Play is vital to the development of language, problem solving, social skills, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. The benefits of play are many but the time that many children spend engrossed in play is dwindling. In fact, play is so vital to healthy child development that some pediatricians have started writing prescriptions for play!
You can read more about the benefits of play here: www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/08/31/642567651/5-proven-benefits-of-play?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180831
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Anxiety is a normal part of life; we all feel anxious from time to time. It is an uncomfortable feeling, for kids and grown ups alike. When extreme, anxiety can be overwhelming.
Intense anxiety can lead to racing thoughts, shortened breath, accelerated heart rate, and feelings of panic or despair. Lecturing oneself or others, saying that there “is no reason to be anxious,” or to simply “stop being anxious” does not help. Anxiety is rarely logical so trying to argue with it does not always work. We can’t make anxious feelings simply go away but we can learn how to manage them better so we feel more in control. The ability to regulate one’s emotions is developmental and it takes a lot of practice. Kids and grown ups alike can benefit from consistent practice in calming strong feelings like anxiety. When we are calm, we are better listeners, better problem solvers, and we are generally happier. Modeling calming strategies when you feel nervous or worried, or when a small problem arises, can help your child internalize these strategies for their own use. Practicing when your child feels calm and relaxed is important too. Play charades where everyone acts out a different coping strategy and the “audience” has to guess which one you used. Show a character in a book or in a movie how to calm down when worried or anxious too. Slow deep breaths: Breath in through your nose for 3-4 counts, hold the breath for 1-2 counts, and then let the air out slowly through your mouth for 3-4 counts. Do this at least 3 times or as many times as you need. You can imagine you are smelling a lovely rose or delicious soup and then blowing carefully on hot soup to cool it down. Slow deep breaths calm our heart and brain and help relax our muscles. This in turn helps relax our worried thoughts. It’s much harder for your brain to be anxious when your body is relaxed. Distracting your brain You can do this by engaging in a fun or distracting activity like dancing or doing a puzzle so your brain doesn’t have enough room to keep thinking about your worried thoughts. Size of the problem Problems can be BIG, medium, or little. Our reaction size should match the problem size. Sometimes it helps to list out different problems because it makes it easier to compare our current problem. BIG problems require assistance to solve and may take several weeks or longer to resolve (ex: tornado, fire, broken leg, etc.) Medium problems sometimes require help and can usually be resolved in a few days or have little long term impact (ex: flu, argument with a friend, etc.) Little problems can usually be solved on our own and don’t impact us for more than a couple of hours or a day (ex: broken pencil, no dessert, didn’t get to be first in line, had to wait to play with a toy, etc.). Talking Talking to others can sometimes help us feel less worried. They can remind us to use our strategies or help us get through something that feels like a big problem. Tags: Emotional Intelligence, Emotional Regulation |
AuthorMiss Nicole is the Social Worker for the Early Childhood Program in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Categories
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