In this article, the author discusses how a new afterschool arrangement is upsetting a 4-year-old child named Mackenzie. Her babysitter left last week, just as her mom started a new job with longer hours. She is missing her former caregiver and mom a lot. Based on the stories from her teacher and her father, the author gives her assessment of…

In this article, the author discusses how to manage stress in children. A teacher's story and a parent's story about a child who complains of frequent stomach aches, is presented. Stomach aches and other somatic complaints without any apparent physical explanation are common among young children experiencing stress. Nevertheless, it is essential…

This article describes the resentment and jealousy that is sometimes exhibited by siblings of special-needs children, and the steps that can be taken by teachers and parents to help these children reestablish their social-emotional balance. Dr. Brodkin suggests that teachers be alert for opportunities to praise such children when they exhibit…

Fitting in and being liked by peers is important to children of all ages. It is unrealistic to expect such a young child to be satisfied with national or ethnic pride, at the price of having close friends. In the best school situations, children achieve a realistic balance between feeling they belong with their peer group and retaining pride and…

The urge to surpass their current skills is not unusual for healthy young children. In fact, without it, they wouldn't have bothered to crawl, then stand, then walk, and later "climb many Mt. Everests." In this article, the author assesses the case of a child who carries it a bit further than most children, which frequently put this child's safety…

In this article, the author presents the story of a teacher struggling to help one of her students who is constantly clinging to her. The author provides several tips for teachers on how they can deal with anxious children. If the teacher has an aid, she could consider sending the assistant out to the playground with the group for a while, the…

This article discusses the teacher and the parent's story about a child who has difficulty transitioning out of the classroom at the end of the year. The child develops a change in behavior at home and in school and tells that he hates school. Here, the author gives her assessment as well as things that the teacher and the parent can do.

For more than a quarter of century, researchers have been studying the effects of TV viewing on both children and adults. Although controversies still exist, the data presents a clear picture of increased aggression in all age groups following the viewing of ?violent? TV. In this article, the author discusses how to help a child who is negatively…

Shyness is a general term used for behavior that has several different bases. Ten to fifteen percent of children are born with predisposition to shyness. There are two main types of shy children: those who are temperamentally shy from birth, which is evident by their second birthdays, and those who don't become shy from birth until a few years…

When parents decide to separate, a young child is often affected most by a change in their regular routine, which young children often find comfort in. When changes take place at home, it makes changes at school more difficult for young children to deal with because the schedules that they traditionally find comfort in are being altered. Dr.…

Notes both teacher's and parents' concerns over placing twin boys in the same early childhood classroom. Offers suggestions for teachers and parents to foster each child's independence and character traits without the trauma of placing them in separate environments. (HTH)

In this article, the author discusses how to help Kyle, a 5-year-old child who is struggling with his parent's new marriage. Kyle's teacher's story describing Kyle's behavior in the classroom as well as the parent's story based on Kyle's home life are presented. Among other things, the author provides an assessment of the situation and offers…

This article deals with the problem between the teacher and parent of a child who will not participate in group activities. Here, the author features the teacher's story as well as the parent's story. Some children take a long time to warm up to group play. Often, these are imaginative youngsters who are quite content to amuse themselves. They may…