Five Articles I Loved Writing in 2021
I was lucky enough to publish 34 articles on child development and parenting in 2021 — in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe Magazine, PBS KIDS Parent Blog, NPR’s MindShift, Intrepid Ed News, and The Greater Good Science Center.
I only write about topics:
that spark my wonder or curiosity
that I think will help parents and caregivers &/or
that I know will benefit my own growth and family life
Here are five articles I loved writing in 2021.
What if we practiced stepping toward our kids rather than sending them away until they’ve pulled themselves together?
Awe is what we feel when we encounter something vast, wondrous or beyond our ordinary frame of reference. It evokes a sense of mystery and wonder. And, given its documented benefits, awe might be our most overlooked, undervalued emotion.
Sit down, sit still and use your head. In our brain-centric culture, we often equate thinking with quiet focus. But when it comes to deep learning, the brain is only part of the story,
Put simply, noise is unwanted sound. While loud noises can damage our ears, Kraus is also concerned about so-called “safe noise” and its effects on children. “We live in a pretty noisy world,” says Nina Kraus, and these constant, moderate amounts of noise “don't hurt our ears, but they hurt our brain.”
The single most concrete, effective tool I’ve found for starting a task and remaining focused on one’s work is the Pomodoro Technique. I’ve spent four years teaching workshops to adolescents on how to build stronger study habits. And in the final surveys, nearly 100% of the students rank this strategy as the most useful. There is no close second.
And because it’s hard to choose, here are three more . . .
P.S. I have four picture books coming out in 2022. You can pre-order three of them now!
