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Family Life Blogs

parent working on project with children

Growing minds all summer long

Family Files
As the last day of school ends, children begin the transition from school to home-based learning. They trade in their backpacks and schoolbooks for swimsuits, camping gear, games, and more. Family, friends, babysitters, and camp leaders facilitate activities that support literacy, mathematics, and...
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bulletin board with notes pinned up and one note says Make Things Happen

Establishing healthy habits

Family Files
Habits are repeated — and often subconscious — actions that are triggered in response to contextual cues. Wearing a seat belt is an example of a habit. For many people, the action of buckling a seat belt is triggered by the contextual cue of shutting the vehicle door after you get in. Research...
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Text that says New Year's Resolutions with sticky notes that have resolutions on them.

New Year's resolutions for mental health

Family Files
According to Google’s English Dictionary, the word “resolution” means a firm decision to do or not do something. So many of us feel that the beginning of a new year is a great time to set resolutions or goals to work on, but how successful are we? A recent study on New Year’s resolutions found that...
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child making a christmas tree shaped cookie

The power of holiday traditions and rituals

Family Files
Growing up, I had two distinctive impressions of pumpkin pie. Both of my grandmothers made homemade pies each year, but each was a different experience. One created a delectable homemade crust with a light, pumpkin filling. My grandma on the other side made a pie that was equally flavorful but...
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Parents with child looking at phone

Alternatives to screen time

Family Files
Like many things, there are positive and negative effects of screen time for all of us, and it can be hard to come up with that magic amount of time that should be spent interacting with a screen. We do know that too much time spent on screens can be detrimental to youth – they can experience sleep...
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