Parenting
When Children Give Up: How to Respond
Your child starts to work on a puzzle, gets a few pieces in, can't find the next one, and immediately says "I can't do it" or throws it aside. A presc...
5 min read
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Showing articles tagged with: #motivation
7 articles found
Parenting
Why Praise Must Be Specific to Be Effective
"Good job" is harmless on its own and useless in volume. A child who hears it 40 times a day doesn't know which 40 things you meant. Specific praise —...
6 min read
Parenting
The Problem With Telling Children They Are Smart
"You're so smart" sounds like the safest thing you can say to a child. The data say otherwise. In a series of well-replicated studies, children praise...
6 min read
Parenting
How Positive Reinforcement Actually Works
Positive reinforcement is one of the most reliable tools in the behavioral science toolkit — and one of the easiest to misuse. Done well, it strengthe...
5 min read
Parenting
Why Parents Need Personal Goals
When you become a parent, your goals quietly collapse into your child's. Get through the day, hit the next milestone, keep the household running. That...
5 min read
Parenting
Why Autonomy-Supportive Parenting Produces Better Outcomes
A 3-year-old who has been told what to wear, what to eat, what to play with, and when to nap, all morning, is going to fight you about putting on shoe...
7 min read
Parenting
Homework Battles: Why They Happen and How to Defuse Them
The homework battle is recognisable in millions of households at 4pm: a tired child, a tired parent, a worksheet, and within ten minutes both people a...
9 min read