Posts by Lynne Watts
Brain Research and the Benefits of Play
Play and the Brain As chilly winter days transition into balmy spring time, children and adults both anticipate spending more time outdoors. Unfortunately, the school environment doesn’t always cooperate with the onset of spring fever as students prepare for and take mandated tests or complete end of year projects. Test anxiety and teacher stress is…
Read More5 easy steps kids can learn to problem solve on their own
How to Empower Kids to Be Problem Solvers Your best friend won’t sit with you on the bus. You want to watch your favorite show on tv but you have homework to do. Your pesky brother “borrows” your favorite board game and loses some of the pieces. For children and adults, life is full of…
Read MoreTeaching kids to manage negative feelings
Kids and Self Talk A typical classroom lesson on recognizing feelings is useful and gives kids a common language for expressing their feelings. However, it is a basic lesson and doesn’t really cover all the bases in helping kids manage feelings, especially negative ones. What can we teach the child who needs anger management strategies or…
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 More