The Children's Courtyard Blog

Transitioning into kindergarten can be challenging for children. Children benefit greatly from home support as they enter this new phase of their education. The time and energy you spend helping your child’s first impression to be a positive one is time and energy well spent. Here are a few suggestions that will help make a […]

By Dr. Pam Schiller Critical thinking is defined as analyzing and evaluating information or evidence in order to guide decision making. It is literally thinking about thinking. The term critical thinking is often co-mingled with creative thinking, higher order thinking, and even, problem solving. It is a function of all of these or better put—all […]

By Dr. Pam Schiller Curiosity is defined as “an eager desire to know or learn.” Curious children want to know “why.” They see possibilities. They explore. They are adventurous. Scientists claim that curiosity is the fuel of intellect. Children are born curious. It is the driving force that compels the baby to reach for a […]

By Dr. Pam Schiller Joy: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires Joy belongs to all of us. It is the cornerstone of living fully. In today’s fast-paced, hurry-up world, it is easy to lose joy without meaning to — it is easy to rob our children […]

By Pam Schiller, Ph.D. The first three years of life lay the foundation for lifelong learning. During this critical time, a child’s brain is busy wiring the foundation for vision, emotional stability, language development, motor development, thinking skills and much more. By age 3, a child’s brain is two and a half times more active […]

By Pam Schiller, Ph.D. Many people think that talking with children is not important because there appears to be so much children don’t understand. This is a huge misunderstanding! Children understand our intonations and speech patterns almost from birth. If they are around talkative caretakers, they understand most of what is said to them by […]