As we roll into half term, helping children to unwind and let go of their first weeks back at school can release stress and support regulation. 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 […]
Children’s Activity: Therapeutic Colouring Sheet Read More »
Whilst outside factors may influence our mental health, our levels of self-esteem and resilience influence the level of impact that this may have (child dependent). Therefore, the earlier we can support children and young people to take steps to have positive action in their own well-being is an important life skill for all children. Taking
Children’s Activity: My Mental Health Plan Read More »
What is a master masker? For those who have attended any of my training or the Level 4 Diploma in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Coaching, I often talk about children who are ‘Master Maskers’. There is often a misconception, that children SHOW us their emotions, and this can cause a conflict between home and
Master Masking – why children hide their feelings Read More »
Self-Belief Self-belief means that we have the ability to recognise our abilities, and capabilities to achieve and move forward with our goals and plans. When we have healthy self-belief we recognise our positive qualities, are able to read situations and identify what we are able to achieve. As well as being able to set ourselves
Children’s Activity: Self-Belief Balloons Read More »
Previously, we’ve explored the impact of technology on child mental health, if you missed it, you can find the article here. But, what about social media? When social media hit our computers and phones in the 2000s, little were we to know what an impact it would have. With over 100million users worldwide, social media
Social Media – the Good, the Bad, the Ugly Read More »
When supporting children with mental health needs, being aware of their personal needs, including triggers, distraction and regulation techniques, as well as applying these consistently is key to proving exceptional support which allows children to thrive. Creating personalised plans, which explore these needs with the child and their parents, and key carers allows us to
Children’s Activity: Create a Personal Needs Plan Read More »
Have you ever heard the comment, ‘your thoughts are instructions to your mind’? I frequently, in my coaching and therapy work, explore the concept of words and thoughts with clients, and their parents. We often, fail to recognise that our thoughts are literally telling our brain what to think/feel/do/behave/respond/look for. Stay with me… Our brain
Our thoughts are our instructions Read More »
Feelings So often, children struggle to explain how they feel because, they either: Do not have the vocabulary for the feeling They have the vocabulary, but do not understand what it means Therefore, spending time exploring feelings, to consider: Their names The way they affect our bodies The thoughts that they are associated with The
Children’s Activity: Emotions Flash Cards Read More »
Many moons ago, when I started my career with children, ADHD and ASD were two words we rarely heard. In fact, when I started my career in early years 24 years ago, most frequently, children were just described as ‘fidgety’ ‘having ants in their pants’ or in worst cases, described as being ‘naughty’. Whilst we
ADHD is not about ‘naughty school boys’ Read More »
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
Children’s Activity: Brian’s Birthday Colouring Read More »
