Workshops

Do schools give too much homework? Are kids just procrastinating more? The questions that arise around the issue of homework are many. This workshop offers practical solutions to the dilemma of achieving a state of equilibrium between the school, the parent and the child. When all three work together as a team, the child benefits tremendously. Homework, in the end, will be seen as an opportunity to teach children about life, and to help them develop the traits and qualities that will allow them to thrive as adults.

If battling your child at bedtime has you blue, we'll put you in the pink. We'll discuss children who don't want to stay in bed, who get out of the bed during the night, and who express fear in conjunction with bedtime. We have an extremely high success rate in getting kids to sleep (at a reasonable hour, and through the night!) from 8 months old on so you won't want to miss this one!

Conflict among children is a natural part of a developmental process which marks the growth of important social skills. This workshop focuses on supportive intervention techniques which help children learn to resolve their conflicts peaceably. Appropriate for use with children age 2 and over.

Early on, children discover a tone of voice that raises the hairs on the back of the best parents' necks. Yet despite reminding, cajoling, ignoring, and even disciplining, the habit of whining seems to persist. This workshop will examine why children whine, how it actually serves their needs and gets them what they want, and how parents can break children of this annoying habit. No theory here, just practical skills that all parents need.

This workshop is based on the premise that effective limit setting not only means stopping misbehavior, but also helping children develop a sense of responsibility and high self-esteem. Even young children can recognize how their behaviors impact others, and develop a sense of self-control. When this happens, the classroom becomes not only a place of learning, but also a community where children work together and feel deep pride in doing so. This workshop provides teachers with effective limit-setting techniques that work within and beyond the classroom.

Do you blush at the thought of teaching your child about sexuality? Do you believe that you have time to wait until their older? Are you prepared to answer your children when they ask tough questions? What about if they don't ask??? It has been proven that parents are the most effective teachers for children to learn about intimacy, love and sexuality. In fact, studies show that children want to learn this information from their parents, that it can actually decrease the amount of sexual activity and promote more responsible sexual behavior.

Many parents express intense concern over the way their children treat and are treated by friends. From "my child's so bossy, I'm worried that she'll never have any friends," to "my child doesnt stand up for himself, he always does what his friends want," and including "my child came home crying because his friends wouldn't let him join the soccer game," children's social lives, the form that they take, and the way in which they develop often worry parents.

The child's world is very different from the world of an adult. Many times the way in which we speak to children, as well as our body language and tone of voice, communicate something entirely different from what we mean. In other words, what children "hear" us say differs from what we actually said. Learn to speak and act in ways that won't be misinterpreted, learn to hear things the way children do, and learn how to turn a situation around if a child has "heard" you incorrectly.

What’s a parent to do when their 10-to-14 year old gets an attitude, rolls their eyes, and slams doors? The middle school years can be a minefield for kids and parents. This workshop provides specific strategies for parents of 5th to 8th graders to set limits and talk to their kids about peer pressure, raging hormones, mood swings, body image, computer “addiction,” sibling rivalry, and other prickly issues. Julie Ross' field-tested techniques help parents shift from a "controlling" to a "relationship" approach--proving that it is possible to hug a porcupine, once you know how.

Respectful communication is the key to successful relationships.? Yet many times respect is lost when conflict arises, or when others make decisions with which we don't agree.? And when respect is not maintained, relationships deteriorate.? In this broad-based workshop participants will learn the value of respect and the skills involved in maintaining a respectful attitude even in the face of anger or belligerance.? The workshop can be tailored to fit specific audiences in order to address either spousal relationships, parent-child interaction or parent-teacher interaction.?

In order for children to get the most out of their school experience, it's best if parents and teachers work closely together as a team. Often, however, communication is difficult and parents are puzzled by what they deem a "negative attitude" on the part of the teacher. This workshop will illuminate some causes of difficult parent - teacher relations, and give parents practical techniques that will help keep the lines of communication open and enable them to handle even the most frustrating of situations.

Why is it that children seem to be talking back at younger and younger ages? Do you find yourself thinking: “MY Mother / Father would NEVER have let me get away with this kind of talk”, and yet you aren’t quite sure how to handle it yourself? This workshop takes a comprehensive look at both the cause AND the cure for talking back. Practical ways to set your child up to use respectful words and behavior will be examined. We’ll also discover a technique that will help eliminate rudeness, “sassiness” and “fresh talk” in your

It is increasing critical that parents initiate and maintain ongoing dialogues with their children about safety issues. But most parents feel concerned that they will unduly frighten their child in the process. How much is too much? How much is too little? This practical workshop will discuss strategies and techniques that help parents talk to their children without frightening them, and at the same time will empower children with important information. This workshop is tailored to the appropriate developmental level of the ch

In order for children to get the most out of their day care and early school experiences, it's best if teachers and parents work closely together as a team. Often, teachers best efforts in this direction seem to be thwarted by parents whose attitude can make communication difficult. This workshop will illuminate some causes of the difficulty, and give teachers practical techniques that will help keep the lines of communication open and will enable them to handle even the most frustrating of parents.

Repetitive misbehaviors in a classroom often occur because a child feels misunderstood. But it's often difficult to understand children - sometimes because they're screaming, or sometimes because they don't have language yet. This workshop focuses on listening skills, and interpreting children's behaviors by quickly assessing what their goals are, even if they're preverbal. How to use these techniques to diminish repetitive behaviors will also be covered.

In the past, parents could rely on their children learning good values through role modeling alone. Children and parents lived in close, tight-knit communities where the values they saw were reflected in the everyday lives of the people around them. In today's society, however, with communities and family more widely dispersed, children are exposed to alternate values through peers, television and other forms of media. How do we keep kids on the right track? How do we help them balance the tempting, tantalizing images all around them with good internal sensibility?