I was so delighted when Ellen Galinsky first asked me to contribute to her Mind in the Making project, and am thrilled to have her share my research on infant and child development and that of my colleagues as broadly as possible.

— T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., Harvard Medical School and Brazelton Touchpoints Center

Too Exhausted for Homework?

Featured article

March 16, 2010

A Parent's Perspective

Focus and self-control -- I'll venture to guess that most parents want to increase these skills in themselves, not only their kids.  But the great thing is that, when we promote these skills in our kids, we often exercise them too, offering kids a learn-by-example moment in the process. 

My six-year-old daughter often has trouble buckling down to do her homework. We usually have a back and forth. She claims she's "exhausted.” But I've noticed that often, after school, what she really wants is a moment of attention from me, doing anything-helping me cook, showing me a book she brought from school, or a new move she learned at dance. I've come to realize that what she needs is to take a break from school for a moment, be with me, and then ease back into homework. I also see how instrumental I am in helping her gather her attentional energies.  It is interesting that by slowing down and focusing, she becomes re-energized.

Share your thoughts: what are some strategies you use to help your child (or yourself) focus?

Michelle Morales focuses her attention daily on being a mom, a psychology major at NYU, and an intern at Families and Work Institute.

Skill: Focus and Self Control
| more

No Comments

Add Your Comment

Remember me.
Send me an email when someone responds.

Daily Kid



Here is a list of Mind in the Making researchers and educators filmed to date

Community Schools: “Mind in the Making and Community Schools: Crossing Boundaries and Creating Strong Linkages for Children Birth through Eight and their Families,” is a collaborative project with The Children’s Aid Society’s National Center for Community Schools and the Institute for Educational Leadership. (Read more)

Learning Communities: Throughout the country, groups of parents, educators, and other family support and health professionals have joined together to learn more about the research on children’s learning from birth through the early elementary school years, and about how to use this research to promote better outcomes for children. (Read more)

Learning Modules for Educators: Mind in the Making Learning Modules for Educators is an 11-part, facilitated learning process designed to bridge the gap between research and teaching practice. (Read more)

Seven Skills Modules: We have created new Modules from the book, called the Mind in the Making Seven Essential Skills Modules. (Read more)

Experiments in Children's Learning DVD: This two-volume series of 42 videos take viewers on a series of virtual “field trips” to laboratories in the U.S. and abroad. (Read more)
View a crosswalk of the experiments to the seven essential life skills

Download a companion Catalogue to Mind in the Making: Experiments in Children's Learning

Have you seen the Marshmallow Test?

What does eating marshmallows have to do with how your kid does on the SAT?
Watch the video

Ask a MITM team member to speak at your event.

The MITM staff is having conversations about Mind in the Making with audiences across the country. Click here to invite a team member to speak at your event.

Signup for email updates

Join our community for conversations with the field’s leading scientists, new information and research, and other special events.