How to teach kids coping skills to manage big feelings

How to teach kids coping skills to manage big feelings

Inside: 5 tips for helping kids cope with anxiety, stress and anger in healthy and safe ways. 

The phone rings, and your heart stops when you notice the number. You know it’s because your daughter is having a hard time at school again. What could it be this time? A writing assignment she didn’t respond well to? A kid brushed her off?

You take a deep breath and answer the phone.

The Happy Kid Handbook Book Review

The Happy Kid Handbook Book Review

Inside: A book review of the Happy Kid Handbook by Katie Hurley. It's a wonderful addition to any parent's bookshelf!

Have you ever read a book that you couldn’t put down? That you felt compelled to underline and highlighted and put sticky notes all over? This happened to me when I started reading The Happy Kid Handbook. I got it out of the library and as soon as I started, I knew I needed to get my own copy so I could underline and highlight to my heart’s desire.

Here are a few of the reasons why I enjoyed this book so much and why I find it to be an extremely valuable resource.

10+ Quick Strategies to Help Angry Kids Cool Down

10+ Quick Strategies to Help Angry Kids Cool Down

Inside: 10+ Strategies you can use today to help an angry child cool down and diffuse anger quickly. 

Your son and daughter have been playing together while you get dinner ready.

Your daughter says joyfully “Connect 4!” as she wins the 3rd game in a row. And then it begins. Your son growls, and yells “You’re cheating!” then knocks the game off the table.

Awesome Fidgets for Kids

Awesome Fidgets for Kids

Inside: All about fidgets - why they help, who can benefit from using them, and lots of suggested fidgets, both those that you can DIY and those you can buy.

We all know those kids who can’t quite get settled in the classroom. They may have a hard time sitting down to get their homework done. They may be zoning off in the middle of a lesson in school. Or they may look like they are paying attention, but their mind is constantly wandering off. These kids might benefit from a fidget!

12 Books for Kids and Teens about Stress and Anxiety

12 Books for Kids and Teens about Stress and Anxiety

Inside: A Child Therapist’s favorite books for kids and teens to help them deal with stress and anxiety. Use books to start talking about healthy ways to cope.

Your daughter slumps in her chair at breakfast. Recently, it’s been like pulling teeth to get her ready for school in the morning. She hasn’t touched her toast, which is really unusual - she typically has a healthy appetite. She keeps biting her nails, and hasn’t asked for a playdate in weeks!

Simple ways to introduce mindfulness and meditation to children

Simple ways to introduce mindfulness and meditation to children

Inside: A basic introduction to mindfulness, and how you can introduce mindfulness to kids. Lots of resources, including scripts, books and videos.

Mindfulness.

It’s quite a popular topic these days. But what does that even mean? And how exactly do you teach it to kids?

Symptoms of Stress and Anxiety in Children

Symptoms of Stress and Anxiety in Children

Inside: Symptoms to look for that can help you determine if your child is experiencing stress or anxiety, and tips that can help you and your child.

Wouldn’t it be nice if your child came up to you and said “Mom, I’m quite stressed about my quiz on Friday” or “I’m really anxious about my piano recital”.

While that would be super helpful, most kids don’t have the language to express themselves that clearly. Instead, it’s up to us to be stress and anxiety detectives with our children. But what are you looking for and what do you do when you do see it?

12 Kid Friendly Strategies to Calm Anxiety at Night from a Child Therapist

12 Kid Friendly Strategies to Calm Anxiety at Night from a Child Therapist

Inside: 12 proven strategies to help your child's anxiety and help them settle in for a long night’s sleep

You're finally settling onto your couch, remote in hand and ready to start binge watching your latest Netflix obsession. You're just about to press play when you hear tiny feet padding down the hall.

“Mommy? I can't sleep. I'm scared!!”

5 Common Reasons Kids Get Stressed and 4 Strategies to Help

5 Common Reasons Kids Get Stressed and 4 Strategies to Help

Inside: 5 common causes of childhood stress, and 4 strategies you can use as a parent to help your child manage stress in healthy ways.

This story starts, as always, with coffee. I was in line at Dunkin Donuts, thinking about what I wanted to get done today. We were on the beach for a long weekend, but being the type A person that I am, somehow I still wanted to get some things accomplished and starting to feel a bit stressed about it. As I’m waiting for my precious beverage and mentally rearranging my to do list, I overhear a father ask his son:

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