Jessica Speer‘s quarterly newsletter focuses on childhood development, friendship, and parenting kids and teens in the digital age.
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Parenting
- 3 Steps Before Giving Your Child a PhoneWhat is the appropriate age to give your child a phone? Are there steps you should take before this milestone? What rules should be in place for your child’s first phone? Parents today face these tough questions and more. This post shares three things you can do to help your child and your family prepareContinue reading “3 Steps Before Giving Your Child a Phone”
- Help! I Gave My Kid a Phone Without Rules.Recently, a parent asked me this question: “I gave my kid a cell phone without establishing rules first. It’s not going well. She is glued to her phone night and day. Is it too late to put rules in place?” The good news is that it is not too late to implement new phone rulesContinue reading “Help! I Gave My Kid a Phone Without Rules.”
- Parental Controls and Child Safety: Protecting Kids OnlineSummary: Parental controls and child safety settings can help protect kids online and reduce young kids’ access to inappropriate content. To be most effective, controls should be set up on all devices your child accesses and accompanied by ongoing family conversations about digital safety. This past week, I visited an elementary school to discuss digitalContinue reading “Parental Controls and Child Safety: Protecting Kids Online”
Understanding Your Kid’s Social World
- 5 Steps to Start a Friendship Group for KidsMy first book, BFF or NRF (Not Really Friends), grew out of a kids’ friendship program I ran in schools with small groups of students. Participants gained social awareness and skills alongside their peers through activities and conversations in a fun, supportive environment. These friendship groups typically met weekly for six to eight weeks. It’sContinue reading “5 Steps to Start a Friendship Group for Kids”
- Cyberbullying Vs. Digital DramaIn the digital lives of preteens and teens, the terms “cyberbullying” and “digital drama” are often used interchangeably, but there are key differences and unique ways to respond to each. Let’s start with a quiz. Quiz: Is it Cyberbullying or Digital Drama? Answer: At first glance, scenarios #2 and #3 appear to be cyberbullying becauseContinue reading “Cyberbullying Vs. Digital Drama”
- Middle School Stuff #10: StressThis series of articles explores what students told me about the trickier parts of middle school. Here’s the final post in this series – #10 Stress. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity, #4 – Crushes & Dating, # 5 – Cliques & Groups,Continue reading “Middle School Stuff #10: Stress”
Family Dinner Topics
- Helping Kids Understand Mindful and Mindless Screen TimeThis post defines mindful and mindless screen time, and offers ways to help kids become more aware of their own screen behaviors. My teen daughter takes a break from TikTok over the summer. This is no easy task, given that staying up-to-date on trends means staying current on what is happening on social media forContinue reading “Helping Kids Understand Mindful and Mindless Screen Time”
- Family Dinner Topic: What Word Would You Choose to Guide You in the New Year?One-word intentions have grown in popularity in recent years. Unlike traditional New Years’ resolutions, one-word intentions are simple and straightforward.
- The Surprising Benefits of Family DinnerStudies find that family dinner offers benefits such as increased academic performance, lower obesity rates, improved well-being, and more.
