EP1 Reconnect

Using your smartphones when playing with your children? Research indicates that children show more behavioral problems when their parents use their smartphones during parent-child shared time. Parents should budget 20-30 minutes of “no-phone time” every day to fully attend to their children—it will empower them to create and explore.

EP2 Am I Clear?

Sometimes, children do not seem to be very responsive to the commands of their parents—are children being disobedient, or they simply do not understand the commands?
Giving commands is an art! Positively worded and step-by-step commands are easier to follow and more effective in shaping children’s behaviors!

EP3 Growth mindset

Do you want to help your children work harder and do better in school? There are two different ways of understanding ability development: “fixed mindset” versus “growth mindset.” Research shows that children with growth mindset have better grades. They are also more willing to use different strategies to solve problems.

EP4 Unlocking Curiosity

How can parents help their children learn actively? Showing children interesting and unexpected things can stimulate their curiosity and trigger their exploration! When children formulate new knowledge through the guidance of their parents, children have more vivid memory of such knowledge. Children also are better able to generalize the new knowledge to other settings!

EP5 Walking together when things are good

When children share their good news, if their parents can respond immediately, showing interest and excitement and expanding the words of children, children can relive their happy moments and experience the love of their parents. This is a parenting technique coined “active constructive responses” by researchers.

EP6 Walking together when times are bad

It is very normal for children to show negative emotions when they are having a bad time. Many parents respond to children’s negative emotions by asking them to calm down immediately, or to solve problems for children at once. “Active listening” requires that parents first show empathy by reflecting children’s emotions.

EP7 Mediated Learning

Many parents find their children easily distracted. What can parents do to help focus the attention of their children? Research indicates that “mediated learning” is an effective method! “Mediated learning” involves 4 steps:

1. Direct children’s attention to a concrete object.

2. Motivate children to explore the object using five senses.

3. Ask questions about the object, linking it to the real life experience of children.

4. Introduce the functions of the object.

EP8 Enough For Everyone

All parents hope their children can grow up happily. During the COVID-19 outbreak, many parents have been using different methods to maintain the mental well-being of their children. Research tells us that grateful children are happier and more satisfied with their lives. In the face of stress, they are also more resilient. To promote their children’s gratitude, parent can help their children keep a gratitude diary and review the happy memories from time to time.

EP9 One more sticker, please

Have you ever tried using behavioral charts to help your children learn good behaviors? Has it been effective? When using behaviorial charts, we need to:

1. Set clear goals

2. Avoid negatively worded goals

3.  Review successful experiences

4. Review the reasons behind these successful experiences

5. Praise descriptively and fulfil promises

EP10 Walking In Your Shoes

Adults have to deal with many stressors, so do children! How can parents improve their children’s emotion quotient, preparing them for all the challenges ahead? Parents can boost their children’s emotion quotient by teaching them emotion vocabularies, helping them label emotions. Children who know more emotion vocabularies are not only more empathetic, but also better able to regulate their own emotions!

EP11 The Key To Storytelling

Do you regularly tell stories to your children? Research shows that dialogical reading is effective in promoting children’s language abilities and interest in reading. When using dialogical reading, parents engage their children by

1. Completing sentences

2. Recalling story plots

3. Asking open-ended questions & Wh-questions

4. Linking the story to daily experiences

5. Responding immediately

EP12 We All Make Mistakes

All children make mistakes. How parents handle children misbehavior has important implications for children’s long term development. Parents can use induction to deal with their children’s misbehavior. Induction involves 4 steps:

1. Pointing out exactly what the child did was wrong

2. Telling the child how the behaviors have affected others

3. Teaching the child alternative methods to achieve the same goal

4. Telling the child how to make amends now

EP13 It’s More Than A “Good Job”

Would “too much” praising spoil children? Research shows that descriptive praises—praises that are specific, genuine, and immediate, for children’s actions, efforts and strategies—make children more resilient in the face of challenges and more successful in the long run!

EP 14 Play (Loose Parts)

When children play at home, they often play with toys. But, actually parents can collect loose parts and host their “unique” playtime at home!
Loose parts are commonly seen things that can be easily picked up and put together by children. Children love using loose parts to create pictures. With parents’ guidance, playing with loose parts may promote children’s expressivity and creativity!

EP15 Mindful Exercises

Stress is a normal part of life, so parents and children have to learn how to deal with stress. Mindful exercises can help us explore our immediate experiences with full attention. Research indicates that mindful exercises can help us deal with stress and—at least momentarily—put our problems aside, which can improve parent-child and family relationships!
Here, we introduce 3 mindful exercises: mindful walking, mindful breathing and mindful eating.