Books based on real people pack an emotional punch. Not only do nonfiction stories help girls by teaching history and allowing them to see the world from different viewpoints, they provide role models and inspiration. My oldest recently came across the story of Virginia Hall in the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. She’s quite taken with the decorated American spy who thwarted the Nazis during World War II (I’m confident there’s a Virginia costume in our future). Girls need to have exposure to diverse people who have pursued dreams and overcome adversity. Through nonfiction stories they learn they’re not alone in their feelings and that others who came before them discovered ways to cope and respond to hardships. Luckily, we live in an age where there are as many tales as there are children’s interests. Is your girl concerned about the earth? Tell her about Rachel Carson, an environmentalist who wrote the book Silent Spring. Does she worry about making her voice heard? Suggest she explore the world of Sojourner Truth. Reading real stories encourages self-reflection, empathy, emotional intelligence, and offers a front seat to observing life lessons. They’re a win-win for anyone wanting to boost a child’s reading list. Activities To Do With Girls Have your child write on a sticky note the names of the people they’re reading about. Arrange the names in chronological order, along with the years the people lived. Take time to sit down with your child; ask her to share the stories she is reading and what she likes …

We have all had those days. The days clouded by rejection, being ignored or just downright disappointment with our performance. It’s hard enough when you experience defeats, but it’s another ballgame when your child is the one hurting. Which is why I want to introduce this self-esteem activity for girls. The “What I Like About Me” activity is something you can do with a child at any age and one adults can benefit from doing too. Materials What I Like About Me Template, colored pencils, crayons or pens. Steps One: Print off the What I Like About Me Template. If you don’t have access to a printer, take a piece of paper and draw a head. Two: Ask your child to write down 15 things they like about themselves anywhere in the head part of the template. If she struggles to name 15, help out by discussing her strengths. Three: Look up positive quotes with your child. Have her choose one to outline the head with. A couple of household favorites to boost self-esteem: “Self-esteem means knowing you are the dream.” ~Oprah Winfrey “I was built this way for a reason, so I’m going to use it.” ~Simone Biles “You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are.” ~Melissa Etheridge “What makes you different or weird, that’s your strength.” ~Meryl Streep “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship.” ~Louisa May Alcott Four: Have your girl color the head, words, and add any other decorations she wants to the piece. …

It inevitably comes, the school project where your child must interview someone. Whether for career day, a research paper or family genealogy project, asking questions can make youngsters feel queasy. However, interviewing others is a skill that lasts well beyond the school-age years. Here are five tips to help your girl interview someone for their life story. 1) Emphasize the importance of research  Knowing background information about a person or topic is the best way to create questions. It also shows respect towards the person being interviewed (and their time) and will make the interviewer feel more confident. Talk with your child about how they’re preparing for the conversation. 2) Discuss what it means to listen, to truly listen to someone There are many adults in the world who struggle with this, even though listening comes up again and again as one of the most important skills for leaders. Tell your kiddo body language is important and that they need to both face forward and make eye contact with the person they’re interviewing. Nonverbal feedback, like nodding, also goes a long way. Recommend your girl not interrupt someone who is sharing a story or thought, even if what they’re saying doesn’t seem relevant. It could be a stepping stone to something valuable later in the interview. 3) Suggest open-ended questions and paying attention to details What was that like? How did it make you feel? What did you learn from that? These are open-ended questions, which makes for good dialogue. If your kiddo is going …

Why Girls That Create? Several years ago, I became part of the team behind WONDER WOMEN! THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICAN SUPERHEROINES. The documentary film explores the enduring legacy of Wonder Woman and how powerful women are often portrayed in mainstream media. It also encourages girls to be creators of the media they want to see. Fast forward to 2019. The need to nourish and inspire girl creators is just as necessary now as it was then. Although women currently comprise half of the U.S. population, mass media continues to show them in much smaller numbers. This underrepresentation is also true for women who are behind the scenes, creating. That is why I launched Girls That Create in 2019. This online platform exists to support the parents and caregivers of future female creators.  Consider The Numbers • Men dominate U.S. media. Men receive 63 percent of byline and other credits in print, Internet, TV and wire news. Women receive 37 percent. (Women Media Center)  • In 2018, women comprised just four percent of directors working on the top 100 films, eight percent on the top 250 films, and 15 percent on the top 500 films. (Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film) • In a recent study of 820,000 exhibitions across the public and commercial sectors, only one third were by women artists. (The Art Newspaper) • Another 2019 study on the music industry revealed female songwriters and producers are vastly outnumbered. Across seven years, 12.3 percent of songwriters of the songs …