In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are sharing information on mental health in children and students. Read to find out how education can help children build a strong foundation for mental wellness for life! Plus, Better Kids has created a month calendar, full of activities that focus on your and your child’s mental health.
The only thing that is certain in life is that it is uncertain. One way to find peacefulness in the uncertainty is by being more present - we can pause to find joy in the small things, especially during a season as lovely and inspiring as spring. Read more about 4 simple and mindful activities to do with your child, inspired by the spring season.
Children experience and express grief differently than us, and as parents and teachers who care about our children, we should learn what to expect and how best to support them after a loss in the family or community. It is challenging but crucial to do this work with the proper knowledge and communication, to ensure that our children’s development can continue healthily and safely, even in the wake of tragedy and possibly our own grieving. This post focuses on grieving in preschool through elementary school aged children, with both guidance for parents and teachers.
When we are having a conversation with someone, how do we know if the other person is listening? Do they give a nonverbal or verbal response? Listening skills, like any social emotional skill, requires intentional practice. Read on for activities that will help kids develop their listening skills.
A new year is here as well as the second half of the school year. Teachers and parents may now be wondering how they can help their children not only set goals for themselves but to also feel motivated to achieve those goals. As we help teach and model motivation to our children, we may learn more about how we are motivated ourselves. Read more for tips on how to help children with this important skill.
The holidays are an exciting time of year! It is important to acknowledge that this time of year is also busy and can sometimes feel overwhelming, even for kids. We can all benefit from taking time for the present moment and creating joy-filled memories together. Check out these 5 activities that you can do with your family or students to celebrate the holidays.
You or your friends might be fans of keeping a gratitude journal or gratitude diary, but how do we help kids practice gratitude too? Beyond naming what we are grateful for, here are some ideas on how to teach kids about gratitude, and ways to encourage them to routinely practice it. By doing so through these difficult times, you can set the foundation for a more positive mindset and better resilience!
We can support children’s social emotional learning in so many ways, including with literacy! Reading or listening to these recommended books can help your kids learn about kindness, forgiveness, sharing, gratitude, anxiety, and more!
Learning to manage emotions is a journey. It can be a more challenging journey for our child with autism. In support of autism awareness, read on to learn ways to support children with autism spectrum disorder to recognize and manage big emotions.
Discover the magic of storytelling and help kids develop their social emotional skills with these books! These books fall under the categories of the social emotional learning competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, positive relationships, and responsible decision making.
New to social emotional learning and asking ‘how do I support my kid’s emotional health’? Or looking for more fun activities to do with kids near you (e.g. at home)? There are lots of simple ways to do both! Read our blog for easy and fun things to do with kids at home while also supporting their emotional well-being.
The arts (art, music, literature, drama, etc.) are a unique way for children to develop social emotional skills such as self-awareness and social awareness. Through expressions of creativity children can process their emotions and, through a shared sense of community, they can build positive relationships. Read on to discover art activities you can do with your child to strengthen their social emotional skills.
Resilience is when we can move forward after experiencing adverse events. It’s not always easy but with a strong support system and healthy coping strategies we can continue to move forward. Check out these resilience quotes to help inspire kids to think about what it means to them to be resilient.
Now that summer is around the corner, you may find this to be an opportune moment to establish routines that help your child grow in their independence. It is never too early to start! By instilling good habits, you can set your child up for success by strengthening their skills in self-care, self-management, goal-setting, reasoning and more, all the while lessening your load. From making choices to completing chores, empower children by helping them grow into independent people! Read on for the full list of tips.
What does it mean to be self-aware? While self-awareness can be characterized as having a sense of one’s personality and character it is also important for understanding one's emotions. Without self-awareness, we will have a harder time understanding and improving our self-management, social awareness, relationships skills, and responsible decision making. Read more about how we can help our children recognize and practice self-awareness.
Responsible decision making is an important skill and the decisions we make impact ourselves and others. This skill is strengthened by our problem solving and critical thinking skills. Read on to learn more about responsible decision making and for tips on how to help kids practice responsible decision making.
Do you always swoop in and rescue your kids from social conflicts? Does your child or student run to you right away when there is a problem? In any type of conflict scenario, it’s important that everyone involved is aware of and understands respective feelings. How can we teach children to resolve conflicts in a way that’s simple, respectful, and helps them become independent? Read on to learn about a problem solving protocol and how it can play an important role in healthy child development.
“That’s not fair!” is a common sentiment of children, but how often is this phrase used when pointing out a true injustice? Teaching children the concept of fairness is an important part of growing up and practicing empathy. Read on to learn about how to teach the meaning of equity vs. equality and why it matters.
As kids develop their self-awareness and social awareness, they are also building relationship skills. These skills such as communication and teamwork give kids the confidence to recognize positive relationships that help them to grow. Read more for tips on how to help kids develop their relationship skills.
Acts of kindness help us to feel loved, welcomed, happy, and more. We can teach kids that there are many ways to show kindness to each other at home and at school. Check out these 5 acts of kindness for the holiday season, and all year round!
