Course Notes: The Whole-Brain Child Approach, Pt. 5

Last week, we covered the following:

  • As our kids begin to acknowledge and address their emotions, they start realizing that situations can be complicated
  • How we, as parents, effect our kids as they make sense of their circumstances
  • Strategies on how to help our children integrate the many pieces of themselves

Home stretch! On to the last 2 strategies.

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Course Notes: The Whole-Brain Child Approach, Pt. 4

In Monday’s post, we discussed:

  • How our two types of memory (implicit and explicit) work together to recall an experience
  • What to do if an implicit memory (feelings, behavior, bodily sensations) is disconnected from its explicit memory (recall of an experience), resulting in an emotional flood 
  • Strengthening and integrating these memory pieces through daily practice 

Now that we’re caught up, let’s move to the next three strategies.

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Child(ish) Q&A: When will my kid be fun?

We’ve gotten this question quite a few times this past year, specifically from new dads who are unsure about what to do or how to play with their newborn.

To be honest, this is an interesting question to answer. For one, the definition of “fun” is completely subjective. Second, most “fun” activities we’re asked about depend on developmental skills that babies won’t acquire for months or even years. For example, you may not be able to toss your baby into the air safely until they develop good head and neck control (3 months). A child can’t properly throw a ball until they have appropriate trunk and shoulder stability (12-18 months), or catch a ball until they have appropriate hand-eye coordination, motor planning, and body/spatial awareness (2-3 years).  

Perhaps a better question is:
How can I share similar interests with my baby?

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The Proprioception System – On My Own Two Feet

Know where you stand. We know this figuratively, but how about literally? How do we literally understand where we are and how we move amongst other objects and people in our environment? The proprioceptive system is designed to help us understand our physical sense in this world and how we physically interact with it.

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The Interoception System – Listen to Your Body

Listen to your body. We hear this phrase often, especially when we are tired or stressed, as a signal to take it easy. More recently, I’ve been using it during potty training (a whole other post…) to help my son identify when it’s time to start heading to the bathroom. In fact, “listening to ourselves” is an entire system dedicated to letting us know what our bodies genuinely need, from sustenance to sleep, to maintain optimal operations.

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