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?
In today’s episode Janine speaks to Emily about:
What does happy feel like? What about being nervous? Sad or excited? Learning to identify feelings is so important for kids - when kids can label their feelings, it’s easier for them to self-regulate. One of the best ways to learn is through play, and you can work on feelings identification in fun and playful ways.
In this episode Janine discusses:
Building a strong connection with our children is really important and taking the time to invest in our relationships with them at each stage of childhood and into the teenage years. Today Janine considers the opportunities we create for them to share what they like and what you enjoy also in day to day life. How can we connect with our kids well so that when they face challenges or difficulties they feel like they can come speak with you, the parent?
Here’s what Janine discusses in today’s episode:
Has your child hit their teenage years and puberty has started? Have you noticed their emotions are changing? What about their most extreme emotions? Do you find that your teenager can feel really angry at times?
In today’s episode, Janine unpacks some strategies to help you as parents support your teenager and how to develop that connection between yourself as the parent and them.
Here’s what Janine discusses in today’s episode:
I have always been a reader ever since I was a child but sometimes life gets in the way and I have found I don’t make much time for it so I used a recent vacation to spark my love for pleasurable reading again. After posting about this on Instagram, I was really inspired by one of my comments; to make a list of books to read over the summer and start a podcast series about it!
The topics I cover in this episode are:
Starting a conversation with a child about their own struggles and coping skills can be difficult. The best way around that in my opinion is to show through examples in books and TV. We all know how hard direct feedback and critique can be, yet if it is explained in a lighter way using someone else as an example, it can be much easier to digest and a perfect way to teach children.
The topics I cover in this episode are:
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).
In this episode I discuss resting and resetting as we all head into summer. Recently I took a business class and from that I have picked up a habit of asking myself two questions every single day; What do I get to enjoy today? And an evening question which is - If I could relive this day, what would I do differently?
Calm down kits are a fantastic way to help kids keep their coping skills accessible for times when they need to calm down. Sometimes it can be referred to as a coping skills toolkit. Whatever name you use, what it means is that there is an actual physical container that houses items kids can use to help calm down and express their emotions in healthy ways.
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!
Last week, the podcast focused on the fact that it's okay to be angry. I discussed the feelings rules and understanding the anger iceberg. This week, as promised, I've shared 5 of my favorite coping skills, plus two bonus strategies to keep in mind as you're working or parenting angry kids.
It’s okay to be angry.
It’s happened multiple times in my career when I’ve said that phrase, kids will look at me like I have three heads. I explain that everyone gets angry - it’s a normal and expected human emotion. It’s what you do with your anger that matters. Then I share the feelings rules with them:
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!
A coping skills toolbox is an actual physical container that houses items kids can use to help calm down and express their emotions in healthy ways. There are a ton of strategies your child can use to calm down, and having a toolbox is one way to keep several of these tools readily available to use.
Where can you get these items to help create a coping skills toolbox or a calm down kit? A lovely listener requested that I do a podcast episode on Oriental Trading, so I took a peek around the website for awesome items to go in a calm down kit. Listen to what I found!
