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You are here: Home / Archives for Development

Stop Hovering, Your Child Needs to Be Creative

February 10, 2016 By:Alison McNee

photo 1Research: Adam Grant of the University of Pennsylvania published an article over the weekend entitled “How to Raise a Creative Child. Step One: Back Off.” He reviews a number of studies about child prodigies and their ensuing careers and concludes that the way a child is raised can either encourage or thwart their creativity and what they achieve in the future. He notes that most prodigies never reach their full potential because they conform to adult expectations and interests, effectively becoming “excellent sheep.” The parents of highly creative people have few rules, encourage their children to find joy in their work, and respond to their intrinsic motivation and curiosity. Above all, they support their children’s passions, not their own.

Practice: These findings have big implications for schools, where kids spend a good deal of their day. At Chrysalis we encourage creativity by creating an environment where out-of-the-box thinking isn’t just accepted, it’s required on everyone’s part! We place a great deal of emphasis on finding children’s strengths and place them in educational programs where they will be able to incorporate their passions and interests into their learning. It means they spend more time in their areas of strength to further develop them, feel success, and develop a breadth of knowledge around them.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: creative, Development, passion

Developmental Levels

January 22, 2016 By:Alison McNee

IMG_4820Research: Most children are placed in classrooms based solely upon their birth date. Forgotten is the fact that brain function is highly individualized, developing at different times and rates for every individual. Margaret Semrud-Clikeman of the University of Minnesota warns that instruction that is above or below the maturity level of a child’s brain is inappropriate and can lead to behavior problems. Even worse, it can also lead to the misidentification of learning challenges and put a child on the path for academic failure. She argues that being aware of these developmental differences is important so teachers can both adequately challenge and nurture their students to promote academic growth.

Practice: We base our practices on what’s developmentally appropriate for each individual child. We have flexibility in determining which grade, campus, courses, and types of instruction a child receives. We can accommodate a variety of educational paths that allow for variations in brain maturity and developmental readiness, including later school starts in the primary years (some are ready at 5, others when they’re 7), early/late placement in high school courses, and postgraduate years for students who need a little more time before college. This way, we ensure that every child’s path is tailored to their own personal development.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Development, Individual, Personal

Child Development

July 15, 2015 By:Alison McNee


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: At some point in our parenting journey we’ve heard about the importance of attachment for healthy child development, typically referring to the bond developed between infant and parent early on that is critical to survival and development. New research builds upon attachment theory into the adolescent phase of development and has important implications for parenting teens. Researchers at Simon Fraser University conclude that “secure attachment [in adolescence] is associated with less engagement in high risk behaviours, fewer mental health problems, and enhanced social skills and coping strategies.” While for infants attachment is largely physical, teens do not require this proximity, but do depend on maintaining “relatedness” with thier parents. While conflict is part of the experience, negotiating the conflict in healthy ways where teens can confidently express their opinions and experience empathy is key. “Adolescents who feel understood by their parents and trust their commitment to the relationship, even in the face of conflict, confidently move toward early adulthood.”

Practice: Summers with our children (of any age) offer us time and space to engage them and develop this bond. For parents of teens, while an idyllic summer of togetherness may not be very realistic, we can revel in moments of connection and practice healthy conflict to encourage their development. It’s not rejection, it’s a developmentally appropriate need for autonomy!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Development, Relationships

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