This post was originally written for a local paper in 2019. Does this sound familiar? You’re running late, and your child has spent the last 30 minutes “putting on their shoes,” which are still across the room. Your patience has run out, and you yell at your child to get going already. Now, you areContinue reading “The Power of Giving Kids Choices”
Tag Archives: child
IQ Testing and Children
Last week, a study was published stating that children born during the pandemic have a lower IQ compared to children born prior to the pandemic. I am not going to link the study because I do not want to promote something I believe to be harmful, but it made me think it could be helpfulContinue reading “IQ Testing and Children”
Telehealth Activity: Pop-It
Pop-its, based on my extensive research, are the latest fidget toy that all the Young People are talking about (and, of course, by “extensive research,” I mean my clients have been talking about them). Not only are Pop-Its great for kids with sensory issues, but you can use them interactively in your sessions. Scratch hasContinue reading “Telehealth Activity: Pop-It”
Interview with Andrea Dorn, LSW, Author
I am a firm believer that you can never have too many therapeutic children’s books! Andrea Dorn, LSW, the author of the Mindful Steps series, agrees with me. She was kind enough to chat with me about her books and her clinical work. 1. To start off, can you tell me a bit about yourContinue reading “Interview with Andrea Dorn, LSW, Author”
Flower Breathing
This is an activity I use with kids to help them take big breaths. It’s good to have a lot of breathing activities to choose from in your arsenal as a therapist, since everyone responds differently to the different techniques. This activity will help you practice taking big breaths to calm your body. You canContinue reading “Flower Breathing”
Psychological Evaluation 101: Psych Assessments and Kids
Like adults, children get referred for psychological evaluations for many different reasons. Usually, the kids I evaluate are sent in from one of three places: If your child’s teacher recommends an evaluation, or if you suspect your child will require special education services, check with the school’s education planning committee to see if they willContinue reading “Psychological Evaluation 101: Psych Assessments and Kids”
Scavenger Hunt
A lot of therapists really leaned into this activity early on when we started doing telehealth with kids. Scavenger hunts basically consist of having the child find specific items in their homes that respond to prompts. This is a super simple activity that can be done in groups with a show-and-tell component or with anContinue reading “Scavenger Hunt”
Charades
Who didn’t love charades as a kid? Well, I didn’t because of my social anxiety, but most people really enjoyed it! Therapeutically, charades can help shy or anxious kids come out of their shell and can normalize being “silly” when the therapist takes their turn. It can also be a way to model different emotionsContinue reading “Charades”
Roblox
I am speaking specifically about Roblox today, but you can use these same techniques with Minecraft or The Sims depending on the child’s interests. A big part of therapy with kids is sharing in the child’s interests. Yes, we want to work on making good choices, modifying behavior, and developing appropriate coping and communication skills,Continue reading “Roblox”
Antistress
I’d like to share one of my favorite therapy apps: Antistress. I actually first heard about this app from a client who had found it helpful. The app basically has several sensory items and activities that can help with boredom, fidgeting, anxiety, and self-regulation. There is a free version and a paid version, with theContinue reading “Antistress”