Jefferson Fisher on Instagram: "if you’re a parent (or responsible for little ones) here’s how to model better communication #communicationskills"17K likes, 250 comments - jefferson_fisher on June 24, 2025: "if you’re a parent (or responsible for little ones) here’s how to model better communication #communicationskills".

Wondering exactly what Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is? Check out this quick video.

Tips to Ease Back-To-School Anxiety | Mount Sinai Today

2023 TikTok Slang Words Parents Should KnowAre you struggling to keep up with TikTok slang that your child is using? Look no further! In this guide, we'll provide you with a comprehensive breakdown of the most popular TikTok slang words and their meanings.

How to Help Your Middle Schooler Through Shifting FriendshipsFriendship is fluid, especially in middle school. Here's how to help your teen when a friend leaves them or when they want to leave a friend.

How to Help Kids Cope with Irrational FearsOne of the most helpless and frustrating moments as a parent is when our kids have irrational fears, and nothing we say seems to help them cope. It's perfectly natural for a child to be afraid of the dark, of course, but how can we help them overcome these fears?

How to raise kids who can overcome anxietyGrowing up means facing new challenges -- but for some kids, uncertain situations lead to anxiety that parents often seek to soothe. Psychologist Anne Marie Albano explains how constantly rushing to fix a child's problems can perpetuate a lifelong cycle of dependence and resentment -- and shares why a healthy dose of risk helps kids cultivate lasting confidence.

The 7 Most Important De-escalation Strategies for Challenging BehaviorsDe-escalation is the process of calming down a situation before it escalates further. It is helping to slowly bring the temperature down before it reaches a boiling point. This is critically important skill for all educators and parents because children and young adults feel overwhelmed and angry so

Is Your Teen’s Social Media Use Dangerous?Social media and its mental health impact on teens is of great concern, especially in light of the youth mental health crisis and recent studies on the detriments of Instagram, Facebook, and others. Research has not established a causal link between social media use and negative mental health outcomes, however it has found positive and negative effects that both parents and adolescents should understand and consider carefully.

Why Her Middle School Daughter Isn't Ready to Get Her First CellphoneA mom is nervous about getting her tween daughter her first cell phone after hearing of the dangers. Here's what she told her daughter.

The Psychology Behind Sibling RivalryYou can’t avoid fighting. You can only hope to contain it.

Emptying the Dishwasher Can Enrich Kids’ Mental HealthGuiding children toward mastery of new skills can help them thrive — and get some household chores done at the same time.

What Can I Control?

This picture from "The Counseling Teacher" can help you to see what the things are that you can and can't control.

When we are feeling worried or anxious we try to remember "to keep our brain where our feet are".

If you're feet are on the floor in math class, guess where your brain should be??? You've got it.... thinking about MATH. Not thinking about video games, or the weather, or anything else.

When we focus on the here and the now, we can not worry about other things.

Building Frustration Tolerance-pages-deleted.pdf

What to Say When Your Child is Bored - Big Life Journal (1)-pages-deleted.pdf

How to Support Your Middle School Child When Friendships Don't LastOur expert tells us what to expect with middle school friendships, especially that the tween years come with many changes.

One of the most common inquiries I receive from parents is about their child and friendship concerns. Typically younger children (K-2) all play together and invite others to join in on a game or other play activity. Once children are in the upper elementary age we begin to see changes in friendships. Groups become smaller, and children usually find a friend group they feel a part of and comfortable with. As they continue to grow we start to see "friendship drama". Children can report feeling "left out" as friendships continue to shift and change. This is one of the most common reasons students come to visit me. Together, we work through the "drama" and communicate with parents/guardians on how to support their child at home.

The above article does a great job in giving tips and advice on how we, as parents, can help our children navigate the social world they live in. I hope you find it helpful. As always, if your child is experiencing any difficulties or you have any questions, please reach out.

What to say instead of, "How was your day?"

Tired of not getting an answer to, "how was your day?" Try one of these: from: ADDitude "Inside the ADHD Mind www.attitudemag.com

What was the best thing that happened at school today? (What was the worst thing that happened at school today?)
Tell me something that made you laugh today.
Whom would you like to sit by in class? (Whom would you not want to sit by in class? Why?)
Where is the coolest place at the school?
Tell me a weird word that you heard today (or something weird that someone said).
If I called your teacher tonight, what would she tell me about you?
How did you help somebody today?
How did somebody help you today?
Tell me one thing that you learned today.
When were you the happiest today?

When were you bored today?
If an alien spaceship came to your class and beamed someone up, who would you want them to take?
Who would you like to play with at recess whom you’ve never played with before?
Tell me something good that happened today.
What word did your teacher say the most today?
What do you think you should do/learn more of at school?
What do you think you should do/learn less of at school?
Who in your class do you think you could be nicer to?
Where do you play the most at recess?
Who is the funniest person in your class? Why is he/she so funny?
What was your favorite part of lunch?