What are the common signs of anxiety and stress? Students across the world having been dealing with stress and anxiety. This has been enhanced over the past two years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the everchanging protocols and learning environments. It is important that students receive as much possible support in and out of school and for parents to be aware of how they can assist. Visit ADNY Parent Resource Page When thinking of Stress and anxiety, many people are unaware of the how are they different from one another. There’s a [...]

The healthy development of children in their early years plays a critical role in providing building blocks for economic productivity, educational achievement, social skills, responsible citizenship, and other elements. In the wake of the rapidly developing technology and the emergence of the internet, it is important to equip the preteens and students at high school with the skills that will be vital in enabling them to sail through the challenges associated with such developments. Numerous approaches are critical in enabling the identified class of children to embrace accountability and responsibility at home and school regarding social media, academics, and social [...]

Once upon a time, bullying was limited to the physical world. Since what seems like forever, we sent our kids to school knowing it was possible for someone to pick on them in the classroom, on the playground, or on the bus, but there was relief in knowing that once they came home, they were safe. But in the digital age, all that has changed with cyberbullying. Now bullying can happen in any number of places, contexts, or locations, and sometimes that place is right in their pocket. What is cyberbullying? Cyberbullying—defined as willful and repeated harm or harassment inflicted [...]

Maybe you’re old enough to remember those PSAs and commercials addressing the always-relevant topic of peer pressure. One that stands out is where a teenager tries to tempt a younger boy into trying out some of his marijuana, with the famous line, “It’ll make you feel good.” And while saying no to drugs certainly remains an element of peer pressure today, the issue goes beyond the simplicity of that 1980s public service announcement. In the 21st century, peer pressure looks much different than it did even 20 years ago—and that makes talking about it and overcoming it more challenging than [...]

What Is Time Management? Do you find that your children lack the all-important skill called time management? If you’re nodding in agreement, don’t worry--even adults have difficulties managing time! So then, what is time management, exactly? Time management is a skill or a method that helps a person keep track of and organize their time in order to accomplish all of their duties and tasks in a timely fashion. Why Would Kids Need Time-Management Skills? After all, they’re just kids, right? Well, yes. But just like adults, children have their own things going on. School, sports, [...]

Screens. They can be our best friends. After all, they’re instant sources of education and entertainment. They help us communicate and learn. They’ve been so vitally important throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as lifelines to friends and families as well as virtual classrooms. But screens can also be our worst enemies. They become addictive as we rely on them instead of other people. They can be used to bully from afar. They track our activity, and they know us personally. And on top of all that, they can be bad for us physically, mentally, and emotionally if we don’t limit the [...]

Think back to the days when you were a student. More than likely, there were certain subjects or exams that gave you anxiety. The thought of studying or doing homework for that particular subject probably caused stomach cramps, nausea, and even actual fear. You might still feel residual effects of that anxiety today. Unfortunately, your child may be dealing with the same school-related anxiety that you did as a student. In fact, approximately 10 million students in North America suffer from test anxiety, making it the number one learning challenge today. Some of this stress can be attributed to the [...]

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is one of those buzzwords you hear quite a bit in the education world today. If you’re not familiar with social-emotional learning, it is essentially curriculum focused on learning about our emotions from a cognitive and emotional level and learning different skills that can be used to help manage strong emotions. You can think of it as the “feelings class”. If students can understand their feelings at a deep level, they can then become equipped to make decisions on which coping skills they can use to address challenging situations. Imagine if we could all resolve conflict from [...]

One of the most important skills we all should learn is to properly communicate with others. This looks different for everyone, as some individuals have different abilities that may change how they communicate with others. Examples include learning American Sign Language for deaf and hard of hearing individuals, Braille for visually and sight-impaired individuals, and Modified Sign Language for autistic individuals. Communication skills involve listening, speaking, observing, and empathizing with other people and animals. There are four main types of communication you might use, including: 1. Verbal: communicating by way of a spoken language 2. Nonverbal: communicating by way of [...]

There are many distractions that take away from learning, building relationships with others, and family time. The digital age brought more access to entertainment and ways to connect with the world through fast internet and new technology. It also brought an expectation that things need to happen immediately, thus causing an inability to stay focused and attentive on things that are not immediate. There are some ways for you, as a parent, to help your child work on focus and attention skills to aid in the learning process. Visit ADNY Parent Resource Page Teach them [...]