Character Building from KidsDiscuss.com

Parenting: Here's How to Increase Relaxation and Imagination in Your Kids

 

You Can Develop Your Child's Imagination!

Parenting includes teaching your children to use their imaginations well. Our parenting expert and author, Dr. Charlotte Reznick, is sharing an excerpt from her book, The Power of Your Child's Imagination. Let's hear her script for teaching your kids The Balloon Breath. Try it tonight with your children.

 

The Balloon Breath - Sample Script

"Imagine blowing up a balloon. Then picture letting the air out slowly, until the balloon goes flat. Can you see it? In a minute, we're going to pretend your stomach is a balloon. You're going to take a deep breath n, all the way down to your lower belly, hold it for a few seconds, then let it go gently.

"Get ready by putting your hands on you belly, about two inches below your belly button. Good.

"Now, take a few minutes to think about your breathing. Take a slow deep breath. Feel it going in and out...in and out. That's right. Breathe slowly so your belly and your hands rise and fall. Good.

"Let's breathe in even slower--to the count of one...two...three.

"Now breathe out just as slowly...one...two...three.

"Take a few minutes to practice...

"When you're ready, pay attention to your hands and feet. Where are they? What are they touching?

"Now open your eyes slowly." (From page 22)

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Please note this breathing technique sets the stage for developing your child's powerful imagination. Why not practice this relaxation strategy?  Then pick up Dr. Reznick's book and use it to increase your child's imagination for an amazing life.

Get The Power of Your Child's Imagination: How to Transform Stress and Anxiety into Joy and Success

Available at Amazon.com

Let's THANK Dr. Charlotte Reznick for sharing how to develop successful minds in the lives of our children. This book is a powerful treasure for parents and kids. 

Dr. Charlotte Reznick

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   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

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Parenting Strategies: Helping Your Child Tame The Test Anxiety Monster

 

Now You Can Help Your Child Tame Test Anxiety!

If your child experiences anxiety when taking tests, you can help change that fear. Our parenting expert and author, Katherine Gordy Levine, has just published her kindle book entitled, Tame the Text Anxiety Monster. From her many years as a foster mother for over 400 children and as a therapist, she is sharing in step-by-step detail exactly what you can do. Here are some of tips you'll find:

 

10 Anxiety Descriptions and 7 Troubling Signs

Katherine gives us 10 easy to understand descriptions of anxiety and 7 signs when it is troublesome. She takes us from night terrors to anxiety during school tests. She calls the latter the Test Anxiety Monster.

2 Jars that Matter Most

I loved her kindness jar and her forgiveness jar for helping families focus on what matters most. Her eight statements parents can say to their kids when they do poorly on tests make so much sense.

The Anxiety Thermometer

Developing a personal feeling thermometer is just one of Katherine’s great techniques. Her downward scale is easy to use starting with a cute sunshine face to a very sad face. Kids will understand the pictures and the words from 10 to down to 1. She also developed an anxiety thermometer that’s so clear any parent can draw it and any child will understand it.

8 Anxiety Discussion Topics

To help your child, Katherine provides 8 anxiety signs that you can discuss with your child. She tells you to post them on the fridge and ask your child for their feeling temperature 3 times a day.

4 Self-Soothing Strategies for Overcoming Anxiety

Next Katherine gives you 4 self-soothing strategies to teach your anxious child. She also gives great advice on how to rehearse successful test taking. She even gives you a game plan to use with your child.

For parents of children who may have learning disabilities, Katherine gives 10 special parenting tips. Follow them because they are priceless.

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If you’re wondering whether to pick up this excellent kindle book, wonder no more. It will help you and your child. When kids aren’t anxious about school and tests, they are happier, confident, and more successful. With Katherine’s help, you can give this gift to your child.

Pick up Katherine's book, Tame the Test Anxiety Monster:

 

Available at Amazon.com

Let's give Katherine our special thanks for authoring this timely book. She is a truly gifted author and therapist.

Katherine Gordy Levine, MSS

   

Thank you, Katherine

        

 

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Please share your opinions about this blog post. Just click on the tiny comment link below. It will open up for you. We want to hear from you.

   Type Your Comment!

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Free Parenting Newsletter and receive:

• 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids
• 101 Ways to Get Your Children to Cooperate

****** If you liked this article, please write a comment and send it to your social media sites below.

You’ll also see a green sideways triangle. Click on it to open up and send to your social media sites. Thank you so much.

 

Holiday Warning: Parents, You Must Teach Kids This Stress Technique!

 
Help Kids Relax at Christmas! 

If you'd like stress free kids during the holidays, you'll love this stress technique. Our parenting expert, Lori Lite, shows us how. While listening to this creative method, consider using it for yourself as well as your children.

Holiday Relaxation Breathing For Children

Santa, relatives, parties and the mall can make children nervous or even tremble with fear. Relaxation breathing for children is an effective self-soothing skill they can use before or during their visit with Santa and relatives. Any child with anxiety, Autism, Aspergers, or Sensory Processing Disorders can benefit from this technique.

All children can use deep breathing for stress management, anger management, and falling asleep. Practicing breathing prior to stressful events empowers children. Please enjoy the following excerpt from my breathing book  Sea Otter Cove: A Relaxation Story .This story is also available on the Indigo Ocean Dreams CD and in Spanish. It is fun to learn relaxation breathing with a sea otter and sea child.

Excerpt:

The sea child told the sea otter to breathe in through his nose and out through his nose.  He focused all of his attention on the tip of his nose.

They both did this breathing together.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose.

In 2, 3, 4… out 2, 3, 4. In 2, 3, 4… out 2, 3, 4.

The sea child told the sea otter that he could breathe this way whenever he felt angry or scared or nervous. He could focus on the air moving in and out of the tip of his nose, and he could feel calm. The sea otter placed his hands on his belly, and felt it lift up and down as the air moved in and out. For a few moments they both did this breathing together.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose.

In 2, 3, 4… out 2, 3, 4. In 2, 3, 4… out 2, 3, 4.

The sea child’s mind began to wander. She imagined that her thoughts were a feather as she blew them away with her next breath out.  She focused her attention on her breath again as she drew in a breath of warm fragrant sea air.

She liked the way it felt to quiet her mind.

She focused on the way the air felt moving in and out of her nose. She felt her belly lift up and down as the sea child and the sea otter continued to breathe together.

Breathe in through your nose and out through your nose.

In 2, 3, 4… out 2, 3, 4. In 2, 3, 4… out 2, 3, 4.

In 2,3, 4…out 2,3,4.

 (A powerful variation of this breathing technique is to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. The Ahhhh sound can also be added to the exhale. Angry Octopus uses this type of breathing)

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Lori Lite

A grateful THANK YOU to Lori Lite for this very helpful relaxation technique. It will help parents and children cope with the holidays and have much more fun.

How to connect with Lori Lite at StressFreeKids:

 This story and more can be found on the Indigo Ocean  Dreams CD/mp3

 Stress Free Kids founder Lori Lite has created a line of books and CDs designed to help children, teens, and adults decrease stress, anxiety, and anger. Ms. Lite’s books, CDs, and lesson plans are considered a resource for parents, psychologists, therapists, child life specialists, teachers, and yoga instructors. Lori is a certified children’s meditation facilitator and Sears’ Manage My Life parenting expert. For more information visit  Stress Free Kids and for daily advice follow Lori on Twitter and Facebook. 

Parents, it's your turn to take the stage:

What are your opinions about this blog post or your suggestions for helping your kids learn ways to relax? Please answer in the comment link below.

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Newsletter at http://www.kidsdiscuss.com/ and receive 80 fun activities to play with your kids.

******If you liked this article, please send it to your social media sites below.

Holiday Activity : How Family Compliments Build Optimism and Closeness

 
Building Character and Love with Family Compliments

If you'd like a loving family, use compliments. During this Christmas season nerves are frazzled but compliments can relax everyone and touch hearts. n our family we often tell each other why we love each other. 

It warms my heart to see my children and grandchildren express their love with ease.

Would your family feel closer if members complimented each other more often? Would optimism and love grow stronger in your members? Let's find out how to create a Family Compliment Night and build character too.

Do this at dinner or place a large bowl of popcorn in the middle of the table. For your first Family Compliment Night have a parent show how to compliment by being the first compliment giver.

To make it easy we'll just use popcorn in our example.

6 Easy Keys for Building Character, Optimism and Closeness:

1. All compliments must be completely positive.

2. Only one person compliments per night.

3. The family member who received the compliment says, "Thank you," and takes a handful of popcorn.

4. The one who gives the compliment grabs a handful of popcorn and continues going around the circle giving compliments and grabbing more popcorn along the way.

5. Discuss the results with your family and ask:

• How did you like receiving a compliment? Why?
• How could holding a Family Compliment Night help our family?
• When shall we schedule the next Family Compliment Night?
• Who wants be the next one to give the compliments?

6. End by making another batch of popcorn and playing a fun family game.

Family Compliment Nights teach members to notice the goodness in each other. Members like hearing the compliments they receive.

Family Compliment Nights increase positive praise, optimism and decrease negative communication. They bond members closer and build family character too. 

Why not use the this activity during the Christmas season?

Bonus Article:

6 Self-Esteem Affirmations ~ Use Today and Build Confidence in Your Kids!

at:

http://www.kidsdiscuss.com/feature_article.asp?fa_id=47 

What are your opinions about this blog post or your suggestions for helping your kids become optimistic? Please answer in the comment link below.

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

 

Sign up for my Newsletter at http://www.kidsdiscuss.com/

You’ll receive 80 Fun Activities to Share with Your Kids

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Top Technique ~ How to Turn Kids` Mistakes into Optimistic Solutions

Turning a Mistake into a Solution

If your kid's mistakes could be turned into optimistic solutions, would you be interested? Our parenting expert, Tara Kennedy-Kline, will show you how this one simple technique is just what you need. Let's find out when and how she uses it.

"In my book Stop Raising Einstein, Discover the Unique Brilliance in Your Child...and You! I offer several tips for raising optimistic children. Here is one of my favorites:

Each night, I ask my children:

A. “What were the 3 best things about your day?” Then I ask them

B. “What was something that went wrong that you would change if you could?” We then look for the "gift" in the blunder...or “What did I learn from my mistake?” By looking for the positive in what could have been a looming, lingering negative, my children have mastered finding the silver lining.

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I like Tara's 3 questions and can see how kids could keep their self-respect, realize everyone makes mistakes, and find ways to make things better.

Let's give Tara a big THANK YOU for sharing this technique.

Read Tara's complete book from which she shared this technique. It's full of golden nuggets for raising your kids.

Stop Raising Einstein: Discover The Unique Brilliance in Your Child...and You

Tara Kennedy-Kline is also founder of Linkedin's Rebuild the Village.

Connect with Tara at:
http://www.multilevelmom.com/

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Bonus Article:

Parents ~ This Method Teaches Your Kids to Respect Themselves! at:

http://www.kidsdiscuss.com/feature_article.asp?fa_id=116

What are your opinions about this blog or your suggestions for helping your kids become optimistic? Please answer in the comment link below. 

With warm wishes,

Jean Tracy, MSS

Sign up for my Newsletter at http://www.kidsdiscuss.com/ and receive 80 fun activities to play with your kids.

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