Change is in the Air - Our Newsletter Refresh

One insight. One habit. One question. Plus, Views + News and more! Learn better. Play smarter. | [View this email in your browser]( Parenting made simpler. Written by experts. Designed for intentional parents. Our Newsletter Refresh Change is in the air with back-to-school and we’re inspired. This issue is going to be different from past Plinkit newsletters, as I’d like to tell you about a newsletter change. (By the way, our newsletters have always been written by me, Charmaine, Founder of Plinkit.) Talking with different education experts over the years, seeing the advancement of AI and ChatGPT in both parenting and education and watching the onslaught of content mediums offering quick-fix answers has shifted my own headspace. There is so much stuff out there - and it's growing by the second. But, does it make us better parents and teachers? Are our kids better off? What questions should we be asking? (Are they even the right questions?) How do they do it in other parts of the world? Thinking about education and child development in this fresh way is exciting to me, and feels more aligned with where I’d like to take our newsletter. So, what’s changing with this newsletter? Three things: 1. Format - A cohesive triple threat section: one child development insight, one habit to try, one question to ask your child. We’re keeping it simple and actionable, just the way you like it. As always, we’ll continue to suggest timely and relevant Plinkit child development fundamentals. Plus, one new section (more below). 2. Voice - I’d like this newsletter to feel more like you’re getting an email written from my Gmail window. From time to time, I’ll share my observations and editorial, what questions I’m asking, trends in education and discoveries I’m finding. Some of which you may agree with, some of which you may not. And that’s OK. Either way, I hope it'll push our thinking in new ways. I’m hoping this section encourages me to take more notes on things I’m experiencing, reading and doing, and it’ll feel like we’re learning together real-time. I’ll call it Views + News. 3. Timing - I’m staying flexible. This means I’ll share learnings and discoveries with you, as they come to me and when I feel I have something substantial to share, rather than feeling the need to publish something on a specific day. (Our emails have historically come out on Sundays; today is not Sunday. Surprise!) We’ll see how all this goes. I’ll experiment a little with the design, so please do let me know your thoughts and feedback. For now, I'm focused on making this newsletter a thoughtful place for me to share musings and discoveries that you’ll hopefully find useful, and how I think we can continue growing as parents and educators. As always, I’m grateful for your readership and want to hear from you. What topics would you like to see in these emails? What did you like most about our past newsletters? Please [hit Reply and let me know](mailto:hello@myplinkit.com) - I read each and every one of your emails. Wishing you and your child a brilliant start to the new school year. Cheers, mailto:hello@myplinkit.com Founder of Plinkit And now, a sample of our newsletter refresh.... The 1-1-1 ONE CHILD DEVELOPMENT INSIGHT Children thrive off expectations and knowing what is expected of them. During this time of creating new habits and setting new routines and schedules, being clear and consistent on what is expected of your child is helpful to their growing brains. (It takes at least 3-4 weeks for new routines to stick - and that means a lot of repetition and patience. So, keep at it and be consistent with your expectations.) ONE HABIT TO TRY Plan ahead. Do it the night before, if possible, with your child: 1) Water bottle; 2) Backpack; 3) Looking at the next day's schedule. Inevitably, two things often happen when we're scrambling out the door: there are more details to remember than we realize; and things will not go as planned. Front-loading as much as doable ahead of time eases the load. This may seem like common sense, but making 'plan ahead' a habit takes practice. (It takes a simple behavior 50-70 repetitions for it to become a habit.) ONE QUESTION TO ASK YOUR CHILD For younger children: Who did you sit next to at lunch today? (Young children often need something concrete to help them reference their day. In this case, a person and timing (lunch) are often all that’s needed to kickstart a back-and-forth sharing.) For older children: What’s something unexpected about your day? [MORE PLINKIT BACK-TO-SCHOOL ESSENTIALS]( Views + News VIEWS Teaching Independence and The Helper Phenomenon in Singapore In Singapore, many families have a Helper - a person who lives in a family's home and is responsible for childcare, pick-ups/drop-offs to school and extracurricular activities, cooking (including hot lunches for school), housekeeping, cleaning, laundry, groceries, pet care, other home and family maintenance, etc. - 6 days a week, 12+ hours a day. The activities and hours differ from family to family. While the concept of a Helper is a much broader and deeper discussion, and the needs and circumstances of each family differ (including the developmental age of any child involved), I wonder: How can a child learn to be independent in this context? When a child is of school-age, and someone else does their laundry, vacuums their room, picks up their stuff, cleans their bathroom, cooks their meals, does their dishes, makes their bed, packs their backpack (water bottle, extracurricular necessities, lunch, snack, etc.) and carries their bag to and from school, what does the child have agency over? What does the child see as their role in their larger social landscape? "Independence for a child is not just about learning to do things by themself, it's also about learning to do things for themself." - that's something Jan Bird, acclaimed elementary school teacher, once said to me that has stuck over the years. (You can read Jan's Plinkit article here: [How to Build Your Child's Independence]( So, when we entirely remove opportunities for a child to explore their independence - do things by themself and for themself - we’re also removing opportunities for them to be in charge of their own learning. (Research proves that doing chores as early as ages 3 or 4 is the best predictor of success in young adulthood. You can read more: [How kids benefit from chores, how to introduce chores and chores by age]( and [Skills for Kindergarten readiness]( Regardless of whether you may or may not have a Helper (or Nanny, Au Pair or other caregiving support), creating opportunities for a child's independence requires our intentionality because even that agency to accomplish small tasks, helps to build a child's competence and confidence. And that’s something to consider as we get back-to-school ready with new habits, routines and responsibilities. NEWS How Social Media Algorithms Show Violence to Boys [(Read story)]( The voice of 18-year-old Cai is more powerful than all the reams of data: "You get the picture in your head and you can't get it out. It stains your brain. And so you think about it for the rest of the day." "It stains your brain." - that's something I'll share with my kids. Living Your Happiest Life [(Listen to podcast)]( There was a finding in here that sat with me: When people over the age of 80, reflected on their lives and talked about what they were most proud of, they talked about something to do with relationships. Being a good parent. A good friend. A good partner. They talked about being in relationship with other people. It’s a lovely tenet I shared with my own kids to get them thinking about the quality of their friendships (vs. quantity), as they start the new school year. (You can learn more about important school-age social skills on: [How to Teach Your Child to Be a 'Good' Friend]( and [10 Characteristics of a 'Good' Friend]( If you liked what you read, FORWARD to a friend or [tell us what you think](mailto:hello@myplinkit.com). LEARN + DO [How to Navigate a Healthy Parent/Child Separation]( [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2020%2F09%2Fparent-child-separation-anxiety-goodbye-routine-preschool%2F) [Share]( LEARN + DO [Transitions - How to Get Through Peacefully]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2018%2F06%2Ftransitions-part-2-peacefully-get-transitions%2F) [Share]( [READ MORE]( LEARN + DO [Bring Peace to Your Morning Routine - Make a Routine Chart]( [READ MORE]( LEARN + DO [Executive Functioning - Why It Matters]( [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2018%2F10%2Fexecutive-functioning-part-1-what-is-it-and-why-it-matters%2F) [Share]( LEARN + DO [How to Teach Coping Skills for Your Child's Anxious Behavior]( [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2021%2F06%2Fchildhood-anxiety-worry-anxious-behavior-coping-skills-for-your-child%2F) [Share]( LEARN + DO [Anger Management - What You Could Do and Say]( [READ MORE]( [Forward](mailto:?subject=Something%20Interesting%20from%20Plinkit&body=I%20found%20this%20Plinkit%20article%20interesting%20and%20thought%20you%20would%20too.%20Check%20it%20out%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fmyplinkit.com%2F2021%2F03%2Fanger-management-coping-skills-children%2F) [Share]( Be a Plinkit Pro This newsletter is made possible through Plinkit Pro membership support. 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