Carolyn Savage
Carolyn is a professional writer, proofreader, and editor living in Bend, Oregon with her husband and two pre-teen daughters. She has a background in wildlife management but switched to writing and editing when she became a mother. With her experience working for a small publishing company, as a freelance proofreader, and as a mother she shares insightful stories that support parents and grandparents.
She is the daughter of Raising Families co-founder Rick Stephens and holds the rank of black belt in taekwando. In her free time she loves reading fantasy novels, learning to craft from her enormously talented children, and then teaching what she’s learned to her enormously talented grandmother.
Posts by Carolyn Savage
Pay for Chores? Yes and No. Help Kids Earn Money Like This.
Age: 6+Time: 10+ minutes for discussion portionMaterials: paper and pen for discussion portionFocus: life skills and helping the family teamOnce kids understand the concept of money and the family has talked about wants vs. needs, kids will be eager to earn money. When that happens, we have the perfect approach to help kids earn money while helping the family team. Hopefully, your kids are already responsible for a handful of tasks at home to help keep your lives running smoothly. Even a toddler or young child in preschool can help the family with age-appropriate tasks. If you need inspiration for
Spring Clean Your Finances and Teach Kids about Budgeting
Age: 7+Time: at least 20 to 30 minutes for discussion portionMaterials: paper and penFocus: life skills and creating a budgetSpring is here. For some of us that means cold and flu season is turning into allergy season. For others, your instincts are telling you it's time to stop hibernating and start sorting and cleaning out your closets. You may not be thinking this is the perfect time to gather the troops to teach kids about budgeting and bond as a family team while doing so. Surprise! It is a great time, actually. As we thaw out from winter, opportunities to
Goal Setting for Kids: 6 Steps to Success
Age: 6+Time: 15+ minutesMaterials: paper and pen or pencilFocus: life skills - goal setting for kidsGoal setting for kids is a great way to help your child set themselves up for success in the New Year. When you write down your goals, you increase your chances of attaining them, according to a study done at Dominican University. Showing your child how to set goals is also a great way to help them build confidence, become self-motivated, learn to reflect, and become more independent. All of these skills will help your child throughout life.Steps for Goal Setting for Kids Decide on the
1 Way to Make a Family Media Management Plan Work
Age: 8+Time: at least 20 to 30 minutesMaterials: paper and penFocus: creating a family media plan for the whole familyParents and kids never have the same ideas when it comes to screen time. The kids want more; the parents want less or none at all. Follow this surefire way to get everyone on the same page and make a family media management plan the whole family can agree on.Purposefully Choosing TraditionsWhen kids have ownership over something, they are more invested in the process and less likely to complain or break rules. Although it may seem counterintuitive, you want your kids
Talking about Traditions: 1 Simple Way to Bond
Age: 2+Time: variesMaterials: noneFocus: fostering open lines of communicationTalking about traditions can be a great way to bond as a family. With the holiday season quickly approaching, now would be a great time to talk about the traditions your family celebrates.Purposefully Choosing TraditionsTake some time to think about the traditions you celebrate as a family. Then think back to the ones you celebrated when you were a child. Were there family traditions that you would have happily passed on? As an adult, have you purposefully put an end to those traditions? Or maybe there were traditions you enjoyed, but you decided
