When you label your feelings, it can help you regulate your emotions better. How do you explore feelings with your child in a fun way? One of the ways to explore this with your child is via reading a story. So why not head to your local library and check out one of the following feeling focused books:
Every child needs 3 to 5 people to be part of their orbit to help shape their world and will have a significant influence on them. Whatever role you have, you could be that key person in a teenager’s life to discuss the more stressful moments in their lives. There are signs and symptoms we can look out for in our teenagers. Stress is a normal reaction for anybody in different situations. But what if these reactions are taking over our young people’s lives?
Today, I’m highlighting one of my favorite coping skills to use: Take a mini mental vacation wherever you are. You’ll hear an example of what a mini mental vacation can look like and how to practice this method.
This is a coping skill that is in the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook. I’m excited to share that I’ve recently recorded and launched the audiobook version of the Coping Skills for Teens Workbook…
In this episode Janine discusses…
What is social anxiety and how big an impact does this have for a child and the difference for an adult? How can you tell the difference between social anxiety and being an introvert? These are just some of the questions Janine speaks about with Natasha Daniels as she also talks about her memoir Out of My Shell.
They also speak about:
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:
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!
In this episode of the podcast, I discuss how to create teachable moments to practice social skills for kids. I love using group settings with kids to work on social skills because it can be a microcosm of the playground, recess, or other social situations. In the podcast, you’ll hear how I like to structure groups to be effective, and that I love messy groups!
Also, I talk about opportunities that happen at home where you can use those teachable moments to help reinforce social skills with family interactions and playdates.
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!
Several years ago, I wrote an article on this topic because the mother of a client of mine had significant concerns about getting through the holiday season, in particular, all the parties. I also understood this from my own experience as a parent, so I gave her some ideas. Since it's that time of year, I wanted to share these ideas with you to help. Take a listen!
We all know how important it is to help kids explore their feelings - it's a vital step in helping them understand and manage their emotions. But what do we do with those little ones who don't want to talk about it? Truthfully, it can be hard for kids to talk about their feelings. Here are four ideas to help you explore a child's emotions - without talking!
Puzzles are one way my family and I love to play. I also use them at times in individual and group therapy. Puzzles are fun, but they also work on skills like organization, patience, perseverance and working together. Take a listen to how doing puzzles can help you playfully practice executive functioning skills and social skills.
