Parents and Grandparents as Teachers

A guide for families in teaching infants through age 8, this insightful book showcases how both parents and grandparents can support greater family success, and how creative collaboration can produce benefits for each generation. Having developed the nation's first curriculum for grandparents and field-tested the intervention program with support from the American Association of Retired Persons, the authors explore topics like trust in infancy, family conversations and child language, praise and encouragement, alone time, peer influence, resilience, and cultural diversity. To bring family members closer together and support child development, each chapter includes principles for application, ten key concepts and questions for reflection. Readers can benefit from the Generational Perspectives Activities presented at the end of each chapter, and available online, that recommend topics for family conversations and self-evaluation for parents and grandparents. This book will be invaluable for parent and grandparent readers and may also be of interest to students majoring in family studies and developmental psychology and those preparing to become early childhood or elementary school teachers.

Paris S. Strom is Professor of Educational Psychology at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He currently teaches child, adolescent, and adult development courses to undergraduate and graduate college students and has worked with high school students in the public schools. In addition, he has published over 100 journal articles and books about learning and teaching throughout the lifespan. Robert D. Strom is Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at Arizona State University and Director of the Office of Parent Development International. He taught in public schools of Minnesota and Michigan before becoming Professor of Psychology and Education at Ohio State University. His teaching, writing and research have focused on the lifespan and mental health. He is the author of over 400 publications.

PART I. EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL LEARNING 1. Parents and Grandparents as Partners 2. Infancy: Trust and Social Awareness 3. Family Conversations and Child Language 4. Play and Child Development PART II. EARLY LEARNING AT HOME 5. Young Children Learn About the Internet 6. Watching Television with Children and Asking Them Questions 7. Child Thinking and Cognitive Development 8. The Influence of Media on Children PART III. MOTIVATION AND SCHOOLING 9. Goals and Priorities During Childhood 10. Tutoring for Literacy and School Achievement 11. Praise, Encouragement and Motivation 12. Sometimes I Like to Play by Myself PART IV. MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT 13. Conflicts and Learning to Get Along 14. Relationships with Parents and Peers 15. Fears of Parents and Children 16. Self-Control, Resilience and Patience PART V. THE VALUE OF GRANDPARENTS 17. Grandparent Goals and Expectations 18. Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren 19. Grandparents Giving and Seeking Family Advice 20. Grandparent Strengths and Cultural Diversity