Six Hacks to Reduce Stress among Kids

                                                         

Stress is a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. A stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body. 

Stress is the sometimes strong hidden cause of Anger among children. This can be from positive as well as negative event however majorly it is destructive in nature due to its unconstructive occasion. Reasons of stress related anger may be, parent's angry and negative behaviours, separation, rejection from peers or parents, lack of trust, perfectionist tendencies, school stress, loss of grandparent etc.

As parents, we should be considerate enough towards ourselves as well as kids. Expecting too much from both the sides is like living in a fantasy World of Alice in Wonderland or Disney World where everything is charming, sumptuous, resplendent and magical. Expecting too much from our kids in areas such as academics, behaviour, socialisation can be unrealistic and unjustified and we might look like an immature parent who is still not ready for truthful parenting. Every child, parent and parent-child relationship is different.

According to Carrie Wendel-Hummell, a researcher at the University of Kansas, there are various factors contributing to stress among parents as well as children. It is not just because of too much of work and responsibilities added towards new parents after the birth of a baby too but also social and peer pressure to project themselves as perfect families within the society. 

Everyone is eager to see each other’s photographs and status updates on Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and make judgements of their good being. Seeing X friend’s vacation album mount’s unseen pressure and stress on parents to provide better support and luxuries to their children.

Tim Elmore, in his book entitled “Twelve Huge Mistake Parents Can Avoid” mentions that parents should have high BUT healthy expectations for themselves and children. He states that parents should not be guilty of failing on different as care takes rather they should prepare kids for the real world and its true colours.

Having marital discord or separation from spouse affects the child adversely leading to extremely complicated relationship with the left-behind parent. In some cases, unfortunately, child not only loses the separated parent but also faces unintentional negative and un-genuine side of left behind parent.
Another massive cause of stress can be bullying in school that can cause personality

development failure in both typical and atypical children. A popular child can also be bullied in school, regardless of any reason. Bullying which can be verbal or physical germinates stress, anger along with fear to be accepted among peers.

So there can be infinite reasons of stress among teens and children which can be reduced using appropriate strategies after analysis of exact reason of stress within child. According to Lancet 2007 Global Mental Health Report, the commencement of mental health issues is most likely between the age groups of fifteen and twenty-four, making it a primary time for problems to emerge if parents are not careful. Numbing behaviours like over- or under-eating, cutting, drinking, drugging and, ramping up perfectionistic behaviors are modern traps for our children and teens.

As a paediatric OT, I have seen a number of parents being concerned about their child’s behaviour within the community. A common concern for parents is how to support their children in dealing with stress-related anger, and how to prevent them from resorting to aggression. Many parents are concerned about a number of violence children are exposed to at school, on the television, while watching video games, and in their friend circles.

Here are Six practical strategies which can be used by parents to reduce Stress levels among children and improve parent-child relationship.

credit

Improve Socialisation: Let your child have a good number of friends. Making and keeping friends reduces stress. This also helps to get rid of anxiety or depression. This supports a child in becoming  well-connected to peers as well as makes them a good communicator. 
Facilitation of positive behaviour among peers helps in establishing cognitive and emotional skills that are required to engage competently. This reflects child to be socially accepted by his crowd and he is able to understand the relevance of gestures, facial expressions and other social cues.

However, this does not mean that parents should not be aware of (Four Ws) where, when, with whom and why their child is going. One should be inquisitive about child's

behaviour in home and outside. 
Discuss with the child that there can be a possible solution to his or her problem or situation. Implementing Problem Solving Approach is advantageous. 
Reassurance is important from parent’s side so that child can trust them and share any issue, for example, being bullied in school or stressed due to a school trip.  He should be sure that my mummy and daddy have a solution to every problem. This confidence among parents will make their bond strong.

Hugs and Kisses for Reassurance: Often children find nothing better than hugs and kisses for calming down and getting support from parents. Hugs give deep pressure (proprioceptive input) to our bones, joints and muscles which help in calming down and

reducing stress level. This helps raised levels of Cortisol hormone to decrease. This hormone is often measured as means of quantifying physiological response to a stressor. Therefore, any reason (bullying, loss of the pet) which can raise Cortisol levels (stress) can be decreased by hugging or kissing the child. 

Stories Make a difference:Telling stories about children with similar problems and feelings make your child realise that he is not the only one to struggle from stress.Discussing problems on Stress Forums or Groups can be a Self-help or joining Stress Help Communities can reduce anxiety and stress. 
Parents may share their childhood situations to overcome stress and anger. I find this

as one, of best ways to change child's negative behaviours. Parents should mention their struggle and hard work to stressed children. 
Sharing own stories will motivate kids to stay calm and think better. 
Watching movies together or telly shows related to the hyper-competitive world of today will support the child to discuss professional issues with parents. Stress due to academics, competition, bullying or grief will disrupt the learning and healthy development of individual physically, mentally and emotionally.

Praise the Child: Appreciation and encouragement help children realise that they are worthwhile doing a particular given task. This also helps to develop self-confidence. 

Notice, praise and encourage good behaviour rather than focussing on bad behaviour. 
One of my student diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome always faced high levels of stress just before couple of weeks before exams. 
On talking to him, I discovered it was high parental expectations to achieve good grades in exams. Rather than being focussed, this young boy had big struggle to concentrate on studies. During one to one session, we sat down with a white sheet and a colour pen of his choice. 
We started listing his achievements and failure in past 6 months. Lastly, it was concluded that his sports, extra-curricular, and Information Technology achievements are greater than his failures This discovered fact about himself, made him feel better and positive. 
Therefore, it’s important to improve child’s self-esteem and confidence level time and again to make him feel affirmative and relevant towards himself.

Charity Work or Fund raising for a cause: Children should be encouraged, to help others (E.g. making the cross road to elderly or differently able) or perform Community Work through charity.
Parents may develop habit of performing, at least one good deed or favour per month

which involves children in charity. This makes a child more resilient. Charity can be to spread awareness about a particular topic or to help for a cause. This can be a marathon for Macmillan Cancer Patients or even picking litter for community welfare. Many charities focus on the environment, for example, work to help people to learn about threats to the climate and too fragile ecosystems. Sparing out time for charity not only improves self-esteem and kindness skills but also gives opportunities to meet and communicate with new people from different spheres. 
Charity begins at home, they can even support the mother in cooking or washing dishes after dinner. This will not only improve parental relationship but also enhance child’s skills on particular task.

Proprioception:The Position Sense

Apart from five basic senses (vision, auditory, touch, olfactory and gustatory), we have three more hidden senses called as Proprioception, Interoception (recently discovered) and Vestibular Sense. 
The following discussion is about our proprioceptive sense and how it works in typical and atypical children.Awareness about one’s own body position happens due to this sixth sense is known as proprioception.

Proprioception is also called as “position sense” since it tells us, where we are we sitting, standing, lying or walking in relation to any object or surrounding. The word Proprioception comes from Latin word, “proprius” meaning “one’s own”. This sense supports a child to regulate their responsiveness to sensations. 

This sensation occurs when our muscles move or work.Consequences of poor proprioceptive functioning are the poor academic achievement, lack of self-care skills, difficulties in self-regulating emotions, attention and stress.

To know more about proprioception, let’s consider a simple example.

Suppose, you are blindfolded and asked to ascend and descend stairs you have never seen. Now your eyes do not have any experience or measurement of these stairs.The depth of every stair is unknown that can actually help your body to go up and down without falling or tripping. It is obvious that your balance will lose while doing this activity.

So what role does body play to protect you?

To be careful and protect you from falling, your hands will try to search and hold railing or any other external support. 
Your dominant foot will step forward slowly and attempt to judge how much is the height of the first stair so that you can climb the second step easily, with a swift movement. 
As you will climb further, your body will be confident enough to take steps confidently and instantaneously with controlled balance. 
Moreover, descending stairs will be easier for you now since the body can easily judge and feet can measure the steepness of staircase.

So how does this all happen?

This all happens because of our Proprioceptive sense! It is a hidden sense, that carries sensory information telling us about our own body’s movements and positions. It allows the brain to understand body's position, posture and place in relation to surroundings and other individuals.
Whether we are standing under the tree, over the bed, in the sand or on the top of the cliff, this unconscious awareness happens due to this sense.

Being able to walk in the dark room without losing balance control, typing without looking at the keyboard, driving a car without looking at brakes and other components, or performing ballet will not be possible without this sense.

This sense is the foundation for our body postures and actions. It makes us feel where are we sitting standing or lying in relation to our surrounding.

Consider, while sitting on the chair, how does our body know, where it has to sit? How much our knees need to bend according to chair’s height? Is chair comfortable or not?This all work is done by Proprioceptive sense.

It informs body about direction, velocity and force needed by one’s body

for doing any task. Finely graded movements, body coordination and body scheme are some of the areas that are affected due to lack of proprioception.Heavy work activities are calming for these children.

The functions of proprioception are to increase body awareness and contribute to motor control and motor planning (praxis). Children with poor proprioceptive sense have poor body awareness which causes difficulties in carrying out a gross motor and fine motor activities such as playing football, get dressed, zipping a jacket, buttoning a shirt or doing handwriting tasks.

Characteristics of poor prop (short form used by OTs) sense can be easily observed within the classroom or home setting among SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder) children such as, they would slap feet on ground while walking, or hold pencils too tightly to make a clear impression, or that the points break, there can be erasure holes on sheet producing messy work.

Unlike typical children, atypically developing children are not able to judge space around themselves. They might bump into other people or objects.  They may enter into other person’s intra-personal space which is considered weird and uncomfortable by most of the people. Such a child might be considered strange however reason behind this action is not his intentional bad behaviour but the lack of body awareness. 

Credit

People's strange reactions cause anger,depression and emotional liability in the child since he is not doing all this deliberately or intentionally but indirectly trapped by his own body.

The perception of judging ordinary tasks such as the weight of a coffee mug, holding a pencil efficiently in order to write, poor balance while standing, tripping while walking, difficulties in planning actions are some of the examples of poor proprioception. 

Moreover, children with poor proprioception usually slip from their chairs while sitting in classrooms or other settings. These children have affected body positions and difficulties in organising their sensations therefore falling is usual. Providing Wobble cushion or wobble wedge provides combined tactile-proprioceptive input helping the child to sit appropriately. Moreover, it helps in preventing slouch and increases attention on the task. These resources can be purchased from different websites such as Amazon  at cheaper prices.

Other weighted items such as weighted vests or weighted lap pad provide calming effect on the child. They support child to stay in place and focus well

credit

on given task.

Other classroom activities to can be Brain Gym and yoga exercises to improve child’s focus in academics. Mediation has very calming and long lasting effect.

Sensory Diet designed by Occupational Therapist is essential to be incorporated in child’s schedule specifically to meet the needs of the individual's own nervous system.  Its purpose is to help the person become more focused, adaptable and skilful.  It is the combination of alerting and calming activities that helps in organising child’s behaviour and needs.

Home activities can include jumping on a trampoline, riding scooter or bicycle, participation in running, jumping, hopping activities, obstacle courses, sand play, hopscotch play, gymnastics, horse riding.

                                                                   

Credit

                                                             

Tactile Defensiveness Explained!

                                            

In the last post we discussed about sensory modulation and how it affects tactile system. The summary sheet gives the brief review of different characteristics of hypersensitivity, hyposensitivity and tactile discrimination. 

This post is all about Tactile Defensiveness explanation.

Hope it makes sense to readers!!

Tactile defensiveness means a sensory issue related to unusual sensations or heightened sensitivity when a person or child is being touched anywhere on his or her body. It is a tendency to react negatively and emotionally to touch sensations.

Let’s consider an example of lovely boy referred to me  for Occupational Therapy by a class teacher called as Jack (pseudonym). 
He is 6 years old and has got special needs. The reason for referral is functional difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL’s). The observations made about Jack stated that he is accident prone, drops things from his hands, dislikes hair being washed, or being touched in the face or unexpectedly, prefers standing last in the queue, misbehaves on being instructed, and cannot manage buttons, zippers, laces and ties. He is distractible and hyperactive (home /school environment) which makes his learning difficult. Moreover, he was very impulsive and aggressive on Fridays due to whole week fatigue. He is often in fight and flight mode on being touched or spoken about his behaviour.

Now from above mentioned observations regarding Jack’s behaviour what can be concluded?

Well, the child doesn’t behave well in the classroom or at home.

Is this behaviour due to his attention seeking behaviour or Sensory Sensitivities?

The answer is, Sensory!  It can be hypothesised that he has a disorder in tactile processing, showing tactile defensiveness and poor tactile discrimination characteristics.

Most of the times children with ADHD, Developmental Delay, Autism or Dyspraxia show tactile defensiveness in their behaviours and have difficulties in concentrating or paying attention to a particular topic. Their behaviour is antisocial, not because of their bad intentions but due to lack of parent’s and teacher’s understandings about child’s struggle caused by sensory sensitives. These children avoid touch interactions with other people often exhibiting hyperactive and distractible behaviour at home and classroom in an everyday situation.

Making sense of Sensory experiences, let's discuss another example, how would you feel if you are completely wet from top to bottom and you are not allowed to change clothes rather being asked to focus in a lecture fully. Definitely, you will be unfocused and distracted easily since your clothing is not comfortable. 

Furthermore, consider, no one understands your problem, rather the lecturer in lecture room instructs you to be attentive on the topic and stay calm without being distracted. That moment will be so frustrating for you which can lead you to misbehave or speak rudely with the lecturer.

The same issue happens with our sensory kids, they do not misbehave intentionally or on purpose, however, they are trapped by their own body sensitivities. It will be so wrong to reprimand a child who is vulnerable, frustrated and emotional due to his own sensory issues.

Usually, parents show great concern to Occupational Therapist (OT) regarding child's learning processes and behavioural issues. Mostly, they ask whether their child’s learning will be affected due to TD. 

The answer to this is NO! 

TD does not interfere in child’s learning process academically, socially and developmentally, however, it may cause discomfort leading to (emotional liability, distractibility) behavioural problems that can affect his learning to some extent. The emotionally child has to be given extra attention since TD sometimes makes emotions upset.

Due to tactile defensiveness,child’s In-Hand-Manipulation skills are affected means doing buttons, laces or ties can be difficult tasks.

Sensations received from clothes or their tags can be disrupting in nature. Child in classroom will not be able to focus however will constantly keep on scratching himself all over the body. Avoidance for getting hands messy or dirty in glue or finger paint. He may not like walking barefoot in grass or on sand. Fabrics such as synthetic wool or rough textured may cause discomfort He would like to stand last in a queue to avoid touch from other people and also does not like games such as Tag.

To understand physiology of this system in simple terms, consider that brain as an electric circuitry system which has numerous wires (neurons pathways and fibres) working together so that power supply (appropriate functioning & behaviours) can constantly run in the house. Now imagine, one-day power supply of partial house has stopped suddenly however, it is available in other half of house. 

Electrician is being called and mistakenly he reconnects wrong wires together which results in high voltage (hypersensitivity towards touch, hugs) and current over flow in half of house however no light supply (hypo-sensitivity towards touch, poor fine motor skills) in other half of house.

Since the pathways don’t send appropriate messages in required (correct) brain centres therefore child reacts adversely, negatively and shows escape-like behaviour on being touched, hugged or kissed.

Protective system is automatic reaction whereas discriminative system involves complex refinement in brain. Human body switches to which ever system is needed at the particular moment. Pain sensations activate protective touch system however deep pressure sensations activate discriminative touch system.

The child with TD will do too much of protection of himself so that he does not get any pain stimuli and therefore his discrimination activity will also be less.

Different intervention strategies include Deep firm pressure, Wilbarger's Brushing technique, vibration, heavy work activities, Wall or chair push-ups, swing play or therapy ball exercises for core strengthening.

There are no shortage of resources regarding Tactile Defensiveness,

Sensory integration Network
Sensory processing Disorder


To have a brief description about hypersensitivity (tactile defensiveness), hypersensitivity or Tactile discrimination refer to,
Sensory Modulation & Tactile dysfunction

Sensory Modulation & Tactile dysfunction

Have you ever thought why do we optimise the volume of television or brightness of our laptops and iPhones while using them during day or night? Why does professional photographer optimise his camera lens before clicking the picture or why do we adjust regulator of the oven while baking a cake?

The answer is simple, to get the best outcomes of whatever we are doing!

Tuning televison sound is important to hear properly, whereas camera lens optimisation is essential to get better picture quality results.

The way we adjust our electronic gadgets to get better results and make our lives easier, similarly our brain registers and modulates (adjusts) sensory information received from outside world according to our body’s tolerance level and comfort zone. It optimises the received sensory input due to which we react to different sensations in an appropriate manner. 

For example, on being hugged or kissed by loved ones we feel pleasurable, the smell of good food makes us feel hungry and happy or looking at flowers or fishes helps us to calm down and feel joyful.

Children with developmental delays, ADHD, and ASD often demonstrate behaviours appearing hyposensitive at one time (example: lack of body awareness or auditory input, invading other’s space) to appearing hypersensitive at other time, (example: doesn’t like being touched or hugged, dislikes for messy activities, prefers to wear long sleeves and pants). The Same child can have hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity towards touch, taste, movement or auditory (hearing) stimuli or a combination of both hyper and hypo-sensitivity. 

This fluctuation of behaviour from one spectrum to another spectrum is defined as sensory modulation disorder.

So, what happens due to Sensory Modulation disorder?

Modulation can be defined as the capacity to regulate and organise sensory input in a graded and adaptive manner. In simple terms, sensory modulation allows our brain to regulate and attend important information coming from the external world and filter out irrelevant stimuli. It enables the brain to experience pleasurable and intolerant sensations.

Consider an example of day to day life, while travelling in a public transport (tube, train or bus) we are usually distracted by the aroma of strong perfume or deodorant of person who has just boarded a train and stood next to us. Our brain system gets distracted momentarily by the fragrance of deodorant, however, within a couple of minutes, it gets adapted to smell. This happens due to modulation ability of the nervous system, which allows brain to regulate, organize and adapt the sensory input. Regulating different sensory inputs is sometimes a great challenge for children with sensory issues.

In atypically developing children the registration and modulation of sensations do not happen habitually due to which they display disruptive behaviours frequently and face difficulties while performing simple or complex tasks.

For example, a child with sensory modulation disorder may be affected by the chirping of birds outside the classroom or humming noise made by bee or background environmental sounds such as construction or vehicle passing through. The reason is auditory (hearing) hypersensitivity towards sounds which are irrelevant for others.  It is commonly observed in the classroom, these children are distracted by bright lights and colours and complain of a headache by the end of a day. 

This happens due to visual (vision) hypersensitivity. The brain does not function well and has difficulty in modulating and regulating visual input appropriately for longer periods of time. Avoidance or dislike to messy play such as sand, water, paint is an example of tactile (touch) hypersensitivity. 

Some children like chewing shirts, collar, hair or fingers due to hyposensitivity of oral (mouth) sensory processing. Some children love running around, jumping and hopping all the time, due to hyposensitivity towards vestibular (movement) sensations.

The conclusion of above-mentioned examples is sensory modulation disorder.  Each child is different and has different sensory modulation issues, therefore, identification of modulation difficulties and their intervention varies from child to child.

Children’s ability to curb and regulate sensory inputs effectively is influenced due to which they display frequent behavioural disruptions and emotional liability too. Their motor planning ability, body awareness, academic learning, emotional security and social skills can also be affected due to modulation. Noticeable behavioural changes can include anxiety, anger or depression. Moreover, poor modulation results in disorganisation, impulsivity, hyperactivity, inattentiveness and lack of self-regulation within the classroom and home setting.

Discussing Tactile (Touch) sensory system dysfunction characteristics it can be categorised as Tactile hypersensitivity, Tactile hyposensitivity or Poor Tactile Perception and Discrimination.

Tactile Defensiveness/Hypersensitivity (Over-responsiveness):

In this condition, child reacts negatively or over-responds to a touch situation which

other children find non-threating and non-aversive (usual or normal). Their brain may not gait touch sensations, so they may be sent into fight or flight over very small, everyday touch sensations. A child will not like being hugged or touched by anyone unexpectedly. These children are often distracted and hyperactive or overly active since they respond to incoming irrelevant sensory input. They might be indifferent towards self-care tasks such as using shower gel or soap for bathing, hair cutting or nail cutting. Moreover, would not prefer to get involved in messy activities or art work.

Tactile Hyposensitivity (Under-responsiveness):

Now this is the situation where the child does not feel any major changes due to temperature or the wind on their body. This is completely opposite of Tactile Defensiveness. Child under-responds to touch situations which other people may find threatening. They would not respond to injury or any hazard the way other people do. Their brain does not register and modulate different sensations of pain, temperature or pressure. 

Touching hot cup of coffee might go unnoticed by them which can lead to burning of the skin. They would repeatedly touch objects and loves messy activities with paint and un-paint.Very commonly, young kids, are unaware that their nose is running or is dirty.

This category of children can be self-harming, self-abusive pinching, biting or hitting their own head. Young children will mouth objects excessively. Bumping into objects or people with high intensity or force gives them pleasure. 

They may carve for vibrating and strong sensory input. Invading into other’s space, or preferring to eat excessively spicy food can be observed in this category of children.

Poor Tactile Perception and Discrimination:

In normal developmental process, as the child grows he develops gross and fine motor

skills ability to discriminate different fabrics (soft blanket or stuff toy and wooden surface), sizes (small and large Lego pieces). Children with tactile discrimination difficulties struggle to identify where and how they are being touched without vision or with eyes closed.

Consider a situation, your family member asks you to take off your shirt and sit on a chair. Then he/she asks you to close your eyes until he/she asks to open. You follow his/her instructions. She lightly touches on your back with two fingers and then asks where did she touch. It will tricky for you to tell where two fingers touched on your back but not impossible, the, however, the child with tactile discrimination difficulties will have the challenge to identify touch. Moreover, if they were two or three or just one finger, that will be also tough for him to identify.

We are able to put a cap on a water bottle or pen without looking at it, turn on or off television with remote control without looking at buttons or control tap water faucet while talking to a friend. This all happens due to tactile discrimination abilities. Children with sensory seeking behaviours and hyposensitivity display tactile discrimination difficulties quite often.

A cluster of behaviours should be identified before putting a child under any category of hypersensitivity (tactile defensiveness) or hyposensitivity. Identification of behaviours is professionally done by Occupational Therapist who is trained in Sensory Integration. Standardised tests such as SIPT, SPM are conducted by them to draw a conclusion regarding child’s condition. 

Normal Development of Tactile System

                                                               

 

Tactile system starts developing since 5^th week of pregnancy, supports child to influence recognise different types of touch sensations as he grows. It has very important on newborn for the rest of his life. Functionally, this system supports in two important aspects, sucking and establishing emotional security.

Sucking: Touch sensations comforts baby in sucking, chewing and swallowing food. Children who have difficulties in sucking, may face challenges in eating different textures of food later in their lives. In other words, they might have oral hypersensitiveness (oral defensiveness). 

It is being often mentioned by mothers of special needs children, “Oh my son is picky eater” or “he doesn’t eat very well”. Signs of oral defensiveness include disliking for tooth brushing, face washing or avoidance of mixed textured food.

Emotional Security: It has major role every newborn’s life since it establishes

expressive protection, trust and acquaintance with mother or caregiver. After delivery, child’s first bodily contact with his mother or caretaker has great influence on child’s body system for rest of his life. 

After contact, the brain should interpret ate the sensations correctly and appropriately in order to form first emotional attachment. Sometimes, it is also called as mother-infant bond. This bond is very essential for physical and mental development of baby. This bonding later helps in developing body image and body awareness. It also provides sense of himself as physical body. 

What is Touch (Tactile) System?

5 key support strategies to express thoughts and feelings among aggressive children!

Usually young ones and teens show anger or aggressive behaviour due to fear of disapproval or rejection. It is essential tackle them very carefully during aggression and emotional outbursts. Here are some tips to support kids in expressing their emotions through different mediums!!

Journals

 Journals: Writing journals or simply using diaries to express thoughts is a simple but very expressive way of communication to your child.Personalised diaries can be used for self-expressing thoughts and feeling.Writing poetry sometimes is very calming medium of self-expression and innovation. This helps in distracting the child from aggression and promotes creativity however can be applicable in teens and adults. Through this medium of communication he/she can express himself/herself without shame and guilt. Key Note: Written Expression supports child to release anger without involvement of any other person. This can be child’s individualism.

White Boards-Great source of expression

White Boards: One more medium of expression can be through white boards! This can be something new and altered source of communication for the young kids. Expressing thoughts, emotions and gestures on white or blackboard can also support in vertical writing practice (Good for core hand strengthening and precise writing). It also improves handwriting difficulties among young ones. Encourage kids to write whatever new they learn in school or other social situations. Using colourful marker pens for drawing or writing can make self-expression more interesting and revealing. Key Note: Great resource for expression for young ones and adults!

Building rapport with yout child!

Winning the Trust: Most essential aspect of thought expression is winning the trust. Usually children hide their feelings since they do not consider parents or caregivers trustworthy to share any perceptions and classroom experiences.

It is important for the parents to spend time with children and listen to his or her words wisely without interrupting or discouraging him or her. Additionally, parents should be capable enough to make child understand marked difference between right and wrong.

Let the child express him without any fear of rejection, guilt or shame. This is parent’s responsibility to understand own child’s behaviour in co-correlation with the given situation.

On contrary, sometimes children pretend to express their whole trust on parents expressing themselves as innocent in particular situation to win parent’s trust. However, parents should be able distinguish when child is guiltless and when manipulative. Key Note: Read between the lines!! Analyse when child is expressing right facts and when he is being manipulative in his thoughts.

Quiet Space Area

Give free space: Concept of free area or space is extremely effective. Provision of quiet space area in classrooms and homes support children to calm down and pacify themselves.

            Space and time to think about own mistake helps them act more wisely next time. During these times they can also be given inanimate objects like a stress ball or sand tray to alleviate the anger. Key Note: This resource acts as self-calming.

How do you feel when Angry?

Emotion Chart: Introduction to emotion’s chart is important. Sometimes children are baffled about self-emotions. Show them pictures of different emotions such as anger, being sad, happy etc. so that they better understand the connection between feelings and self-expression.Lack of understanding of feelings is common among teens also. Therefore, imparting education about different emotions is essential part teaching expressions. Key Note:Understanding of different emotions is imperative!

Aggression among kids and teens!