. Yes, it’s a fast-paced world, but it’s a world filled with possibilities. We want our children to have the best and to be prepared for every challenge the future holds.
But some of the values and character traits instilled by Grandma Mary are still relevant today. In fact Ellen Galinsky’s book, Mind in the Making, outlines seven life skills that every child needs to develop to succeed in learning and life.
This book is so important that I feel all parents should know about it. It shares the science of children’s learning in laymen’s terms. It explores each of the seven “soft skills” children need to learn and suggests family and classroom practices to build the skills into daily life.
You’re probably wondering what the skills are. They are:
1. Focus and Self-control
2. Perspective Taking
3. Communicating
4. Making Connections
5. Critical Thinking
6. Taking on Challenges
7. Self-directed, Engaged Learning
We often think of school success in terms of mastering basic subject matter. And that is important. But equally important is having the life skills to navigate today’s complex world. Some of the skills are gained through basic manners and common sense. Others take a bit of training to put into effect.
Ellen Galinsky did eight years of research in preparation of this book. She interviewed over seventy experts on ways children learn and mature. She studied the latest in brain research. She learned that babies’ brains are wired to learn important skills even before birth. They have language sense, number sense and relational sense.
Another name for these life skills is “executive function.” The prefrontal lobe of the brain is the location for executive functions. Management of attention, emotions and behaviors, setting and reaching goals, all happen in the prefrontal lobe.
Would you like to learn more about each of the seven life skills? Do you want your children to reach their full learning potential? Stay tuned for an article on each skill along with tips and activities you can incorporate into your daily family routines.
Jan Pierce, M.Ed., is a retired teacher and author of the book, Homegrown Readers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read. She specializes in education, parenting and family life articles. Find Jan at www.janpierce.net
Sidebar
Bio of author of Mind in the Making, Ellen Galinsky
• Graduate of Vassar College and the Bank Street College of Education
• Faculty member of The Bank Street College for twenty-five years
• Author of over forty books including Ask the Children, The Six Stages of Parenthood, and the groundbreaking book on the science of learning, Mind in the Making.
• President and Co-founder of Families and Work Institute
Pull Quotes
Some of the values and character traits instilled by Grandma Mary are still relevant today. In fact Ellen Galinsky’s book, Mind in the Making, outlines seven life skills that every child needs to develop to succeed in learning and life.
Galinsky did eight years of research in preparation for this book. She interviewed over seventy experts on ways children learn and mature. She studied the latest in brain research.
Resources
www.mindinthemaking.org
www.toolsofthemind.org
www.developingchild.harvard.com
A booklet entitled, Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence. A 16 page guide to executive functions from the Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University.
Every Parent Needs to Know…
My husband and his brother were raised by their grandmother during the days of WWII. Grandma Mary, called Mom by the boys and everyone else in the rural neighborhood, was a school teacher who began teaching in Montana at age eighteen and went back to college to receive her education degree at age 67. She wanted to set a good example for her family. She had spunk.
Grandma Mary also had rules. The boys had to wash before meals, use correct English and had to finish projects they began. She was a loving caregiver, but she wanted the boys to do well in the world. Their mother had abandoned them and their father was away at war. She had a big job to do for those boys and she did it well. Life was simple. There were long days playing in the woods and riding their bikes. They ate hearty home-cooked meals and spent their evenings at home by the radio and later the television.
Fast forward to today’s world. Family life is complicated and fast-paced. Schedules are packed with activities of all kinds and most of them take place away from home. Children have little time to play creatively out of doors. They are used to being in a hurry, to having full days that begin early and end late. They may feel rushed, over-extended.
Each generation faces new challenges. Back in Grandma Mary’s day there were decisions about chores, how far to allow the children to ride their bikes away from home. (It was miles and miles) whether or not to watch television and go to movies, and when to set bedtimes.
Today’s challenges involve limiting screen time, selecting appropriate classes, sports and other extra-curricular activities, whether or not to allow sleepovers, and when to buy children their own cell phones. Yes, it’s a fast-paced world, but it’s a world filled with possibilities. We want our children to have the best and to be prepared for every challenge the future holds.
But some of the values and character traits instilled by Grandma Mary are still relevant today. In fact Ellen Galinsky’s book, Mind in the Making, outlines seven life skills that every child needs to develop to succeed in learning and life.
This book is so important that I feel all parents should know about it. It shares the science of children’s learning in laymen’s terms. It explores each of the seven “soft skills” children need to learn and suggests family and classroom practices to build the skills into daily life.
You’re probably wondering what the skills are. They are:
1. Focus and Self-control
2. Perspective Taking
3. Communicating
4. Making Connections
5. Critical Thinking
6. Taking on Challenges
7. Self-directed, Engaged Learning
We often think of school success in terms of mastering basic subject matter. And that is important. But equally important is having the life skills to navigate today’s complex world. Some of the skills are gained through basic manners and common sense. Others take a bit of training to put into effect.
Ellen Galinsky did eight years of research in preparation of this book. She interviewed over seventy experts on ways children learn and mature. She studied the latest in brain research. She learned that babies’ brains are wired to learn important skills even before birth. They have language sense, number sense and relational sense.
Another name for these life skills is “executive function.” The prefrontal lobe of the brain is the location for executive functions. Management of attention, emotions and behaviors, setting and reaching goals, all happen in the prefrontal lobe.
Would you like to learn more about each of the seven life skills? Do you want your children to reach their full learning potential? Stay tuned for an article on each skill along with tips and activities you can incorporate into your daily family routines.
Jan Pierce, M.Ed., is a retired teacher and author of the book, Homegrown Readers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read. She specializes in education, parenting and family life articles. Find Jan at www.janpierce.net
Sidebar
Bio of author of Mind in the Making, Ellen Galinsky
• Graduate of Vassar College and the Bank Street College of Education
• Faculty member of The Bank Street College for twenty-five years
• Author of over forty books including Ask the Children, The Six Stages of Parenthood, and the groundbreaking book on the science of learning, Mind in the Making.
• President and Co-founder of Families and Work Institute
Pull Quotes
Some of the values and character traits instilled by Grandma Mary are still relevant today. In fact Ellen Galinsky’s book, Mind in the Making, outlines seven life skills that every child needs to develop to succeed in learning and life.
Galinsky did eight years of research in preparation for this book. She interviewed over seventy experts on ways children learn and mature. She studied the latest in brain research.
Resources
www.mindinthemaking.org
www.toolsofthemind.org
www.developingchild.harvard.com
A booklet entitled, Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence. A 16 page guide to executive functions from the Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University.
