Have you ever considered sharing a journal with your kids? Sometimes your child may come home and isn’t ready to share about your day. Journaling is an opportunity to see how your child views the world while you’re living the same moments. It can open up opportunities to be empathic to situations that you weren’t experiencing in the same way. It can create a safe space for questions to be asked, that you weren’t aware that they were worrying about.
In this episode Katie and Janine discuss:
Where do you begin when you want to teach kids coping skills? Janine has a five step system she uses to help kids learn and use coping strategies, starting with connection, and finishing up with making a personal coping toolkit for kids.
In this episode Janine speaks about:
Sometimes it's some of the simple things in your day to day like a game you like to play that remind you of a few strategies and values in life that are helpful to keep you going.
In this episode, Janine speaks about the game Stardew Valley and the reminders of life lessons that she holds and was reminded of from playing this video game. She speaks about:
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:
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting requests for play ideas and coping skills kids can use, so I’ve been thinking about ways that I can get more information and resources available.
I’m going to be making short videos on YouTube with simple play ideas and simple coping skills kids can use. They are kid-appropriate, so they can watch and then try the play idea or do the coping skill.
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
On today’s podcast, I quickly re-visit one of my favorite ways to help kids see the impact their words can have on others. Then I talk about two more ways to help kids & teens understand the impact their words can have on other people. It's a great way to encourage them to think before they speak (or post). Here’s a sneak peek into what you’ll hear:
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!
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.
