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
1 Simple Way to Connect with Your Kids
Age: 4+Time: depends on activityMaterials: depends on activityFocus: family connectionWhen they’re young, it’s not really an issue to connect with your kids. In fact, it’s usually an issue of disconnecting from them so you can have a few minutes to yourself. This changes as they get older, though. That’s when we really need to focus on keeping that connection strong.Family Meetings Help with ConnectionAs they enter their teen years, it’s developmentally normal for kids to push away from their parents and connect more with their friends. That doesn’t mean you don’t need to connect with your kids anymore. In fact, it’s
Organization for Kids Made Easy
Age: 2–3+Time: 30+ minutesMaterials: depends on the roomFocus: developing skills (organization)Organization for kids isn’t always easy. Kids are far too interested in playing or doing what they want to do and moving on to the next thing to think about organizing. But teaching our children how to organize will make life easier now and in the future.How to Make Organization for Kids EasyIf you haven’t talked with your children about keeping their things organized or shown them how to yet, spring is the perfect time to start. It’s easy to tie organization for kids into spring cleaning if you do a
6 Heartfelt Teacher Appreciation Ideas
Age: 3–4+Time: depends on activityMaterials: depends on activityFocus: showing appreciationTeachers are some of the most important influencers in your child’s life besides you, their parent. With them playing such a big role in your child’s life, Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect time to say thank you for all they do.Teacher Appreciation IdeasRegardless of the amount of free time you have, there’s something on our list of teacher appreciation ideas that will fit into your schedule and help you say thank you to your child’s teacher. Write a thank-you card or record a video. If you’re really short on time, pick
Share Feel-Good Stories to Get Your Kids Talking
Age: 4–5+Time: 5–10 minutesMaterials: noneFocus: communication skillsKids aren’t always open about what’s going on with them, especially teenagers, but we have a surefire way to get them talking: share feel-good stories.Share a Meal to Create Consistent Family TimeNow we know life can be hectic, especially when you have a busy family. It can be hard to find time in the day to be together as a family. A shared meal is often the easiest way to get everyone together. For most, this is often at dinnertime. For others, it could be breakfast. Even if you can’t all have a meal together,
4 Great Ways to Spread Kindness in Your Community
Age: 3–4+Time: variesMaterials: varies depending on projectFocus: spreading kindness in your communitySpring has sprung. The weather is getting warmer, and kids want to be outside more. It’s the perfect time to get out in your community to spread kindness.Four Activities to Spread Kindness in Your CommunityThere are lots of ways you can spread kindness in your community. We’re going to focus on four ways to get your kids involved. These are simple ways to help your kids understand how easy it can be to bring a smile to someone’s face. And I have a feeling they’ll make your kids smile
