How Your Words Can Shape Your Child's Helping Behaviour

To 'help' or to' be a helper'? That is the question that researchers from University of California, University of Washington, and Stanford University studied in their efforts to understand if an adult's choice of words influence helping behaviour in preschoolers. Read full article
Interview with Marita Cheng - Young Australian of the Year 2012

Marita Cheng grew up poor, living in a housing commission home in north Queensland. Marita was an excellent student in school, finishing in the top 0.2% of the nation. After graduating, Marita moved to Melbourne to start her engineering studies. In 2008, she founded the not-for-profit, Robogals. In 2012, she was named Australia’s Young Australian of the Year. Marita recently spoke at Sydney’s Young Minds Conference where the theme was How Do We Grow a Good Person? Afterwards, happychild spoke with Marita about what it takes to achieve your dreams. Read full article
How You Praise Your Toddler Has a Lasting Impact

In a study that is the first of its kind, researchers observing real-world parent-child interactions have shown the lasting effect of parents’ praise on their children’s behaviours and thoughts. In this article, reporting on the research, you will learn about which type of praise has a positive impact on children's motivation and persistence, and be provided with examples. Read full article
Study Finds Children are Learning Persistence from Fathers

Can your children stick with a task? Can they finish a project? Can they set a goal and complete it? Researchers from Brigham Young University in Utah, United States, asked parents about their children’s persistence and found that fathers who use an authoritative parenting style are more likely to raise teenagers with a motivated and persistent approach to achieving their goals. Read full article
Emmanuel Kelly on the X Factor - Must See Inspiration for all Children
If there is only one video you take the time to watch with your children this week, please let it be this one. Arun Abey who occasionally blogs for this site, shared this video with me today. it features the moving and gorgeous singing performance of Emmanuel Kelly on the Australian X Factor - rescued from an Iraqi orphanage with his brother, Emmanuel and his family demonstrate love, compassion, determination and everything that is good about humanity. I promise you will want to show this video to your children. Read full article
Letting a Child Follow His Dreams

My eldest son was born seventeen years ago. In the time-honoured principle of new mothers, I thought him the most attractive, charming and gifted baby in the entire world. When it came to the last of these I may have had more claim than most. On his first birthday I took M to the early childhood centre for a developmental check. The nurse handed him a shape sorter with four different shaped blocks, which he promptly slotted into their respective slots without faltering: one, two, three, four. Read full article
Podcast How to Raise a Resilient Child with Michael Grose Parenting Educator

Michael Grose is an Australian parenting educator and author. In this one hour recording, he speaks with Yvette Vignando about how to raise a resilient child; how to build your own resilience as a parent; the main ingredients of a resilient family; how to develop resourcefulness, independence and persistence in your children and how to help your children cope with change, failure or conflict. Read full article
How to Motivate Your Child

Is there anything more frustrating than trying to motivate a teenager to do something that is clearly not as interesting to them as the latest computer game or iTunes download or Stephanie Meyer book? Allison Tait interviews Professor Martin from the University of Sydney about his tips for motivating your child. Read full article
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