Articles & Resources
Children’s Activity: Brian’s Birthday Colouring
Something a little different today. Those who follow regularly, will know that I have a sidekick, a therapy dog called Brian, who works with me in my therapy practice. Today is Brian’s 7th Birthday. On his first birthday, we launched the Adventures of Brian, a children’s book collection to support children with their thoughts, worries
5 benefits of practicing daily gratitude
Many people can look at the practice of gratitude and quickly label it as ‘woo woo’ or that it would not work for them. However, in recent years, research into the power of gratitude has identified the importance that this practice has on our sense of happiness and well-being. For those who find their mindsets
Children’s Activity: Back to School Planner
Back to School As we prepare for the return to school, everyone’s mind is in different places. For some, they cannot wait to get back and see their friends, for others, they feel the summer needs to be 12 weeks (not 6), for others there is excited apprehension as they prepare for transitions, unsure about
Causes of difficulties with food behaviours
What messages did you receive about food as a child? Were you …. Shown that food was energy? Encouraged to listen to your internal satisfaction? Taught that certain foods were bad? Encouraged to eat everything on your plate? Punished if you did not finish everything? Always surrounded by a parent on a diet? Treated with
Children’s Activity: Problem Solving
Many children and young people can find the concept of problem solving difficult. Therefore, supporting them to find strategies to work through problems and possible solutions is beneficial to their cognitive development. Problem Solving This downloadable problem solving sheet, allows us to utilise questions and exploration to discover possible options for problems. Download here
Breaking Negative Thought Patterns
At some point in life, we all experience negative thinking. The struggle when we fall into a cycle of negative thoughts, is that they literally spiral, and quite quickly become contagious. It is often easy to assume that because things are a certain way now, they will always be that way. We can find it
Children’s Activity: Tell me about…..
Talking about feelings does not need to be boring. In fact, when we can normalise it, and create emotional conversations on a daily basis we open children up to feeling more comfortable to talk. So, we are sharing this simple feelings game, where you can explore memories of feelings. Tell me about: Download it here
Spoons Theory and Sensory Processing Difficulties
We often hear spoon theory discussed when talking about fatigue conditions. However, the same principle applies for many mental health conditions, and particularly for children working with sensory processing challenges. Imagine this: A child wakes up each morning with 20 spoons. However, they struggled to settle last night – take away one spoon (19 spoons).
Children’s Activity: Create your own
Feelings Exploring feelings doesn’t have to be hard. Exploring feelings through games, activities and stories is a great medium, especially for little children. This week, we are sharing ‘Create your own characters’ to encourage children to create their own characters and think about what they feel like. Download it here Download it here Next
Left Brain – Right Brain
Whilst the brain is split into both conscious and unconscious it is also created from two hemispheres – left brain and right brain. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. However each side also has
Children’s Activity: Make your own ice lollies
If you follow us often, you’ll know that we often discuss regulation. A great way to help children to regulate is through freezing cold drinks – and in this heat wave, ice lollies work brilliantly as well. The act of sucking cold fluids through a straw, or having cold foods helps us to calm our
How do I know who I am?
I frequently meet children, adolescents and the occasional adult (I focus my therapy and coaching work on young people) who will comment that they: Don’t know who they are Do not feel like themselves Feel like they do not fit in I often explore the concept of congruence with them, as it is an important
Children’s Activity: Make your own stress balloons
When we feel dysregulated, having tools to help us reduce our stress, and help us create focus, are invaluable. However, they do not need to be expensive, and you can make them at home. Stress balloons can be great fun, their ability to stretch, twist and move are a perfect regulation for school aged children.
The impact of shame on child mental health
In our Level 4 Diploma class session this week, we were reviewing the impact of shame on children’s mental health, well-being and self-esteem. Shame is the feeling of embarrassment or humiliation that children (or adults) experience in response to the perception that they have done something wrong. Essentially, when shame is imparted onto children, it
Children’s Activity: Therapeutic Colouring Sheet
Colouring has many benefits: Develops fine motor skills Supports concentration skills Develops colour recognition Strengthens handwriting skills Encourages relaxation Develops focus Creates a focus on the present Calms a restless mind Develops inner quiet Reduces stress and anxiety Can improve sleep Download it here Free Activity So, this week, our free activity is a
How do we create change in life?
So often, I meet children and adults in every day life who talk to me about the fact that they ‘can’t change’ or that they ‘are just this way’ – even though their feelings, actions, behaviours or lifestyle are causing them upset they cannot find a way to change and feel that ‘nothing works’. Change
Children’s Activity: Where do I feel it?
Feelings When we teach emotional literacy, part of our role is supporting children to be able to recognise what their emotions are. Many children can find it challenging to be able to recognise, identify and respond to their emotions, particularly emotions such as excitement and anxiety as both create adrenaline in the body. A great
8 Ways to Support University Students
Now that A-Level exams have finished, the conversations about university starting have begun. A frequent conversation in my therapy office, has been about how they can prepare, make friends and settle in. So, here’s 8 top tips for before they go and when they get there: #1 – Learn how to use the utilities before
DISCLAIMER
The resources on this site are for individual use. They are not permitted to be mass reproduced by other organisations without a licensing fee. The content and resources on this site may not be mass reproduced in whole, or in part and are not for re-distribution by third parties without special permission from the provider. No use of these resources may be made for resale or any other commercial purposes without prior consent and written permission from Dandelion Training and Development. In some cases a licensing fee may apply.