How Families Develop Character in Children
Parents and families play a key role in character development. Parents who create positive home learning environments know that communicating about academics and homework is important. They also...
View ArticleCharacter Development: A Role for Community Leaders
Coaches and community leaders educate by example. You might know a baseball coach who motivates kids to succeed off the field as well as during games. Or a pastor or rabbi who listens intently without...
View ArticlePlaying the Game: The Truth About Youth Sports
Whether or not your children play sports, you probably have an opinion about the value of sports in children’s lives. You may believe that sports help children develop teamwork skills, self-confidence,...
View ArticleSmart Kids Need Smart Parenting
It’s easy to think that parents of smart kids have it easy. After all, their kids have the potential to achieve their dreams. Right? Well, not so fast. Fostering true potential in bright children isn’t...
View ArticleWhy Good Grades May Harm Student Health
Good grades are positive, right? The answer is not as straightforward as you might imagine. Of course, good grades are terrific. That is, unless the stress of getting them causes children to fail at...
View ArticleThe Immeasurable and Enduring Role of Teachers
Do you ever think about the role of teachers in your life? Those from grade school, sport teams, or mentors from after-school activities? I hadn’t thought about mine for quite sometime. That is, until...
View ArticleAre you Raising a Perfectionist?
In today’s culture of high stakes testing and tough competition for college admissions, being a perfectionist is often seen as a desirable trait in children. But recent studies show that perfectionist...
View ArticleWhy Risk-Taking May Increase Teen Happiness
One of the first things you might associate with teenagers is their risk-taking behavior. And most of the time, those associations are negative. Right? That’s because we are deluged with stories of...
View ArticleTeaching Children Perseverance and the Value of Work
America Rice, age 11, recently expressed her views about hard work and perseverance: “If you want something,” she said, “you have to earn it. Everything is not going to come to you just when you want...
View ArticleCheating in School: Learning vs. Mastery
To banish cheating in school, we must change the culture of school. To change the culture, we have to measure what matters. Students don’t cheat when the culture values speaking up, asking questions,...
View ArticleHow Role Models Influence Youth Strategies for Success
As teenagers grow to young adulthood, who are their role models? Who do they emulate? Why? The most popular article at Roots of Action this past year has been What is a Role Model? Five Qualities that...
View ArticlePositive Parenting: Powerful Ways to Raise Healthy Kids
Everyone wants to be a positive parent. But what does that mean? The term positive parenting is becoming more widespread as the practice of parenting becomes influenced by research in the new...
View ArticleCollective Impact for Youth: Is Your Community Making a Difference?
What is collective impact? And how can it make a difference for children and teens? Collective impact is a relatively new term and strategy for helping communities effect positive social change. For...
View ArticleFamily Movies That Will Inspire Teens and Their Parents
Family movies rock! And for many reasons! In today’s busy world, watching movies gives families time to slow down, be entertained, and be together. But family movies have the potential to do so much...
View ArticleThe Positive Power of “No”– Fostering Resiliency
“No.” This simple two-letter word is often absent from our parenting vocabulary. Yet, a firm “no” can be a positive developmental tool for building resiliency in children. In parenting today, we are...
View ArticleResilience: How Families Grow from Adversity
Most of us want to protect our children from struggle. After all, if we shoulder their burdens, they’ll be happier, right? Not usually. Children are happiest when parents scaffold their children’s...
View Article“What Am I Passionate About?” Igniting Your Child’s Spark
Every parent wants their son or daughter to feel passionate about what they do, to pursue interests that fuel happiness and provide a sense of accomplishment. But what if your child’s passions aren’t...
View ArticleResourcefulness: How Parents Help Children Achieve Goals
When our daughter Sarah was in 7th grade, her Latin Class held student chariot races—reenacting a sport that began in ancient Greece. Sarah’s goal was to build the best chariot so she and her team...
View ArticleQuotes about Strength that Teach Kids about Resilience
Resilience is the ability to meet and overcome challenges in ways that maintain or promote well-being. Quotes about strength that focus on how we grow from adversity can encourage children to take...
View ArticleCheating in School: Learning vs. Mastery
To banish cheating in school, we must change the culture of school. To change the culture, we have to measure what matters. Students don’t cheat when the culture values speaking up, asking questions,...
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