How do you encourage your kids to be more independent? When do you as a parent step back to give them the space to step up? How can you encourage them in their fears? What are some of the easy parenting norms that we can try?
Lenore Skenazy joins Janine today to discuss some of these questions. They discuss:
What does it mean to be a tech intentional family? Now phones, ipads and other forms of technology are in most areas of life. There’s no size that fits all and what works for you and your family will look so different to your next door neighbor and the other parents you meet at the school gate. So where do you begin?
Play is such a powerful way for kids you learn ANYTHING including coping skills. Games can also be a way to help us learn and identify the feelings we have. Plus being a lot of fun along the way!
In this episode Janine discusses 3 specific examples:
In this episode Janine discusses…
riendships are such a wonderful and special part of life. From memory making to going through the highs and lows with your peers makes life so much richer. As a child, learning social skills and how friendships fit is a huge learning curve as they go through their childhood and find their ‘people’. As a parent, how do you connect and how do you teach your kids basic social skills and about what a great friendship can be?
Today Janine is joined by Caroline Maguire and in this episode they discuss:
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘gratitude’? Is gratitude something you display or practice each day? Practicing and looking for what’s gone well in the day is a great routine to get into in order to get past the tougher moments.
In this episode we discuss:
In this episode Janine discusses…
How are you doing?
This is such a hectic and strange time. I had plans to talk about something completely different during this podcast episode, but things have significantly ramped up in terms of school closures, working from home, and other disruptions due to the spread of COVID-19. In fact, I basically put some other things on hold, and I started writing in an effort to help families.
"Literally, it worked!"
Recently, one of my teen clients said about the coping skill I cover in this podcast. I'm always thrilled when a coping skill works for a client of mine. She struggles with anxiety, and we've talked about a ton of different coping skills, but this was the first time she ever used that phrasing. To hear more about what this coping skill is, take a liste
Can I tell you something? I LOVE working with teens. The conversations I have with adolescents can be full of sarcasm, but at the heart of every one of those talks is that they want to be heard. What’s interesting is that a lot of the same strategies I use for younger kids work for teens too (and even adults).
Whenever I’m speaking to families or professionals working with kids about their coping skills, I always get the question, “They aren’t using their coping skills! What do I do?”
In this podcast, I share a few tips and mindset strategies to use when working with kids who are having a hard time managing their feelings. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that it will not go smoothly the first time or 100% of the time. Please take a listen to hear some other helpful tips to help kids more consistently use their coping skills.
There are lots of places you can go to get items for a calm down kit. One of my favorites is Five Below. This store has only been in my area for a few years, and while their items change regularly, I can always find some awesome things to go into a calm down spot for home or school. On a recent trip, I took pictures of what I would put in a coping skills toolkit. Listen to what I found!
Open-ended play is incredible - it cultivates imagination, thinking differently, and encourages creativity. To promote open-ended play, we should offer toys that can be played with in multiple ways.
One benefit of having versatile toys is that it cuts down on having so many! I know what it feels like when it seems like the toy department of your local Target is all in your living room.
Plus, having fewer toys is helpful for child development. A recent study from the University of Toledo in Ohio found that the fewer toys a child has, the more creative and imaginative they become with the toys they have. Listen to this podcast to hear about five awesome open-ended toys that I love.
When a kid is feeling sad or upset, a good coping skill to try is thinking of things that make them happy. Finding and focusing on the good things in life can have a positive impact on mental health, plus paying attention to those positive experiences is the beginning of gratitude practice for kids. But it can be hard to remember the good stuff in those tough moments. In today’s podcast, I share three ideas to help kids focus on the positives. Take a listen!
