Teaching children to say “no” can build their confidence, independence, and self-worth. Of course it’s annoying to hear a “no” when you ask your son to clean his room or your daughter to turn off the TV and get ready for bed. But despite the battle of wills that sometimes occurs, the ability to say […]
Empowering kids to create their own coping strategies allows them to take ownership of their bodies and minds while building emotional intelligence. We all face a variety of emotions and feelings each day. Sometimes they are enjoyable, like the feeling of happiness when spending time with a loved one. And sometimes they are not, like […]
For schools to be prepared for a crisis they need a comprehensive plan to ensure the safety and well-being of students, staff, and community. In today’s educational landscape, effective crisis response in schools is more crucial than ever. Schools are meant to be safe havens for students, but unfortunately, crises—ranging from natural disasters to acts […]
It is important that teens are aware of their technology usage and how the pros and cons of technology impact their lives. Most people, including young people, spend half their daily waking hours online. A Gallup survey found that over half of U.S. teens spend nearly 4.8 hours each day on social media, more than […]
When children understand that anxiety is rooted in their brain’s natural protective mechanisms, they can begin to separate themselves from their anxious thoughts. As educators, counselors, and parents, you’re on the front lines of supporting children’s emotional well-being. You see firsthand the increasing prevalence of anxiety in young people, and we know how crucial it […]
Check out the ways you can show School Counselors appreciation for National School Counseling Week. School counselors play important roles in school districts, allowing students to resolve issues they face at home or in the classroom. Given the challenges students may encounter in a remote or hybrid learning environment, their role may even more essential […]
Unlocking Potential: The Science Behind Executive Function and How We Can Help Kids Thrive You’ve probably had several of these students in your school: bright kids who consistently underperform. They’re smart, they’re capable, but something’s holding them back. Discover the hidden factor that can derail any child’s success: Executive Function. What is Executive Function? When […]
Helpful Activities for Grieving Kids Loss is when something or someone important to you is gone, and things won’t be the same as they were before. Grief is the emotional response we have to a loss. While loss is about what is gone, grief is about how you feel because of that loss. Everyone experiences […]
One of the first steps to helping children manage their anxiety is to educate them about how anxiety effects their body. In a world where rates of anxiety are increasing and trending younger, providing youth with the skills to understand and manage these emotions is a necessity. Giving children strategies to build a positive relationship […]
Plus Free Resources for School Counselors, Therapists, and Mental Health Professionals BONUS! Enter our National School Counseling Week Giveaway! See details below. Whether you are a counselor, therapist, or mental health professional, you have a lot on your plate. In your school or private practice, you encounter children who are dealing with big emotions and […]
Encourage and Empower Children to Believe in Themselves Childrens’ thoughts are shaped by what they see and hear. The adults in their lives have incredible power to build up a child or to tear them down. Parents, educators, and caregivers can help kids grow in self-confidence by following these seven tips based on the word […]
The Holidays are meant to prompt joy, but reality is they may evoke stress as well. Here are ten tips to help you prioritize self-care during the holidays. The most wonderful time of the year is known to prompt joy, but the reality is that it may evoke stress as well. While this season is often associated […]
Taking time to teach kids about gratitude while young will help reinforce a thankful attitude when they are older. With Thanksgiving soon, this is a great season to teach kids about gratitude. Teaching it while they are young will help to reinforce a thankful attitude when they are older. According to UNC Chapel Hill’s Raising […]
A Guide for Educators and Parents About Kids Vaping Vaping. It’s everywhere these days. Sleek devices with clouds of sweet-smelling mist hanging in the air. But behind the cool image lurks a serious health threat, especially for our children. As an educator or parent, it’s crucial to understand the dangers of kids vaping and equip […]
The Brain Stoplight check-in is a quick and easy way tool that helps kids identify and communicate how they are feeling. Knowing how to manage big emotions is a vital life skill for children. The goal isn’t to suppress all feelings but to acknowledge them, understand their source, and develop effective coping strategies. While mastering these […]
The key to teaching kids how to manage stress is to give them tools to problem solve and navigate through life more effectively. Stress is a part of life. Good stress can add to our lives by keeping us on our toes and warning us when we encounter potential danger. Bad stress, on the other […]
Five Steps to Reignite Your Passion and Combat Burnout We didn’t become educators for the wealth and fame. For most of us, our choice of profession is deeply rooted in who we are, our core values, and what we want from life; it is not just a job. As we progress in the field, our […]
While both the “buck up” and “bubble wrap” approaches are rooted in good intentions, they both fail to help kids do hard things and acknowledge emotions. We all want the kids in our lives to be resilient. But there are a variety of ways that we try to help kids do hard things. The “Buck […]
Listening is a skill like any other. You can improve listening skills with practice. It often ends with a sigh of relief. The feeling of knowing—they got it. You explained it, offered time to process, and asked for clarification—you know the cliché question “Does everyone understand?” As you peered into the crowd, youngsters nodded with […]
Teach children self-regulation with these seven science-backed strategies. There is one life skill that is the most important one to teach our children. To call it one skill, however, is a little misleading. It’s really a set of skills– a whole host of skills. At the center of those skills is the ability to control […]
What are the goals for your students in your class this year? “If children feel safe, they can take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, learn to trust, share their feelings, and grow.” Alfie Kohn Goals for Your Students I have a few questions that I love to ask educators at the beginning of each new […]
Completing this list should put you where you need to be when school starts!
Inspired by I Got This!: I Have Bounce Back Superpowers by Julia Cook and Michele Borba
We all want to make the world a better place. And raising kind children is part of it. But kindness for kids doesn’t always happen by accident.
Ah…summer is here! We know that for teachers and school counselors the job isn’t really 8:00-3:00 with summers off. Summer is the time when SO MUCH of your life happens. You are not too tired to see friends. There are no papers to grade. You WANT to do something. Summer is when you do the […]
“Healthy habits are learned in the same way as unhealthy ones – through practice.” Wayne Dyer
When we are anxious, our bodies give us clues…physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms of anxiety.
Understanding why a child struggles to say no is the first step in empowering them to use their voices.
Suicide is preventable. Often, the biggest hurdle is silence. We’re surrounded by myths and misconceptions that keep us from having open conversations about suicide.
Test anxiety is a problem that nearly everyone experiences at one time or another. The fears of “I just can’t !” or “What if I don’t?” overtake confidence, and potential is instantly affected.
Everyone makes mistakes and fails. The important thing is not that you succeed or win. It is that you keep trying and working towards your goals.
People don’t get angry without a reason; there is often more to anger than meets the eye. We must go below the surface of what’s happening to unveil the true culprit behind anger.
All behavior comes from the brain.
Whether a child has a goal that you think is attainable or not, there are helpful ways we can encourage them to chase their dreams.
Even when our words are well-intentioned, the wrong words can often make a heartbreaking situation much worse.
By understanding how their brains work, kids can develop a deeper understanding of themselves, the world around them, and their place in it.
Books are a great way to teach a child social and emotional skills they can use their entire life.
While some parents are still talking about how books pose the biggest threat to children in schools, teachers are talking about what’s actually impacting their students and classrooms this year: smartphones.
Picture books can be powerful tools for helping kids with anxiety. They can help young kids understand and manage their feelings, develop coping skills, and feel less alone. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why picture books are so effective for helping kids with anxiety and share some of our favorite books about worry and […]
“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation.” Glenn Close
The Power of a 45-Second Investment in Relationship Building: A short, positive interaction with a student at the start of the school year can pay off all year long.
Summer can give teachers time to rest and engage in collaborative learning that reconnects them with what they love about education.
It’s no secret that outward behaviors in our students rarely tell the whole story. Instead, those verbal and physical actions often serve as clues pointing to deeper needs, emotions, and desires. Once the underlying issues are addressed, the path away from negative words and actions becomes much smoother and clearer. As he addresses fifteen key […]
A multipronged approach to social media management, including time limits, parental monitoring and supervision, and ongoing discussions about social media can help parents protect teens’ brain development.
Many systems in the child’s body deal with emotions and the sometimes complex psychological response that they initiate. Two brain systems, however, share the important task of regulating your child’s emotions. Both have distinct jobs that have differing focuses on internal and external demands, but they interconnect to reach the goal of managing and addressing […]
Students need support more than ever. They need you. You are the strategy. You have the power to help students manage behavior and ultimately heal through co-regulation.
Our students spend a lot of time on their devices. By age 11, 53% of children in the U.S. have a smartphone, and by age 16, 89% have one.1 Not only do most youth own a device, but they are on it a lot too! Since the pandemic, young people’s online time has skyrocketed, and […]
Today’s libraries are more than just books. From teaching critical literacy skills to promoting entrepreneurship and small business development to preserving and facilitating our community stories, an easier question might be what don’t libraries do! Check out some examples of what libraries of all types are doing for their communities.
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