Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street, talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.

DEUTERONOMY 6: 6-8

The Daily Parent is prepared by NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.
© 2010 NACCRRA. All rights reserved.

Volume 45

As your child grows from being a baby to toddler to preschooler you notice what most interests your child, what types of toys your child likes, and what kinds of activities your child enjoys most. As you get to know your child, you are also learning your child's abilities and what your child is good at doing. Most likely these activities and abilities will be good indicators of your child's "intelligence type."

The main ways children's intelligence and abilities are judged in our school systems are through their language and math skills. These are very important skills all children should learn. As a parent, it is important that your child does well and succeeds in school. However, it is helpful to know that there are many ways to show intellectual ability. Not everyone is "book smart." Multiple intelligences* are a set of different ways to look at how children (and all people) are smart and skillful.

Understanding that children can be intelligent and good at different things allows you to help your child learn and succeed by seeing the world through her eyes. It can help you understand how she best shows what she knows and can do.

*Multiple Intelligences is a concept and approach developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner. Gardner says there are at least seven different ways to show intellectual ability. His findings expand the idea of intelligence or the way that people think, problem-solve, and understand beyond the measure of typical intelligence tests (IQ). IQ tests heavily depend on verbal and logical/mathematical ability. Schools typically rely heavily on verbal and mathematical ability as well. His work has helped educators reach children in other ways to help them develop to their full potentials.

Read more at childcareaware.org

by Lois M. Teer Copyright (c) 2005 Healthline Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Emily's mother says Emily is gifted. Jeanine's parents say the same of their child. Billy's do, too.

They're all correct.

Emily did poorly in English last marking period, but she plays the piano well and scores high in math. Jeanine needs tutoring in science, but she writes funny stories. Fifteen-month-old Billy doesn't talk much, but he feeds himself.

Experts say every child shines in at least one discipline. It's your job as a parent to discover and encourage your child's gifts, while downplaying any weaknesses.

Where to look

How do you discover your child's strengths? Where do you start? Here's what the experts say:

• Observe your child. Provide a few choices and see which toy or activity your child prefers.
• Ask age-appropriate questions. For a toddler: "What is your dolly's name?" For a 6-year-old: "When you rolled in the leaves, how did they feel and sound?" For a high-schooler: "What do you think of the president? Is he doing a good job?"
• Catch your child being good at something. Don't ignore your child when he or she is quiet and engrossed in an activity; reinforce this with praise.
• Help your child advance, without over-challenging him or her. If your child likes to pick out tunes on the piano, read to him or her about a musical role model, browse in a music shop, take him or her to a recital, or suggest lessons.
• Follow your child's lead. Support the choices your child makes, even if they are not the ones you'd expected.
• When a performance doesn't meet expectations, focus on your child's attempt, not the result. Praise the effort and your child will not give up, but will try to improve.

Be a role model for the type of behavior you want your child to exhibit. Work hard at your own hobbies or interests. Practice often.

Read more at healthline.com

Strengths are the activities, relationships and ways of learning that energize people. They are the inner qualities that make us feel most alive and because of that, they are the places where we have the potential to make our most meaningful contributions to life. Strengths are different than interests because strengths are innate and children will be drawn to them for their entire lives, while interests may be fleeting. When strengths and interests combine, children can develop passions. Strengths can be developed at a very early age and parents can help out. Below are some simple guidelines to get you on the way to helping your children discover their strengths.

1. Use play and cultivate the imagination.
During imaginative play, children are free to unleash and exercise their Strengths. Watch children at play and you will learn a great deal about what they prefer, how they socialize, and the unique ways they view themselves. Play encourages cognitive enrichment and emotional growth.

2. Seek out what makes your child unique.
Little quirks can be clues to strengths. Something as simple as a child's tendency to demand that his mother use a certain purse over another may signal a strength in something as seemingly unrelated as design. What initially may look like "showing-off" might be an early sign of a child who has a strength for entertaining. Sometimes the most unusual things signal the areas of deepest strength.

3. Keep a Strengths Journal.
Take note of the things your child does -- anything that strikes you about his/her behavior. Here are a few of the kinds of questions that will guide you:

• What causes your child to express joy and happiness?
• What are the things that keep his attention the longest?
• Are there sounds or words he reacts to more than others?
• Is he generous? How does he show this?
• Does he show sympathy? Is he caring or funny? Give examples.
• What are the first thing he says in the morning and the last thing he says at night?

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Copyright 2008-2009 by ask-gratitude.com

• Every child is blessed at birth with a special gift. She is predisposed to have certain likes and dislikes. There is something she is good at. Children have particular interests. It may be singing, playing a musical instrument, drawing, math or sports. They have an inner drive to explore and learn. They are self motivated to accomplish personal goals. Think about a child just learning to walk. He makes numerous attempts, fails quite a few times but does not give up. It takes a lot of patience and effort to finally learn to walk. This I can attitude, this urge to keep on trying comes from somewhere within.

  Perseverance is a natural quality in all of us but as we grow older this early enthusiasm, ability to focus and the inner motivation to get it right, fades. However as a parent or a teacher we can prevent our children from giving up on their passions, from losing interest in what they love to do. If you look at the successful people of all times from Thomas A. Edison to Bill Gates you will notice that they did their thing because they love doing it and they didnt give up until they achieved what they wanted.

  Success = Passion + Perseverance
  If your child learns to give up when things get difficult, he will not be able to overcome the obstacles in his own life. One of the most effective defense against despair and depression at any age is the I can and I will attitude. You can help your child develop this positive attitude during play time. You can encourage him to play the games that he likes. During rich imaginative play children learn to solve problems. Make sure that during play time your child takes challenges that are at or a bit above his current skills. Let your child experience both victory and defeat. This way he will learn to tolerate frustration. Praise him when he wins and help him deal with the pain when he doesnt win. You can tell him little inspiring stories of people who never got discouraged like Einstein or if your child is younger you can make up stories using animals as characters. You can humor him or use some philosophy. However the best way for your child to learn perseverance is to show him that you never give up.

  Children learn from you, how to deal with disappointment be it in your every day life, work or even being stuck in a traffic jam. It is not only the things you say or do in difficult situations but children can sense what you are feeling. Whether you are feeling depressed or determined, they will pick up the signal you are sending out. They will learn to react to their own problems by watching you. So if you want your child to possess qualities like determination, courage, confidence, perseverance, patience and the rest of the list, then develop these qualities in yourself first.

Read more at ask-gratitude.com

By Stormy Brain
Copyright © 2010 Hubpages Inc. and respective owners. All rights reserved.

When raising children to be successful adults it is important that you learn how to build on your child's strengths, rather than focusing on their weaknesses. If you can help your child take what they are good at, and be even better at it, you will inspire confidence in them, and help them to feel comfortable and happy with who they are.

Focusing on strengths does not imply that you should ignore the challenges your child faces, but rather instead, help them through those challenges by giving them experiences that give them the confidence to move through the things they struggle with. Often, giving a child experiences and tasks that allow them to practice and move to a higher level of performance will facilitate self-efficacy. When your child believes they can accomplish any task put before them, they will. So, building on their strengths actually helps them to be a more all around well-rounded individual.

One of the problems many parents face is that when they gear their efforts toward fixing or improving on what the child does poorly, or what they do wrong, the child feels like they can't do anything right. Instead of becoming the better academic, or the better athlete, or whatever the case may be, they tend to give up, rather than disappoint they often just do not try. So, what can you do to help your child improve and grow?

Read more at hubpages.com

Childrens books are primarily for entertainment and enjoyment. They can also be an important teaching tool for a parent and can lend themselves to good family discussions and the support of critical thinking. Occasionally, while reading to your child, look beyond just the pure enjoyment of the story to the possible lesson that could be learned. Questions that can be used for any story include:

1. If you were in this story, who would you be?
2. What is your favorite part of this story?
3. If you could change the story, what would you change?
4. What might a different ending be?
5. What do you think we should remember from this story?

One caution: do not over-engage the child into always having to think of the meaning. Some stories are to be read just for the joy of reading. If you are using it for discussion, only ask a few questions---about as many as the child is old.

Helping children to identify their own unique or special gifts is the theme for this months Heartfelt. In addition to the books highlighted for discussion, we have also listed some how-to books that help children develop their special gifts. You may need to clarify that when we speak of gifts here, we are talking about special character traits or things we can do well, not presents given to us.

Virginia Kroll has two wonderful books celebrating the amazing potential and abilities of children. In Girl, Youre Amazing! and Boy, Youre Amazing! all children will be able to find some talent that they possess. Both the books and the illustrations are especially appealing to younger elementary age children. Some questions for discussion might include:

1. Encourage your child to think of something they are amazing at being or doing, and invite them to draw you a picture of themselves.
2. What do you think was the most amazing thing the child did in this story? If you were in this story, what amazing thing would you do?
3. What would you like to become amazing at being or doing? How can I help you to achieve this for yourself?

There are several books that emphasize being kind or caring for others. You might share Galatians 5:22 which lists the fruits of the spirit before reading one of these books. Follow up your reading with a discussion about developing some of these fruits in our own lives. Books that help us think about caring:

In Chicken Soup for Little Souls by Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen, the Goodness Gorillas learn how rewarding it is to share the gift of kindness. Their goal is to make the world a better place just be doing simple acts of unexpected kindness. They even win over the class bully.

1. Can you name some kind people you know?
2. Do you think you have the gift of kindness?
3. Do you know anyone like Todd in this story? What could you do for Todd?
4. Can you think of some things you could do at home or at school if you were a Goodness Gorilla?

Diane Adams has written a charming book I Can Do It Myself! celebrating the gift of independence often found in many pre-school and young elementary children. Sometimes this gift can be a bit frustrating for parents, so perhaps this book is written for you as well. Even though Emily Pearl can do a lot of things by herself, she learns sometimes it is nice to have a little help. This book could jump-start a good conversation about independence.

1. What things do you like to do by yourself?
2. What things do you wish you could do all by yourself?
3. Do you really think Emily can play the trombone while standing on her head? What silly thing might you like to try?
4. Talk about ways you could help your child be more independent.

Another book with a can-do attitude for very young children is I Can Do It Too! by Karen Baicker.

Beatrice's Goat by Page McBrier is a true story about Beatrice who wants the gift of knowledge. More than anything she wants to go to school. Her family is given a goat to raise by the Heifer Project International. Through Beatrices ingenuity, she earns enough money to go to school.

• What gifts do you think Beatrice possesses even before she gets to go to school?
• Have you ever had to work for something that you really wanted?
• What gift do you want most?

• Being Your Best: Character Building for Kids 7-10 by Barbara A. Lewis
• Beatrices Goat by Page McBrier
• Boy, Youre Amazing! by Virginia Kroll
• Catching the Moon (The Story of a Young Girls Baseball Dream) by Crystal Hubbard
• Chicken Soup for Little Souls by Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen
• Girl, Youre Amazing! by Virginia Kroll
• Helen Keller by Lois Markham
• I Can Do It Myself! by Diane Adams
• Like A Pro by Helaine Becker
• Makayla Cares about Others by Virginia Kroll
• Nobunnys Perfect by Anna Dewdney
• Oh The Places He Went (A Story About Dr. Seuss) by Maryann N. Weidt
• The Kids Can Do It Book by Deri Robins, Meg Sanders, and Kate Crocker
• The Young Baseball Player, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Basketball Player, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Dancer, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Gymnast, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Ice Skater, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Inline Skater, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Snowboarder, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Soccer Player, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Swimmer, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Tennis Player, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• The Young Track and Field Athlete, The Young Enthusiasts Guide Series
• Understand and Care by Cheri J. Meiners
• You Are Very Special by Su Box
• You've Got What It Takes! by Sondra Clark

• Intelligence Reframed by Howard Gardner
• Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner
• Your Child's Strengths: A Guide for Parents and Teachers by Jenifer Fox, M.Ed