Encouraging Your Little Chef
While we typically think about following specific recipes when we cook or bake, making food is an art as much as it is a science! Use this activity to get your child thinking about how food is prepared and how fun it can be.
Tackle Fears Through Art
It’s natural to feel fear, but sometimes fear can get in the way of enjoying new experiences or meeting new people. Show your child that one way to feel less afraid of something is to learn more about it.
Oops! A Game for Dealing with Embarrassment
Use a puppet or stuffed animal to help children talk about how to deal with those moments. Have the puppet explain that something very embarrassing happened in school (for example, he fell in a mud puddle) and everyone laughed. Now he doesn’t want to play with the other kids because he thinks they will make fun of him. In your own voice, encourage children to talk to the puppet and help him feel better. Have the puppet ask: “What should you do about classmates who tease you?”
Practice Self-Control
Self-control is an important skill for children to develop so they can do things like not hit when they feel angry or learn to stop playing when they have to go to the bathroom. Here’s a jazzy way to help your child practice self-control by combining music with this “freeze” game.
Build Confidence With a Self-Portrait
Children encounter countless unknowns and self-doubts as they grow, and developing a positive inner voice can give them the courage to explore new situations and persevere. In this activity, you and your child can celebrate their traits and abilities and express that they are valued.
Explore Body Language With Feelings
Helping kids tune into body language can help them build empathy skills and feel more in control of their own emotions. It’s one step to developing better self-management down the road. So how can we make all this emotional learning fun? Turn it into a game!
Mindfulness Glitter Jar
Make and keep this glitter jar on hand to help your child relax and calm down the next time things become overwhelming. Together with your child, think about other ways to calm down when upset. Some ideas include taking a walk, counting down from five or closing your eyes for a few minutes.
Hero Self Portrait
In each episode of “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum,” Xavier, Brad, and Yadina travel back in time to meet real-life historical figures when they were kids themselves. Just like the historical figures in the series, your child has heroic qualities! Help your child understand what it means to be a hero and that there is a hero in every one of us.
Making Faces and Using Your Words
Here’s an activity you can do at home to practice using words to name feelings. The goal of the game is for one person to make a face that shows a certain emotion. The other person guesses what the emotion is.
Face-Changing Paper Dolls
Make these cute and easy dolls with your child as a way to teach about emotions. These dolls can be played with endlessly in many different ways! The ability to change the expressions on the faces will lead to imaginative play and lots of discussion about what might make your child feel sad/happy/angry/surprised.
Weekly Planner
Use this weekly planner to help your child prepare for the days ahead and keep track of weekly schedules.
You’ll Feel Better Again Jar
Everyone has times in their life when they feel sad. Whether the sadness is caused by a short term setback or a long term change, adults and children alike need a way to find a little hope and joy when things seem bleak. Talk with your child about other things they can do to feel better. Make a list and then create a You’ll Feel Better Again Jar with your ideas.