Lesley's Learning Tips

Happy holiday season!
One of the best ways to help children with the "comparison game" and feel good about who they are is to show them how to celebrate others. Teach them how to be happy, sympathetic and empathetic for others. When we can truly celebrate others, our heart and mind become fuller! 💐😍👏🙌🌺🌸🌟🥰🥳

It's been awhile since I've posted on LLT. We have been in school for just over 2 months and what I noticed from the middle schoolers, is an obsession with anything NEW. A new app, a new style, a new dance, a new trend, new make-up/nail technique, new lingo (bruh).....New anything. Yes, middle schoolers have been this way since forever. The difference now is that NEW changes every other day thanks to technology. This also fosters emotional/mental changes more frequently than ever before.
Pay attention to your child's abnormal mood swings and help them find ways (breathing, limiting screen time, being active, playing an instrument, talking, helping others...) to regulate their feelings and find balance.

With Love!

I'm thrilled and humbled to announce my first self-published book. Employing 20 years of teaching, life experiences, and love to discuss a topic that doesn't get the attention it deserves. Being a child-free woman in America is not easy. Expectations and standards were set way before many of us were born. My "why" is to give a different perspective on having a full life while opting out of motherhood. But hold on....this book isn't just for CF ladies, it's for mothers raising daughters as well. Let's celebrate living well unapologetically!
#2021

Child-Free, A Journey With Me!: How to Reach Wholeness Child-Free, A Journey With Me!: How to Reach Wholeness

Good morning and Happy Monday!

We often say kids are resilient, meaning they will "bounce back" but it's not always as easy as it sounds.

Lesley's Learning Tip #32

Building your child's confidence helps to build their resilience. Starting at a very early age, make sure your child feels seen and heard by you, being present. Also, showing and explaining to your child the concept of waiting, patience, understanding what "not yet" means. So often, we want to do everything for a child or give them everything because it's easier. Help them to recognize their own abilities and develop stamina. Lastly, encourage them to try new things. Accomplishing new things (big or small) gives them a sense of pride and ownership. These are a few ways to increase confidence in your littles and in turn build resilience!

After yesterday's debacle, I felt the need to give another Learning Tip for our future generation's security.
Every year we have a tradition of coming up with a new year resolution. For the past few years, I've been applying a new word to my daily life, instead of making a resolution.

Now that SEL (scoial and emotional learning) is very much a part of my professional responsibility, I thought it would be awesome for parents to show your little ones how to be mindful of the choices they make.

It's quite obvious the world is waiting to see how these folks are held accountable for their seditous behavior....with that being said;

1. Discuss various traits with them and have them select a word that they would like to demonstrate in their daily life (kindness, trustworthy, forgiving, patience, helpful...) . They can display that word in their bedroom, bathroom, etc., as a visual reminder. I chose the word accountability on New Year's day.

2. Discuss accountability and how they think accountability should be enforced for those who participated in violating the law at the U.S. Capitol.

Having real life conversations allow your young ones to express themselves in a healthy way.
💚🗣

How many of us wish we would've learned another language? Me, for sure! I know it's never too late AND it's never too early to learn. We typically think of Spanish or French, but why not Sign Language? It's the 4th most studied language and has many, many benefits for your littles.

In the classroom, I used sign language as a transitional activity. When students finished their lesson(s), they could learn and practice sign language without disturbing others. They loved it...

Lesley's Learning Tip #30- "Sign" me up!

With free online resources, you can print out a Sign Language alphabet chart or even a word/phrase chart to begin your learning. Depending on your child's age and development level, start with the alphabet and spelling their own name. Kids at all ages enjoy that. For babies, start with whole words (milk, more, play, sleepy, hungry, teddy bear, etc.,) The benefits from learning Sign Language at an early age include:
* Helps babies Communicate better and sooner
* Leads to higher Reading levels
* Improves Spelling
* Improves Listening skills
* Improves Peripheral vision and Reaction time (which can
help
with driving skills and what parent doesn't want that)
* Brings long term Cognitive benefits

Sign Me Up and have fun!

Good morning good people!

As I think about the pandemics and how they have showed the world the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of humans, we have to remember to encourage ourselves daily. I learned about affirmations from my mother early on in life. I know there are a lot of parents who practice positive affirmations with their children everyday. THAT IS AWESOME!!! My tip for today takes it a step further, using mirrors. Toddlers enjoy looking at themselves and playing with mirrors, so why not teach them at an early age to affirm who they are.

Lesley's Learning Tip #29- Mirror, Mirror

Together, come up with a few affirming statements about each child that is personal to him/her.
* I am a Compassionate person
* I am important
*I am Resilient
* I will put my Best Effort into my work today
* I will Stand up for what is Right
* I am Beautiful Inside & Out
Everyday, preferably in the morning (to start the day off RIGHT), carve out a little time to practice speaking positive affirmations. Using a handheld "special" mirror or even the bathroom/bedroom mirror, speak 4-10 affirmations depending on the age of your little. It may feel uncomfortable to them at first but consistency is Key! Say the same ones each morning. Before you know it, they will be encouraging themselves without your help. 🥰😍

Hey, hey, hey....it's Monday!

It's definitely nice to get a full body massage every now and then to loosen up the knots and restore our souls. Children benefit from the same thing, only they can self-massage to stimulate the blood flow to the brain and other areas where tension is held (shoulders, neck, back).

Lesley's Learning Tip #28-Magic Massage
Begin sitting or standing in Mountain pose (straight, balanced yet comfortable). Close your eyes to focus on your breath. Using fingertips, apply firm circular movements to the top of your head, move down to your temples and forehead, then eyebrows and around/on ears. Take your time and spend a little extra time on areas that need it or just feels relaxing. Keeping eyes closed, move down to the neck and shoulders and breastbone (about an inch down from the collarbone) and continue to massage with fingertips. Continue this down your arms, each hand and each finger. Finally, rest your hands on your lap and take a few deep breaths. How do you feel?
This exercise is very restorative and encourages self-care! Teaching your littles to alleviate tension doesn't have to cost a thing! 🆓 💆‍♀️😊

Thankful Thursday! Good morning...

How many of us take time to just be? Time to get still and be quiet. Time to reflect and listen to our bodies, our inner wisdom, cultivate peace. Well, we most definitely should! If you show your littles how to Have Alone Time they will be able to go out in the world with a more positive and powerful attitude. This is absolutely a lifelong lesson.

Lesley's Learning Tip #27- Have Alone Time

It is important to get your children involved in sports, dance, music, and other extracurricular activities but too much can also make your child feel overwhelmed. Encourage "alone time" everyday where he/she can just be. Yes, they will insist that they are bored and you are mean, LOL! But it's o.k.

As they get used to this "alone time" (sitting quietly practicing breathing or yoga poses, journaling, painting, reading, going for a brief walk) they will be able to tap into their creativity and learn so much about themselves. Perhaps, you can set aside time each day, like routine, to get to know YOU without technology, just YOU! We all need it!!!! 😌🤫💡

Good morning,
With everything going on in the world and in our country, we all have so much to process on a daily basis. Imagine how your littles feel....they feed off of your energy and how you respond/react. Be mindful and don't forget to BREATHE (for yourself and for them).
In addition to breathing, we MUST have conversations about what is going on and what we are seeing in the news and on social media. These are definitely hard conversations to have with children but very necessary. Your littles are watching 👀and listening TO YOU whether you discuss these issues with them or not. Help them feel secure and validated by talking!
Rather than thinking of them as "hard conversations" focus on having "heart conversations" with your littles.

Lesley's Learning Tip #26- Heart❤️Conversations

Carve out time as a family to have "heart" conversations regularly. Be Intentional in explaining to your littles why these conversations are important; how it opens our minds and hearts to be kinder, more compassionate human beings. Try starting with just a word or a phrase. What do you think of when you hear the word police? respect? equality?racism?love your neighbor? treat others how you want to be treated? black lives matter? all lives matter? Give everyone time to think and share.
With younger ones, you can use books or videos to initiate conversations. Be honest and open about your feelings and let your 💚 talk! 🤔😘🗣👄🧠

Words, words, and more words! I remember reading Donovan's Word Jar, as a fourth grade teacher with my students. For some reason, this story keeps coming to me, so I thought I would make it one of my tips.

Lesley's Learning Tip #25
Word Jar- Kids love collecting things, so how about encouraging them to "collect" words... In A Word Jar!?!

First, get a jar (a used jar), clean and remove any labels. Have your child decorate the jar any way they choose. Paint, hot glue shells on the jar, glue yarn around the jar, write/draw with markers.....anything.

After they've decorated the jar (or helped) and it is completely dry, the fun begins! Cut up strips of paper and have them readily available to write words on. Everytime your littles encounter or learn a new word, they simply write it on a strip of paper. If more than one child is using the jar, have them write their initials on the back of the paper. Before they can put the "new" word in the jar, they must tell you what the word means AND use it in a sentence. This is great for vocabulary building. Now, let's see who can learn the most words!!!
🆕🧴(it's a jar ok?) 😄😁😜