Independence. Whether it’s teaching your children to create and follow a morning routine or providing consistent expectations for homework time, independence is the name of the game. So many, many skills are necessary for elementary age children to be increasingly successful at independence. Among the most important is the skill of emotional self-regulation.

In his article, https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/51329/why-children-arent-behaving-and-what-you-can-do-about-it, Cody Turner reviews the NPR interview of Katherine Reynolds Lewis, author of The Good News About Bad Behavior. Lewis asserts that “We are facing a crisis of self-regulation.”

Self-regulation in children is the ability to manage thoughts, behavior, motivation, and emotions at an appropriate developmental level. When children lack self-regulation, side effects can develop. Anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, inadequate sleep and substance abuse are among the symptoms of poor self-regulation.

Over the next few weeks we will explore tips and tricks to increase self-regulation in children as they head back to school.  Join us as we offer our best parent hacks to start the school year off right!!