Category Archives: Families

young children fear

Fear: Young Children & Emotions

Children, Families, Parents

This post is the third  emotion specific post in a series of posts that I am writing about supporting children under age 5 in learning about and coping with their emotions.    This post focuses on fear.  You can read the introduction to this series and find the other posts in this series here.

Fear  is the word I have chosen to use for this post, but you may use a different word to describe this same experience.    Afraid and scared are two common words used to describe this experience.   The emotion that I am writing about in this post is an intense fear of something, someone or some event.   It is different than anxiety or worry which will be addressed in another post soon. Continue reading Fear: Young Children & Emotions →

sadness

Sadness: Young Children & Emotions

Children, Families, Parents

This post is the second emotion specific post in a series of posts that I am writing about supporting children under age 5 in learning about and coping with their emotions.    This post focuses on sadness.  You can read the introduction to this series and find the other posts in this series here.

Sadness is the word I have chosen to use for this post, but you may use a different word to describe this same experience.  Some parents describe their children experiencing “funks” or appearing withdrawn. Continue reading Sadness: Young Children & Emotions →

Frustration

Frustration: Young Children & Emotions

Children, Families, Parents

This post is the first emotion specific post in a series of posts that I am writing about supporting children under age 5 in learning about and coping with their emotions.    You can read the introduction to this series here.   Frustration is the first emotion addressed in this series as it is the most common emotion parents ask me about when they have children in this age group.

Frustration is the word I have chosen to use for this post, but you may use a different word to describe this same experience.  Angry.  Mad.  Irritable.  Melt down.  Outburst.  What other words do you use? Continue reading Frustration: Young Children & Emotions →

Young Children & Emotions

Young Children & Emotions: An Introduction to the Series

Children, Families

Welcome to the Young Children & Emotions series.   This series of posts will be focused on ways we can support children under age five in learning about and coping with their emotions.    As you may know, I’ve written about children and emotions in a general sense in many past posts, but this series will be a little different than my other posts.   This series will focus very specifically on children under age five.     In addition, each post in this series will focus on a specific emotion that I am frequently asked about. Continue reading Young Children & Emotions: An Introduction to the Series →

Calming strategies for families

Calming Strategies for Families

Children, Families, Stressors

This morning, I taught my Emotions & Me Workshop focused on Anxiety.  I loved it.   One of my favorite things is working with children and parents together because I recognize the power of that parent-child relationship in creating change.    One of the topics discussed focused on calming strategies that families can use to help children (and adults) manage anxiety.

During the workshop, I utilized a handout that described calming strategies and calming statements that children and families can use to manage anxiety.   I believe that children cannot learn how to do these interventions alone, they need support and guidance from a trusted adult as they learn to use these strategies and build their confidence.   I decided to modify the handout that I used and share some of the information with all of you, too! Continue reading Calming Strategies for Families →

Back to School

Back to School: Helpful Links from Therapists Across the Country

Children, Families, Parents, Stressors

We are just over three weeks from the start of the new school year for children who reside in the school district where my office is located.    What is your family experiencing as you prepare to send your children back to school?  Are you anticipating any struggles this year?

You may have read some of my most recent posts (links below) addressing tips for helping children head back to school with less stress, but I also wanted to share tips from my colleagues.   I reached out to therapists across the country inviting them to contribute a post to be included in my list of links and was happy with the response I received.  I hope you will find this list to be as helpful as I think it is.   There is a little something for everyone contained in this list. Continue reading Back to School: Helpful Links from Therapists Across the Country →

Communicating with your teen

Communicating with Your Teen (Part 2 of 2)

Children, Families, Parents, Reflection Questions

In part one of this series, I shared some helpful tips for communicating with your teen.   In this post, I will be sharing some reflection questions based off of the first post to help come up with a new strategy or approach to use in communicating with your teen about a challenging subject.   The purpose of this exercise is to be more mindful about how we communicate with the teens in our lives.   The result will hopefully be a more effective conversation with your teen, but I do not pretend this approach will make every conversation perfect. Continue reading Communicating with Your Teen (Part 2 of 2) →

Communicating with your teen

Communicating With Your Teen (Part 1 of 2)

Children, Families, Parents

As their children start to move into adolescence, parents often report that their child appears to have changed overnight and the way that they used to approach communicating with their child no longer seems to work.   As a therapist who works with children of all ages, I also find that I need to approach my communication with a child differently once they enter their pre-teen and teen years.  Because communicating with your teen can be a challenge, this series of posts will focus on communication strategies to help you communicate more effectively with your child. Continue reading Communicating With Your Teen (Part 1 of 2) →

Children & Emotions

Children & Emotions

Children, Families, Parents, Stressors

We all experience emotions.   If you reflect back on your interactions with your child today, you can likely identify many feelings that you and your child experienced .  Talking to our children about emotions from a young age is so important.   Being able to identify, share and cope with their feelings are essential skills for our children to be successful in their relationships, at school and eventually in the workplace.

The earlier we can help our children feel comfortable with their emotions the better!  I always say it is never too early to start talking about feelings with a child, but it is also never too late.     Children tend to feel their emotions very intensely and our reactions to them can really impact their perceptions of emotions and how they cope as they move into adulthood.

When I am invited to speak to groups of parents, this is by far the most requested topic because like me, many of you recognize the value of teaching our children about their feelings at an early age.

However, many of you may not live near the Eagan, Minnesota area, so the opportunity to connect with me in person about this topic may not be an option.   I have compiled many of my thoughts about children and emotions into a variety of posts on this blog.   Below you will find a list of everything I have written so far on this subject.

 

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions about these posts or  there are additional topics that you’d like to see me address in upcoming posts related to the topic of children and feelings.

Sarah

 

Deep breathing for children

Deep Breathing & Children

Families, Parents, Stressors

Deep breathing is a skill that we can all (children and adults) benefit from having when we cope with intense emotion.   I specifically work with children in my therapy office on understanding what a deep breath is and how it can be used to help calm their bodies.    This post will help you think of ways that you can support your child in  practicing their breathing outside of the therapy setting.   The tips contained in this post have the added benefit of being helpful for adults, too Continue reading Deep Breathing & Children →