Are you someone who sees the challenges that others are getting into and finds yourself involved in their worlds, trying to stop them? Are you someone who, when you see someone struggling, you feel an overwhelming need to relieve their struggles? Who shortly afterwards finds yourself exhausted and the other person feeling irritated with you? […]
Are you stopping a speeding train? Read More »
When children become dysregulated, it can frequently be seen that they are referred to as having a ‘tantrum’. On face value, tantrums and meltdowns can often look similar, but their role is different. A tantrum A tantrum is usually associated with wanting something. It will normally come to an end once the child has what
Tantrum or Meltdown? Read More »
Inside your body, you have two nervous systems, which make up our central nervous system: Sympathetic Nervous System Parasympathetic Nervous System Sympathetic Nervous System Our Sympathetic nervous system is our Fight-Flight-Freeze-Fawn reaction. Our Sympathetic nervous system is activated when our AMYGDALA in our brain believes that it is under threat. This can be from something
How does your nervous system affect you? Read More »
Feelings A step of emotional literacy development is being able to recognise what our emotions are. Many children can find it challenging to be able to recognise, identify and respond to their emotions, particularly the more subtle feelings. A great first step, is to encourage children to reflect on their feelings, so that they can
Children’s Activity: Flower Feelings Read More »
Sometimes, we can all get caught in spirals of thoughts surrounding things that are not in our control. So, how do we support children to begin conversations about what they are in control of, versus what they are not? Anxiety frequently exists where we attempt to control things that are uncontrollable. Ever noticed that we
Children’s Activity: What can I control? Read More »
Since the 2020 pandemic, there has been an increasing gap in the emotional literacy of children. One of my greatest observations from the last three years in my therapy and coaching work, is that whilst children are catching up academically: Behaviour issues are increasing Dysregulation is happening more frequently Expressing feelings is less comfortable There
What’s the emotional literacy gap? Read More »
Sometimes, we just need an activity that allows us to switch off and zone out, to process our thoughts, feelings and experiences. 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
Children’s Activity: Calm Colouring Read More »
Identifying that our feelings are fluid, and ever moving supports children to understand that they do not need to always feel ‘happy’. For so many children and adults, there is a pressure to always be ‘happy’, when in reality our feelings move continually throughout the day. So, in this article, we share a feelings diary
Children’s Activity: Feelings Diary Read More »
How can we talk about feelings with children? Being creative about feelings exploration with children can support them to create visual ideas about how to work through those sensations. My Feelings Lighthouse Download here Next steps Download the worksheet here Collect pens and pencils On the starfish – write the feeling you want to
Children’s Activity: Feelings Lighthouse Read More »
As Christmas approaches, for some children, the levels of overwhelm can increase. Whilst we often associate Christmas with magic, awe and wonder, for others it can feel stressful and create anxiety. This often affects children who: Find the increased sensory inputs overwhelming (lights, shiny decorations, music playing everywhere, things hanging from ceilings etc) Find the
5 ways to reduce overwhelm at Christmas Read More »
