Managing worries

It's tough seeing our little ones upset. But you're the best person to help them manage these and teach them to be braver.  

Have a routine, but allow for flex too
Take a wee look at you too...
Make emotions normal
Actively teach calming and coping strategies

Big emotions – meltdowns

These are really normal, and meltdowns happen for so many reasons, but mostly because we can’t contain the big feelings bubbling up.

We will often talk about our kids "having tantrums", but not so much their "disappointment" that they couldn’t have what they wanted, or "frustration" that the task is challenging, or ‘sadness’ that their friend has to go home.

Distraction
Name it
Name their way out
Wait it out
Think about it

Limpeting on

We kind of get this – for young kids, the world must be so huge from their perspective, there’s hardly a chair they don’t have to clamber onto front-ways. So new situations and people won’t always be exciting, and even the familiar will sometimes be daunting.

So if our kids limpet to our lets, or won't let us go, this is really normal.

Information
Reassurance
Guidance
Be there
Opportunities

Out of control anger

Being out-of-control can be scary for us, but also scary for our kids. This happens, but it’s best for us to know what to do when things are heading on this trajectory:

Think about it
Empathise
Tame it
Make a plan
Education

It's so hard when our kids can't manage their big emotions. And we can help...