Posts by Lynne Watts
Teaching kids about feelings
Body Language and Feelings A standard lesson that I taught every year as an elementary school counselor was recognizing feelings. It was a fun lesson. I’d bring in large cut outs of children showing mad, sad, happy or scared feelings and ask kids to guess how the child was feeling. We’d talk about body language and how…
Read MoreTeaching Empathy
It’s not all about ME! Why Empathy Matters What do you envision as the foundation of your classroom culture? your family culture? Is it all about me and what I want? Making the best grades. Having the most friends. Winning, Scoring, Getting to the head of the line… I doubt that is what you envisioned,…
Read Morehelping kids handle disappointment
Developing Skills to Handle Disappointment We all face disappointment, children and adults alike. Whether it’s missing the winning shot or rain that ruins a picnic at the park, life is full of big and little disappointments. As parents and teachers we would like to spare kids from these letdowns. However, we can do children a greater service…
Read MoreSeven Ways to Teach Children Empathy
Understanding someone else’s feelings What is empathy? Empathy is the ability to understand and feel what others feel. It is putting yourself in another’s shoes. When my youngest daughter was little she watched the movie, The Fox and The Hound and cried and cried at the end when Todd was attacked by the bear. That’s…
Read MoreHow to calm an angry child
How to calm an angry child Have you ever been faced with calming an angry child? What is the best approach? How can we teach children to manage strong emotions like anger? Brain Chemistry Anger control is best understood by thinking about the brain chemistry involved. Adults and children often think of emotions such as…
Read MoreHelping children overcome fear
Three things we can teach kids about fear The child in my office was in tears. Here was her story: She was selected to give the pledge to the flag on the morning news station at school. This is a great honor and she was excited until the morning of the show, when she suddenly…
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