Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a chronic, complex neurodevelopmental disorder that effects a child in multiple ways including success at school and relationships. ADHD symptoms vary by individual child and can be difficult to recognize. ADHD is a condition that effects over six million children. The average age of diagnosis is seven. There […]
Ah February! While it’s cold outside, our hearts stay warm with the reminder of love for others as we celebrate Valentine’s day. Though Valentine’s day is often considered a romantic holiday for adults, for children, this is a wonderful opportunity for parents to encourage expressions of love and appreciation for friends, teachers, and family members. […]
Did you know our body’s nervous system has different ways of activating to protect us from a perceived challenge or threat? We can go into a fight/flight/freeze state or a collapse state. What does this have to do with your child and regulation of emotions? I have been involved in a lot of car accidents, […]
As we discussed last week, gratitude is one of many positive emotions. It’s about focusing on what’s good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have. 1. Make expressing gratitude a ritual. You can’t expect gratitude to just appear. Just like the grass won’t grow green if you don’t water it. You […]
Gratitude is one of many positive emotions. It’s about focusing on what’s good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that gratitude is linked to happiness in children by age 5. This means that instilling gratitude in your kids at a young age could help them […]
Sensory play provides children an opportunity to explore through the use of their senses of sight, smell, touch, sound and even taste. These fun activities are also a way for the whole family to join in and play together. Encouraging children to participate in sensory play promotes healthy brain development. Sensory play helps children integrate […]
With the approaching holidays, I know parents are looking for gift ideas for their children. We have a saying in the play therapy world that we want to select toys not collect them. Today, I will be providing you with sixteen ideas to gift your children this holiday season to improve their emotional awareness, vocabulary, […]
We all know how easily the holidays can sneak up on us and how quickly this time of year can become stressful instead of serene. During this year of pandemic, we are all feeling a whole new level of stress. Many families are struggling with how to minimize stress and maximize making it special for […]
We have all heard about support and therapy groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or grief survivors. But what about kids, can they benefit from group therapy? And what kinds of groups are available? First, though we should talk about what exactly is group therapy? Group therapy involves a therapist working with a small select group […]
Personality priorities, the most important way our personality strives for belonging. There are four types: comfort, pleasing, control, and superiority. Which one are you and which one are your kids and why does this matter? Let’s start by breaking this down a bit. Personality is defined as the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that evolve from […]