My 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’sContinueContinue reading “5 Steps to Start a Friendship Group for Kids”
Category Archives: Understanding Your Kids Social World
Cyberbullying Vs. Digital Drama
In 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? Ava and Itzia are calling each other mean names on social media followingContinueContinue reading “Cyberbullying Vs. Digital Drama”
Middle School Stuff #10: Stress
This 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,ContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #10: Stress”
Middle School Stuff #9: Peer Pressure
This series of posts explores the tricky side of middle school. Here’s post #9 about Peer Pressure. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity, #4 – Crushes & Dating, # 5 – Cliques & Groups, #6 – Gossip, #7 – Social Media and #8ContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #9: Peer Pressure”
Back-to-School and Friendships
It’s back-to-school time, and that means back to friendships, too. For many kids, the return to school and their social worlds is a mix of excitement and worry. Kids may wonder if their friendships will be the same. They may be frustrated with some of their classmates. Or they may feel distraught because their friend isContinueContinue reading “Back-to-School and Friendships”
Middle School Stuff #8: Mean and Bullying Behaviors
This series of posts explores the tricky side of middle school. Here’s post #8 – Mean and Bullying Behaviors. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity, #4 – Crushes & Dating, # 5 – Cliques & Groups, #6 – Gossip and #7 – SocialContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #8: Mean and Bullying Behaviors”
Middle School Stuff #7: Social Media
This series of posts explores the tricky side of middle school. Here’s post #7 – Social Media. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity, #4 – Crushes & Dating, #5 – Cliques & Groups, and #6 – Gossip. While researching ‘Middle School – Safety GogglesContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #7: Social Media”
Middle School Stuff #6: Gossip
This series of posts explores the tricky side of middle school. Here’s post #6 – Gossip. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity, #4 – Crushes & Dating, and # 5 – Cliques & Groups. While researching ‘Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised,’ IContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #6: Gossip”
Middle School Stuff #5: Cliques and Groups
This series of posts explores the tricky side of middle school. Here’s post # 5 – Cliques & Groups. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, #3 – Popularity, and #4 – Crushes and Dating. While researching ‘Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised,’ I visited 7th-grade classroomsContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #5: Cliques and Groups”
Middle School Stuff #4: Crushes and Dating
This series of posts explores the tricky side of middle school. Here’s post #4 – Crushes and Dating. If you missed earlier posts, here are links: #1 – Judgment, #2 – Friendship Changes, and #3 – Popularity. While researching “Middle School – Safety Goggles Advised,” I visited 7th-grade classrooms and spoke with students about schoolContinueContinue reading “Middle School Stuff #4: Crushes and Dating”