How to Coach Girls written by Allison Foley (head coach of Boston College Women’s Soccer) and Mia Wenjen (volunteer coach and soccer mom) is a concise and practical guide that outlines an effective way to coach girls. Decades of experience
Books helps kids handle grief and loss which are inevitable parts of loving others. Books that both validate the depth of a child’s feelings and ease them over life’s rough patches can help children process their powerful emotions. Their world is small, their life experiences limited,
Some essential life lessons we must teach kids:
Treat others with respect, compassion, empathy.
Disagree without hate
Advocate without demonizing other points of view.
As adults, we must work to ensure our country lives up to its promise to provide “liberty and justice for all.” We must ensure our kids understand they are part of the solution and then we show them how to stand up for themselves without stepping on others. We must encourage them to be a force for good and to speak up for others instead of sitting in silence,or even worse–bullying or intimidating others.
As the saying goes, if it weren’t for bad luck, Billy would have no luck at all. The world views Billy as “trouble”, an inconvenient and annoying thorn that pricks and frustrates others. He has few friends. What he does have is a constant companion: Gobber–an imaginary but very powerful companion embodied as a wild dog. Tyrannized by Gobber, Billy “wonders why no one else can see him, or hear him, or feel him.” The malevolent Gobber “scares [Billy] half to death” actually. With heart-breaking honesty, Billy asserts, “I think that Gobber is my life sentence.”
It is easy to get lost in the habit of waiting to be happy…We must teach kids to enjoy the blessings of what & who are in their lives in the present moment. We must teach our children to take the time to enjoy the blessings of what and who are in their lives in the present moment. This is not to invalidate their losses, yearnings and unfulfilled needs. Rather it is to teach them to hold a both/and mentality.
As adults, we understand that the truly valuable things in life bear no pr$ce tag. Their value is intangible and immeasurable.
How do we help our kids balance the present moment reality and attraction of material things and help them learn to appreciate the intangible blessings of their lives?
Table where Rich people sit The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor and illustrated by Peter Parnall offers a gentle and appealing reminder that real wealth lies not in our possessions but in the relationships and experiences that fill our world. Like beauty, being rich, is in the eye of the beholder.
Written from the child’s point of view, the story focuses on her frustration with her parents.
Fear pulses through the crowd; some shiver with anticipation. While others quake as they wait. “At least one of them has never ridden on a roller coaster before,…ever.”…Readers–child and parent both–will delight in scrutinizing the detailed illustrations for hints about how the characters are feeling
Nobody likes to be boxed in. But in this group of of three books, readers will discover the creative power that exists in the possibility of an empty box. Whether for fun or for a critical purpose like post-war relief, these stories feature children actively engaged in their own lives.
Sends a reassuring message to children that their parents will love them unconditionally. Adopted children benefit from frequent reassurance that they are fully accepted into the family, that their belonging exists independent of their measuring up or behaving in a certain way. The story does this well. It’s gentle illustrations exude a sweet nurturing feel. Moreover, the behaviors and emotions that the story mentions cover a broad spectrum.
In “Ribbit” readers meet a pig with personality and an interest in making friends in unusual places. At dawn one morning Pig announces her presence to a community of startled frogs. Suspicious and unwelcoming, the frogs demand that pig explain herself…There are many things to appreciate in this story. First, it easily lends itself to discussions that invite children to wonder about Pig’s motives, to consider why the frogs are so overly cautious and inhospitable. Second, parallels between a child’s own experience either as the “new ” arrival or as being on the flip side of the equation as “gatekeepers” of an established group.