With all the discussions these days about children and their education, I decided to devote this newsletter to one of Fred’s central messages that you might want to share with the families of the children you serve. It’s a message that can help us feel good about simple, everyday moments -- moments at home (or at school) when children are just...
Read MoreIn these challenging times, there’s a Fred quote that’s been helping me, and I wanted to pass it along to you -- “When the strong winds blow, we may bend but we won’t break.” It seems we’re all trying to find things that help us bend and not break. People these days are also turning to Fred's quote -- “Look for the helpers.” In...
Read MoreI’ve always felt good about calling this newsletter “What we can continue to learn from Fred Rogers.“ And it’s been especially heartwarming to hear from so many of our readers that you, too, appreciate learning from the way Fred approached children, families, the world around us, and life in general. I was thinking of that because March 20th would have been Fred’s...
Read MoreThere was a story that Fred loved to tell about a carpenter asking a potential apprentice if he ever made a mistake. “No, sir!” he said, sure that would help him get the job. But the carpenter answered, “Then there’s no way I’m going to hire you -- because when you make a mistake, you won’t know how to fix...
Read MoreThere’s a real concern that teaching has become “asking a question so you can get the right answer.” But think about how much more you’re “teaching” when you stimulate critical thinking skills by asking questions that require deeper thinking…that don’t have a right or wrong answer…that can’t be answered in a word or two… that help start a conversation. Questions...
Read MoreWith the holidays just ahead this month, I want to give a special thanks to everyone and anyone who works with young children, including the people who support them -- directors and other administrative staff, higher ed professors, resource and referral staff, trainers and other technical support people. It does take a village to raise a child. [q_button type='normal_button' size='medium' text='Read...
Read MoreA while ago, I was observing a group of preschoolers, and I was amazed at how long they stayed at a task. What was so engaging? They were making something rather ordinary and kind of “old-fashioned” -- paper chains. As they worked on this project, I could see why they were so involved. They wanted to make a chain that...
Read MoreWhen I was growing up, I loved dressing up in costumes for Halloween. But my Halloween memories don’t go back much earlier than when I was about 6 or 7 years old, and I’ll bet yours don’t either. For young children, Halloween can take on very different meanings. And depending on their temperament and developmental needs, some children in your care might...
Read More“Kindergarten Social Skills Hold Key to Success.” That was the headline for a USA Today article a while ago about a 20-year study published in the American Journal of Public Health which followed more than 750 children. The researchers found that kindergarteners with the highest scores on “social competence” were more likely to graduate high school on time, earn a...
Read MoreNow that the school year has started -- or is about to start, and you’re trying to get to know a new group of children, I thought you might appreciate a quote that I heard in an early childhood workshop: “We all have one mouth and two ears. Why don’t we use them in that proportion!” That quote reminds me...
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