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How do you break things down into understandable, manageable, and developmentally appropriate steps when seeking to help your tween learn a new skill?  We’ve already talked about why it is important to scaffold learning, meaning meeting your child where they are developmentally and breaking learning down into understandable and manageable steps as you teach them …

What do you do if your child posts, texts, or engages with something Disturbing, Disparaging, or Dangerous?  At TDSU, we call these 3Ds – It’s Bigger Than Me, which means these posts or texts are serious enough that an adult needs to get involved. Here are five steps you can take when your child has …

There are many different online platforms and different things are appropriate in each of them.   We all know a religious service might not be the best time to start chatting about a favorite video game.  And bathroom humor might not fly at Thanksgiving dinner with extended family.   Get your tween thinking about what things …

It isn’t unusual for tweens to push the boundaries and ask for more privileges, even if they aren’t quite ready.   Think about the sixth grader who argues they should be able to play hours of video games when they get home from school or the tween who wants unlimited access to their devices. By …

At TDSU we focus on tweens because their highly plastic brains make them uniquely primed to learn the skills they need to be safe, responsible, and eventually independent online.   What is neuroplasticity? Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to adapt and change in response to experiences. The adolescent brain is highly plastic, meaning that during …

At TDSU we think the best way to support your child’s acquisition of new skills is to scaffold them as they learn.  Scaffolded instruction, at its core, is about meeting your child where they are developmentally.   What does it mean to scaffold your tween’s learning? Scaffolded instruction is a way of teaching a new …

Children are influenced by what you do.   What is modeling?  When we model behaviors for our children we are setting examples for them to follow. We are showing rather than telling.   Does your child wear a seatbelt when they get in the car? Research shows that if you are consistent in wearing your seatbelt, your …