5 Coping Strategies for Kids Who are Dealing with Anxiety

In today’s frenetic world, feelings of anxiety or stress are common. Adults are not the only ones suffering from this. Children feel anxious, too.

Sometimes, you may get so busy with your own daily struggles that you tend to ignore or not acknowledge your children’s feelings. Children’s anxiety can increase and could affect their development as they grow older.

So, how do you handle such situations? What are the best and most effective coping strategies for kids that you can implement to help them escape the cycle of anxiety?

Often, anxiety among children may arise from different causes impacting their normal routine, such as specific situations in school or with friends. In certain cases, your child may be suffering from lack of self-confidence or low self-esteem. Some children may have learned to “worry” too much about almost everything. 

Whatever the case, there are simple and practical solutions that will help your child cope with anxiety:

Let them acknowledge the feeling

Parents’ first instinct when they see their child getting anxious is to tell them to “relax” or “don’t worry”. While it’s normal, no child has ever stopped worrying just because he/she has been told to do so. Worry has become an integral aspect in our lives and serves a good purpose in how we live day-by-day.

Without worry in our life, we might never be able to prepare ourselves for actual threats that may occur. Worry acts as a sort of practice for our minds in that regard. Still, it can be carried to unproductive levels.

It is important that you let your child acknowledge their emotions and give them uninterrupted time to vent out their worries, as well as frustrations. Then, you can brainstorm together to come up with a suitable solution.

Talk to your child

Avoid asking leading questions, instead simply inquire about their feelings that day or at that particular moment. Encourage your child to talk openly about his/her feelings. You can let them list out their emotions just like how you would do with a shopping list. This will help them clarify what is going on around them and alleviate the pressure they may be having.

Set up a calm-down and relaxing space

A space specifically designed to help your child calm down or manage their anxiety is one of the most effective coping strategies for kids. You can set up a space in their bedroom—a cozy and comfortable spot where they can go when needed. This is beneficial for your child because not only will they know that they have somewhere to go when they feel anxious, but they can feel relaxed and happy knowing that you care enough for them to create this calm-down space.

Most often, children’s anxiety is aggravated when they feel alone and unloved. 

Practice the PNB (Pause, Notice, Breathe)

Sometimes, amidst the chaos of our busy life, we forget to take a break. The same principle applies to kids. Encourage your child to learn how to take a break—pause, notice, and breathe.

This little exercise is simple: pause, notice the things around you or notice the feeling that may arise, and gently breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Through this exercise, you can help your child manage their anxiety as this slows everything down.

The more you encourage your child to practice this, the more they will be able to naturally incorporate this into their daily routine.

Help your child create a coping kit

Aside from the calm-box space, you can also help your child build their own coping kit. If you want your child to work through his/her anxieties and worries, help him/her learn various coping skills.

There are so many strategies that you can both try. You can create a list of strategies and use them when triggers arise. Some include:

• Stress balls
• Deep breathing
• Journaling or just writing down your worries
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Seek assistance from an adult

Try these simple strategies and figure out what works best.

What’s most important is that you let your child know that you are and always will be there when needed.

Take care of your own needs, too. Teaching a child how to cope with anxiety may be stressful for parents as well. 

If you want more help managing your child’s anxiety, feel free to contact us at Imagine Nation Learning Center. We are more than happy to offer you with more effective anxiety coping strategies for kids.

 

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4 Tips for Hosting Remote Playdates to Help your Child Maintain Friendships from a Distance

Even before this latest series of events, there have always been reasons that kids could not get together in person with their friends. Family vacations, moving out of the area, illness…

 

Can children still have playdates even when they can’t get together in person?

Technology is now a major part in people’s lives—and everyone is grateful for this. Modern technology enables so many things, including the ability to communicate across great distances.

 

There are apps that allow your kids to connect virtually with their friends and enjoy some playdate fun. Through these apps, they can play various board games, read to each other from the same book, collaborate on school projects, watch movies together, create art together, or play online games together.

 

Here are some fun playdate ideas you can let your kids enjoy when they can’t get together in person:

 

Caribu

This is a free video-calling app that offers unlimited access to its members. Kids will love this app.

 

They can read books from over 1,000 titles together, color, and play games during the video call. The aim of this app for kids to have meaningful connections and keep them connected in a more engaging and educational way.

 

Netflix Party

Gather all your kid’s friends and host a movie night.

 

Netflix Party is a great tool to let kids watch their favorite movies together. Those with a Netflix subscription can add this Google Chrome extension for free where you can synchronize a video playback with your child’s playdates.

 

You can also add a group chat where they can talk while watching the film. This is a by-invitation-only party so parents will not have to worry about strangers joining the chat. 

 

Anyone in the group can pause, rewind, or fast forward the movie to ensure that nobody gets left behind.

 

Grab some snacks or pop some popcorn for your kid, set up a comfy couch, and let them enjoy a long-distance movie night with friends.

 

Game Night

Kids love games, and spending most of their time playing online games is normal for some. 

 

Playing games — even video games — together has long had a social component, even for those who are not in the same room.

 

Online gaming site Pogo lets kids play their favorite board games, such as Yahtzee and Monopoly, with their friends virtually. Pokemon Go is another interactive game that allows kids to interact with each other and monitor their activities online.

 

Messenger Kids

Parents worry about their kids being unchecked on social media, and for good reason. However, parental controls are built right into Facebook’s Messenger Kids app.

 

Kids can have all the fun they want, with parents having some peace of mind. This app lets kids from 6-12 years old message and video chat with family and friends.

 

What’s more fun about this app than many similar mainstream messaging apps is that it comes with challenges, filters, and drawings kids can play with. They can also use this channel to collaborate with their friends to talk about homework or group projects.

 

Staying connected and continued learning are important. Even when kids can’t get together in person, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to cut off their social ties with friends.

 

Give your child the best education and preschool, contact Imagine Nation Learning Center for more details.

 

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Coronavirus

• We are open to continue serving our families and community. We operate an essential service for our children, working families and our community and we take that responsibility very seriously. That is why the health and safety of our children and staff is of the utmost importance to us.

  Please visit our FAQ page. We will make regular updates as new information becomes available.

  Our Health and Safety Practices

  We will continue to follow our health and safety protocols, adding additional protocols that include a dedicated cleaning staff continually sanitizing surfaces throughout the day. We will be promoting cleanliness and good hygiene with the children (including more frequent hand washing and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and items in our classrooms). We will be learning about the importance of hand washing and how it can keep you healthy. We will also be taking the children’s temperatures frequently throughout the day.

  Upon arrival we will be limiting access to our schools. We have cancelled all outside activities, i.e. Monkeynastix, Stretch-N-Grow, Soccer Shots, etc.

  Attendance

  In general, we are requiring that children and staff stay home from school for 14 days following the last potential exposure, if any member of the household has (or may have) a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19. In addition:

  • We observe the children’s health throughout the day and respond appropriately as needed if we detect any potential signs of illness.
  • If your child does become ill at school, we will call you immediately so they can be picked up as soon as possible. Should that occur, please be sure to pick up your child promptly for their well-being, and to help us limit the spread of illness.

  Overall, the best way to ensure our students have limited exposure to germs is by keeping children at home when they are ill and/or contagious. We ask that you please watch your child closely and contact your physician if your child appears to be feeling under the weather. Please remember your child must be kept home if they display any signs of illness until they are free of symptoms for 24 hours or have a physician’s approval for them to reenter a child care setting.

  Travel

  We’re following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for child care providers (CDC Childcare and K-12 Guidance) and their Travel Advisory (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices).

  The Travel Advisory lists areas of the world that are heavily affected (Level 3), which will require those who have traveled to these locations and members of their household to refrain from entering school for 14 days upon return. This applies to our children, families, and staff members. The list is being regularly updated.

  Are you looking for immediate care?

  Are you a family in need of care? Please contact our school at 817-473-4406 for more information. There is currently a screening process to enroll in any of our locations.

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6 Tips for Practicing Positive Discipline with your Child

Discipline is no doubt one of the toughest jobs of being a parent. However, it is also one of the most important because of its lasting impact on a child’s overall well-being and future success. It’s also important to note that there’s a difference between positive discipline and punishment. But what does positive discipline really mean? How is it different from punishment?

 

Positive discipline is the kind of discipline that is founded on a loving relationship between a parent and a child. It is when a child is treated with respect and love while being taught how to make appropriate choices. Punishment, on the other hand, uses physical force to make children behave and obey. Because you want to make your little one do the right thing without having to instill fear, here are helpful tips on how parents can practice positive discipline with their kids.

 

Understand the reason behind the behavior

So your child hit their playmate and you call them out for that behavior. But instead of focusing on scolding your child, try to understand the cause. Is it jealousy? Is it because it’s their way of desperately bidding for attention? Young kids want to behave well but when they fail to, know that there’s a valid reason behind it. More often than not, they are only trying to get their parents’ attention and they do it in an unhealthy way because they don’t know how to process and express their emotions.

 

Try to look at the bigger picture and analyze the reason why your child behaves in a certain way. Maybe it’s also your own behavior that needs correcting to satisfy their needs.

 

Control yourself instead of your child

It’s definitely challenging to keep your cool when at the height of your emotions, but if parents want their child to exhibit the right behavior, parents should be their role model. Show them the kind of behavior you want them to emulate. Don’t do things you don’t want your child to do. If you’re at the verge of exploding, take deep breaths and walk away until you’ve composed yourself. 

 

Don’t keep on saying “no”

Parents oftentimes find themselves repeatedly telling their kids “no” or “don’t do that”. While there are things we don’t really want our little ones to do, there’s a much better way to stop them and that is by redirecting them. For example, instead of telling them that no, they can’t play video games during mealtime, you can tell them they can wait until they have finished their food. Doing this will help make them feel more capable because they are told what they can do rather than what they can’t.

 

Set clear expectations

And be consistent about it. It’s imperative that young kids clearly understand how they are expected to behave. At the same time, they should also know that you are consistent with these expectations. If they did something wrong today and were told that it’s bad but they did it again the next time, reiterate that the behavior isn’t acceptable.

 

Practice empathy

Parenting, while challenging at times, should be rewarding and fun. So instead of stressing yourself out lecturing your child for their misbehavior, try to empathize. Avoid raising your voice, and even if you have to do something about a bad behavior at that moment, wait until the perfect time to have a conversation with them. Find out what triggered the behavior and let them know you understand how they feel. Then, point out that how they acted was still a mistake and should not be repeated anymore.

 

Give them a chance to be heard

Just like adults, young kids need to feel heard. They need to know that their opinions and thoughts matter. Don’t get mad at your child for expressing their thoughts about anything. In fact, it’s healthy that they know they are being listened to. And when they talk, it’s better to stay silent and avoid arguing. Let them present their case and work with them in terms of brainstorming.

 

Who says parenting has to be an exhausting battle? It doesn’t have to! By learning how to practice positive discipline with your child, you’re on the right path to better behavior. 

 

Here at Imagine Nation Learning Center, promoting the right behaviors in young kids is one of our goals. Send your little one to a school that shares the same goals you do. Please feel free to give us a call for more information.

 

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6 Tips to Help Build Self Confidence in Kids

Just like adults, children who feel good and confident about themselves are more likely to succeed in school and in life. When children have a strong sense of self-worth, they feel more confident to try new things. They don’t let fear keep them from trying and they feel proud about what they can do. However, self-confidence isn’t something every child is naturally born with. It is something that is developed over time with the help of parents. You have the power to boost your child’s self-esteem and teach them resilience. Here are 6 tips on how to build self-confidence in kids. 

Make your child feel loved

Love is a strong foundation for confidence. Make sure your little one knows how much you love them. Use every opportunity to make them feel your affection and let them know they are important and cared for. Never take them for granted. There may be times when you fail and make mistakes, (all parents do make mistakes) so be sure to make it up to your little one. The more confident they feel about the love they get from their parents and family, the more confident they’ll also feel about themselves.

Give them choices

The freedom to make choices can help make little kids feel empowered. Allow your little one to make choices even in things as little as which snacks they want to have after school. Learning how to make simple choices while they’re young will help prepare them for more difficult decisions they’ll have growing up.

Praise them and give them positive feedback

Young kids measure their worth based on what their parents think of them. Help them create a positive self-image by giving praise where praise is due. Don’t ever let them think that they are a failure by focusing on their mistakes. Recognize good actions and behavior. When they make mistakes or when they fail, just be there for them. Let them understand that it’s their efforts that count and that they can do better next time. 

Don’t do everything for them

It’s okay to let your little one learn how to do certain things on their own. You don’t have to do everything for them. Allow them to practice independence by trying to figure things out on their own. For example, instead of putting their socks on for them or dressing them up, let them do these things on their own. Teach them how to make their own sandwich without your intervention. They may not get it done as fast as you can but it’ll help them learn new skills and develop confidence in themselves.

Encourage involvement in sports and discovering new hobbies

Giving your little one the chance to gain new experiences can help them build confidence in their abilities. Help expand their horizons by encouraging them to discover new hobbies or get involved in sports or other physical activities. Don’t limit their learning to the corners of your home. Let them enjoy group activities so that they can learn how to get along with others, handle defeat, discover new passions and learn about life skills that will help them achieve success in the future. 

Don’t draw comparisons between them and other children

If you have more than one child, be sure to never compare them with each other. Or if your little one doesn’t have any siblings, you still have to make sure they are never compared with other kids. Every child is unique. They have their own special gifts. They have their own strengths and weaknesses, as we all do. So, make your little one feel that, even if they are not good enough at one thing, they can outshine others in other areas. And that if they can’t be perfect at everything, it’s fine. Nobody’s perfect after all.

A confident child is a successful child. When a child is confident about their abilities and themselves in general, they can rise above whatever circumstances and be able to achieve anything they set their eyes on. 

Equip your child with the confidence they need by sending them to a school that doesn’t only teach them to survive but to thrive in anything and everything. Please feel free to contact Imagine Nation Learning Center.

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Top 10 Counting Games For Kids At Home

Reading. Writing. ‘Rithmetic. We’re all familiar with the three ‘R’s. But when it comes to the latter, we frequently overlook the value of math. But math isn’t just an essential component of academic achievement. It’s one of the fundamental components of cognition.

Just as we learn to associate objects with words, we learn to order our impressions through numbers. It’s a value system. Without it, there would be no concept of money. No concept of time. No concept of quantity. And no concept of order.

We take arithmetic for granted because we’re as familiar with it as we are with language. And also because the basics of it have been drilled into us from an early age. But as parents, think of how frequently we still have to rely on calculators for multiplication and division—both of which are basic elements of math. 

Children, on the other hand, tend to have a natural inclination towards counting. For them, math isn’t boring. It’s fun. You’ve probably heard your child make up their own counting games. This is actually a positive way of learning. For children, one of the quickest ways to absorb new knowledge is to make a game out of it. And through games, knowledge isn’t merely a question of routine memorization of tables. It’s a question of knowledge coming alive. 

Games are one of the primary ways that educators teach preschool children new concepts. But games don’t have to be confined to school. Or your child’s imagination. Here are 10 of the best counting games you can play at home with your kids—and continue their voyage of discovery.

Cheerios Number Tracing

Help make math both fun and tasty for your child! With just a magic marker, poster board and a handful of cereal, you can teach your preschooler the basic rules of counting. Simply trace 4 or 5 empty boxes next to random numbers and ask your child to put the appropriate amount of Cheerios in each box. You’d be surprised at how much food can be both a motivator and a common denominator (pun intended) when it comes to learning!

Fill The Cup

This is a great activity to play with your children whether you have one, two or six kids. It helps teach the basic fundamentals of addition through game learning. Take several large handfuls of small objects (beads are ideal.) Use one large central cup to hold them. Now place several small cups for each player and have them roll a pair of dice, adding the appropriate number of objects to their cup (you may have to fetch more.) Keep a pad of paper handy—it will help you demonstrate later how 3 + 3 = 6, for example. Whoever fills their cup first wins.

Number Jumble

Everyone remembers hopscotch, don’t they? This is a little variation, but can still be a fun way to teach your preschooler numbers while having fun outdoors. Simply create a grid of 10 or more numbers jumbled up in random out of chalk in your driveway. Have your child roll a pair of dice. For each number, mark an ‘x’ in the appropriate box. If the dice lands on the same number twice, have them jump or hop up and down (you do, too.) Do this until all boxes are marked. 

Race To The Finish Line

Simply create a grid on a large piece of posterboard of 80 or more squares (it should look like 2 long vertical rows of boxes of 40 or more squares side by side.) Have your preschooler move their object the appropriate number of squares according to each roll of a pair of dice. Whoever gets to the finish line first wins. While this might seem simple and repetitive, repetition is one of the best ways to teach a child; and one which also increases their attention span.

Goldfish Racing

Turn snack time into learning time with this delicious and informative game. Simply number boxes a card 1-12 for each player involved. For each roll of a pair of dice, have each player select the appropriate number of Goldfish crackers and check off each box. If they reach the same number twice, select none. Whoever has no empty boxes at the end, wins. 

Color Until You’re 100

What kid doesn’t like to color? Now they can combine both coloring and counting at the same time. Create a grid of 100 squares per player. Grab a handful of small colored beads. Have each player roll a pair of dice. For each number, have them count the appropriate number of beads at random and fill in their grid according to the color of their beads; for example, if they roll a 7 and select 3 red beads and 4 yellow ones, the numbers 1-7 on their would be filled with 3 squares red and 4 squares yellow. Whoever reaches 100 first wins. This may seem time-consuming, but it can both teach your child while encouraging their creativity—the resulting patterns can be quite beautiful.

Smack ‘Em Beads

This is a great way for a preschooler to let out their frustrations while learning. All you need is a handful of beads, post it notes and a fly swatter and a pair of dice. Number 6 notes 1-6. Have them roll the dice and place the appropriate number of beads onto the appropriate post it note. Each time they get the number correct, they get to swat at the beads the appropriate number of times. Again, this teaches by repetition; making it perfect for toddlers just learning to count.

Time To Crack The Eggs

This is a great activity that teaches numbers combined with motor skills. Simply cut out and number a random amount of eggs out of colored paper. For each roll of a pair of dice, have your child punch the appropriate number of “cracks” in their corresponding egg with a hole puncher. The first egg to fall apart wins. Keep in mind that because motor skills are involved, this isn’t ideal for toddlers who are still developing their sense of coordination.

The Little Florist

This activity combines both crafts and numbers in a fun and colorful way. Cut a random number of “stems” and centers out of construction paper and glue to a poster board. Number each center. Cut a large number of “petals” for your child to glue on. For each roll of a pair of dice, they have to glue the same number of petals on to the appropriate stem. Do this until each flower is complete. 

Number By Color

This is a great breakfast activity that teaches both color and math but be warned. This uses colored cereal which often contains artificial sweeteners, so should only be conducted occasionally with your preschooler. Using a bowl of colored cereal as a chart, create a card with the appropriate colors (most often have no more than 3 or 4.) With a pair of dice, have your child select the appropriate amount of cereal and sort by both color and number. The object is to do so until the entire bowl is finished.

Need more great tips on how to continue your child’s education journey at home? At Imagine Nation Learning Center, we’re just as devoted to connecting with families as we are to your child’s early education. For more information or to schedule a tour at any one of over 7 different locations throughout Texas, visit us at https://imaginenationcenter.com/

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