Flowers vs. Weeds : Cultivating a Positive Inner Voice

In honor of the Superbloom happening in California this Spring I was inspired to create this Flowers vs. Weeds worksheet to help students/children understand helpful vs. unhelpful thoughts. I liked the analogy of a gardener coming in a needing to weed the garden in order to help the flowers grow. In a similar way our

Self-Compassion Holds

Sometimes it’s just hard to “think ourselves through something” and we may not be in the right mindset for it yet. My students have been loving these self-compassion holds. It gives them the space to pause and soothe themselves for as long as they need. I really like this technique because it just requires yourself

Distraction Activities for Cognitive Coping

When I bring up distraction I often get the question of, “Aren’t you just avoiding the problem?” Distraction activities are meant to help us get to a place where we can revisit the problem again. It is by no means supposed to be a resolution to an issue. Here are a couple of distraction activities

Three Fun Ways to Teach Deep Breathing

We are always telling kids to “Just Breathe!” without much guidance! I have gathered these three fun techniques over the years that I love because it connects to kids visually along with slowing down their breathing to produce an effective, calming effect. Tip: It’s fun for adults, too! Bonus: Check out another post on Stuffed

5 Ways to Help Anxiety | For Kids & Teens

Do you feel stuck helping your child manage their worry or nervousness? Or maybe you have just heard the old adage of “just breathe.” Although deep breathing has many benefits and is effective in reducing anxiety, sometimes we just have to change things up a bit. I have come up with a list of my

My Top De-Stressing Activities for Kids

Do you know the feeling when you have been staring a project for too long and all the words stop making sense and you don’t know how you got there? Then you might get up, make yourself a cup of tea or watch your favorite show for 20 minutes. Just like adults need brain breaks,

The Invisible String: Book & Activity to Help Kids Cope with Grief & Loss

When I first started out as a social worker I struggled whenever a child would tell me a loved one of theirs had died and passed away. I would see the pain in their faces and be at a loss of words of what to say or even do. In graduate school, my supervisor showed

My Helping Hand : Coping Skills Visual

Do you find your child has trouble remembering the skills/strategies they are learning? The helping hand visual has been very effective for kids I have worked with. We put it in a place they often look at such as inside their desk, on the wall of the bedroom or on the fridge in the kitchen.

Mindfulness Art Exercise for Teens

If your adolescent has grown out of the Mindfulness Scavenger Hunt and is not interested in taking the Mindful Walk, I have discovered this great art activity of pattern doodling that does not require a high level of art skill to create. Developmental Age: 10+ Materials: Paper, pen, pencil, coloring supplies if wanted, pattern starter

Affirmation Catcher

Play is the language of children. Kids, and most adults, often do not respond well to “Well, just do it” when they are trying to incorporate a new skill or change something in their life. I love this craft activity because it not only builds positive self-talk for kids but teaches them how to build