emotions Archives | Sleeping Should Be Easy

5 Things You Shouldn’t Say When Your Child Loses

Aug 12, 2020

Everyone faces failure, and what we say to our kids is important. Learn what to avoid when your child loses a competition (and what to say instead). Imagine this: Your child is excited to enter a gymnastics competition this weekend. She has her props prepared and her outfit hanging on the door, and her confidence is through the roof. She knows she'll win first place. She's been practicing for weeks (although, admittedly, not as much as she could). The big day arrives, and she performs. But despite her weeks of practice, she didn't win first place. In fact, she failed to win any … [Read more...]

8 Keys to Explaining Emotions to Your Child

Communication

Jun 14, 2020

Is your child struggling with feelings and learning how to cope with them? Learn how to manage emotions and kids with these 8 important techniques. You and I, we’ve had years of practice understanding our emotions. We can pinpoint when we feel excited over a present or jealous when we want something we can’t have. We know feelings come and go, and that everyone feels the same emotions at some point. But kids aren’t born knowing this and don't have the years of experience we've had at discerning emotions. They might assume they're "bad" when they feel angry, or feel stuck not knowing that … [Read more...]

Is Your Toddler Scared of Bath Time? Here’s What to Do

Development

Jan 25, 2020

Do you have a toddler scared of bath time (even when he always enjoyed it)? You're not alone! Discover effective techniques to help make bath time easy and fun again. What is going on?! I thought. My 2 year old had always loved bath time and never resisted hopping into the tub. But soon bath time became more and more of a power struggle. It started off innocently enough—he'd dawdle and take his time to head to the bathroom, perhaps shed a few tears the first few nights. Except next thing I knew, his whimpers and tears morphed into full-blown tantrums and meltdowns. He became … [Read more...]

How to Help Your Sad Child Handle Their Feelings

Development

Dec 26, 2019

Wondering how to help your sad child feel less overwhelmed with her feelings? Take a look at these tips to help her cope with sadness in a healthy way. We forget we learn about our feelings. While kids are born with the ability to feel emotions*, they can't express them verbally or as clearly as we do. We end up with tantrums, confusing behavior, or kids who refuse to talk or communicate because that's all they know how to express these feelings. This is true even for a sad child overwhelmed with her feelings. Maybe she lost a toy, fought with a friend, or watched a sad movie. She … [Read more...]

Children’s Books about Anger to Help Your Child’s Behavior

Children's Books

Dec 13, 2018

Need ways to calm your angry child down? This collection of children's books about anger helps kids manage frustration and understand these big feelings. It's that moment when you realize this is far more than just a tantrum or mere stubbornness. And after three kids, I've seen the face of true anger, especially when it arises out of nowhere. It might've been when I said it was time to leave the school garden, only for them to kick and scream in the van the entire ride home. Or when one of my kids yelled at the top of his lungs, his face in anguish because I told him it was time to take … [Read more...]

9 Coping Skills for Kids to Help Manage Big Emotions

Development

Nov 12, 2018

Does your child struggle with handling difficult emotions? Learn how to teach coping skills for kids to help them manage big feelings on their own. By Amy Wruble My 7-year-old came home from summer camp the other day in a horrible mood. She called me names, kicked her little sister for no reason, and stomped around yelling for a solid 20 minutes. Since she doesn’t normally act this way, I figured something must have happened to upset her, but it took a while to unravel the details. It turned out she’d taken a scary tumble, got hurt, and felt embarrassed. The physical plus emotional … [Read more...]

Unique Ways to Meet the Emotional Needs of Your Child

Development

Jul 30, 2018

Meeting the emotional needs of a child raises well-rounded, competent, and capable kids. Discover 7 unique ways to nurture your child's emotional needs. Less tantrums, more listening, getting along with others... every parent wants nearly the same things from their kids, things we think are rooted in their behavior. Want less tantrums? Simply put your foot down. And while these tips and tricks are the actions we take to course-correct, they stem from a deeper reason why kids behave that way in the first place. For instance, why do kids throw tantrums, and more important, why is it that … [Read more...]

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