Positive Discipline Parenting Blog
Sproutable's Positive Discipline blog.
Real tips. Real talk. Read & grow.
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Homework Battles: The 5 Step Reset
Semenay Erdoğan from Unsplash Do you dread the after school show down? When you ask whether they have any homework while preparing for battle? Or maybe it is after the sports and activities in the[...]By Julietta Skoog
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Teach Turn Taking in Conversations
When It Gets Hectic… We’ve all been there. Mealtimes can spiral into chaos or power struggles, and your first impulse might be to correct or redirect behavior: “Stop interrupting,” “Sit down,” “Just eat your food!” Instead, try using conversation as the redirection. Bring them back into the moment with a question, a story, or a […]By Julietta Skoog
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Teaching Flexibility to Kids
When we think of the character traits and skills we hope our children have when they grow up, flexibility is likely on the list. Partly because they may be currently living in the land of strong-willed rigidity. If their favorite jammies are in the wash or you dare to give them the blue instead of the […]By Julietta Skoog
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Teaching Persistence
When we think of the character traits and skills we hope our children have when they grow up, persistence is likely on the list. This is because researchers like Alfie Kohn, Daniel Pink, and Carol Dweck, write that persistence, when built within, makes us more successful and happier. We all want our children to be […]By Julietta Skoog
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Screentime Guidelines for the School Year
Summer has wrapped and our kiddos are likely far out of their school routine. Here are some Positive Discipline tips to (mostly) avoid power struggles, save your sanity, and keep your kiddo’s brain from getting short circuited as you transition to the new school year routine. Get curious Using connection and curiosity, sit down with your child […]By Julietta Skoog
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What 4th & 5th Grade Teachers Wish Parents Knew
I worked in elementary schools for 15 years as a school psychologist and counselor and always loved being with the 4th and 5th graders. They were a special developmental group, and felt so “big” compared to my little kindergarteners. They were curious, assertive, wise, silly and confident. I felt responsible for getting them ready for […]By Julietta Skoog
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From Sharing Struggles to Super Skills: Navigating Playdates with Ease
If we have learned anything from this last year, it is that little kids love playing with other little kids! At one point my 3 year old, so sick of only her sisters to play with, said through sobbing tears, “I just need friends my size!” They are socially wired and thrive through interactions with other little […]By Julietta Skoog
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Feelings, the First Foreign Language I Learned as a Parent
How will we practice? How are we going to teach them to name their feelings, express themselves clearly and assertively, and not internalize or explode their stress or negative emotions? When our children are scared, mad, or so sad, their irrational brain has taken over and is only able to yell, “Fight! Run away! Freeze!” We can guide our children into their “rational” brain by helping them feel safe and understood, while teaching them to name and express their feelings in positive ways.By Julietta Skoog
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3 Tips for Successful Playdates with Elementary School Kids
With warmer weather playdates are increasing. Our kids love playing with other kids! They are socially wired, and thrive through interactions with others. In the elementary years, kids still ask for playdates, especially through 2nd grade. 3rd graders and up often begin managing their own social plans, and “letting” parents know. It requires navigation and coordinating, particularly […]By Julietta Skoog
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School Break Survival Guide: Routines, Connection & Sanity-Saving Tips for Parents of K-5 Kids
I worked in schools as a school psychologist and school counselor, my husband is a teacher, and we have three children in elementary, middle and high school. So, as a family, our rhythm and calendars revolve around the school year cycle and we LIVE for the breaks! While they of course can be fun and […]By Julietta Skoog
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