emotions Archives | Sleeping Should Be Easy

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

Published Jan 25, 2020 Updated 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

Published Dec 26, 2019 Updated Jan 18, 2020

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

Learn and Discover

Published Dec 13, 2018 Updated Oct 31, 2019

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

Published Nov 12, 2018 Updated Jan 19, 2020

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

Published Jul 30, 2018 Updated Jan 19, 2020

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...]

8 Keys to Explaining Emotions to Your Child

Communication

Published Aug 21, 2017 Updated Jan 19, 2020

Is your child struggling with feelings and learning how to cope through them? Learn how to manage emotions and kids with these 8 important techniques. You and I, we’ve had years of practice when it comes to emotions. We can pinpoint when we feel excited over a present or jealousy when we want something we can’t have. We know feelings come and go—all of them—and that everyone feels the same emotions at some point. 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 in … [Read more...]

5 Effective Techniques to Help Children with Transitions

Development

Published Oct 22, 2016 Updated Jan 14, 2020

Moving from one activity to the next can be a challenge for both kids and parents. Helping children with transitions is possible with these 5 tips. I swore I would never take him to the automobile museum ever again. I had planned a fun outing to take my then-toddler to visit a nearby car museum. I expected us to see different models of cars and play with the exhibits. Except it went nothing like that. He didn't want to visit any of the exhibits or even play with the toys on display and screamed if we even suggested it. So we figured he was hungry and ushered him quickly to the … [Read more...]

Tell Your Kids You Love Them, Even when It’s Hard To

Communication

Published Oct 20, 2016 Updated Dec 19, 2019

It's easy to tell our kids "I love you" during happy times. But it's just as important to tell your kids you love them, even when it's hard to. Here's why. The downturn of the sides of their mouths. The narrowing of tearful eyes. The slight rise in the shoulders. These were the slight cues I'd see when my kids realized they were in trouble. And it all signaled one thing: They felt defensive. And who wouldn't? They don't like getting in trouble or knowing they did something wrong. And they don't want to disappoint their parents. So they pout, cry, or even get angry. But defensiveness … [Read more...]

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

How to Help Your Sad Child Handle Their Feelings

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

9 Coping Skills for Kids to Help Manage Big Emotions

Unique Ways to Meet the Emotional Needs of Your Child

8 Keys to Explaining Emotions to Your Child

5 Effective Techniques to Help Children with Transitions

Tell Your Kids You Love Them, Even when It’s Hard To

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