by YPI Editors October 25th, 2016| Communication, Tweens
When your child is in preschool or elementary school, it can be pretty simple to show encouragement. Maybe you put a drawing from art class on the refrigerator or offer a sticker for learning a new task. However, now that your child is a tween, these behaviors may seem babyish.
by Michele September 1st, 2016| Behavior, Tweens
Part of childhood is testing boundaries. The tween years are no exception to this. What am I allowed to do or not do becomes a more prominent thought for kids of this age. They've become more independent and have more outside influences, so they may try to expand their horizons-
by Michele August 25th, 2016| Seasonal, Tweens
Perhaps the title of this article should be, "How to Get Them Biking?" Many kids enjoy biking when they are elementary aged. It gives them a small amount of independence whether it is riding up and down the driveway, to the end of the street and back, or all the
by Michele August 18th, 2016| Seasonal, Tweens
During the tween years you may see an evolution in back to school prep. As you enter the tween years, your tween may be reminding you about the new outfit he needs for the first day of school. But as your tween gets closer to the teen years, he may
by Michele August 4th, 2016| School, Tweens
Depending on where you live, your tween could be starting school in the next week or maybe not for another month. Either way she's been on summer vacation for over a month. She probably is revelling in the no homework, sleep late, lounge on the couch nature of summer. It
by Michele July 28th, 2016| Seasonal, Tweens
One of the benefits of being the parent of a tween is that he is on the cusp of making responsible decisions. You might be able to leave your tween home alone for 15 minutes. He can make a sandwich and clean up on his own. However, he still doesn't
by Michele July 21st, 2016| Seasonal, Tweens
It's mid-July, and quite likely your tween is bored. No, she doesn't want to return to school with its early wakeups and homework assignments, but the long days of summer are beginning to feel very long. You're tired of seeing her in front of a screen, she's tired of being
by Michele June 30th, 2016| School, Tweens
As a parent of a tween, you may fondly recall the younger years when your child was excited to learn. Whether it was counting the stairs as you headed to bed or searching for a certain color in a grocery aisle, your little one was proud to show her knowledge.
by Michele June 23rd, 2016| Seasonal, Tweens
Summer is upon us, which for many means it's swimming season. Whether you have access to a pool (in your yard or elsewhere) or make regular trips to the beach or lake, it's important to review water safety rules with your tween. Of course, as an all-knowing tween, your child
by Michele June 16th, 2016| Seasonal, Tweens
If you've been reading the articles this week, you've seen that the theme is gardening. As I contemplated gardening and the tween age group, I did wonder, Do they mix?
I apologize for my ambivalence, but my answer is maybe. It really depends on two things. First, it depends on your
by Michele June 9th, 2016| Communication, Tweens
The tween years can be tricky. (I know, I've said it numerous times.) However, they really can be. During these years we need to focus on our children's self-esteem even more. Of course, we need to do it judiciously, as it is important to give them a good foundation, but
by Michele May 19th, 2016| Seasonal, Tweens
If you're the parent of a tween, you know that he has a decent level of independence (or should). Your tween is at a point where he is handling most of his packing and organizing. Hopefully he's doing things like packing his own lunch, organizing his backpack, bringing the appropriate