Article archive: page 20
More practical, evidence-informed guidance for the real emotional and social situations children face.
What to Do When a Child Rejects Every Calming Strategy
When a child rejects every calming strategy, stop offering a longer list. Reduce language, protect safety, and remove the demand to “calm down” on command. A strategy that is useful during practice may feel intrusive, childish,…
How to Help a Child Who Replays Social Mistakes at Bedtime
At bedtime, a small awkward moment can become an endless mental review. The child may seek certainty that nobody noticed or that a friendship is safe. Repeated analysis usually keeps the event active.
How to Respond When a Child Says ‘I Can’t Stop Worrying’
Do not require a child to stop thinking before they can continue the day. Acknowledge that the worry is present, identify whether there is a current problem to solve, and choose one small action that does not depend on certainty.
What to Say When a Child Says ‘You Don’t Love Me’ After a Limit
When a child says “You don’t love me” after hearing no, respond to the distress without making love something the child must prove. Do not withdraw the boundary to demonstrate affection, and do not demand an apology for the statement.
How to Respond When a Child Throws or Breaks Things in Anger
When a child throws or breaks things in anger, the immediate task is safety—not a lecture, confession, or forced apology. Create distance, remove dangerous objects when it is safe to do so, and use one clear limit. After regulation…
What to Do When a Child Worries About Bad News
Repeated images and dramatic headlines can make a distant event feel immediate and constant. Do not promise that nothing bad can happen. Give truthful, age-appropriate context and protect the child from unnecessary repetition.
How to Help a Child With Worry About Being Away From a Parent
Support separation worry with a predictable goodbye, a concrete reunion cue, and practice in manageable steps. Avoid disappearing secretly or extending the goodbye until the child feels completely certain.
Co-Regulation Across Ages 4–12: What Changes as Children Grow?
Co-regulation is the responsive support through which adults help children manage arousal, attention, emotion, and action. It does not end when children learn coping words; its form changes with development, context, and individual need.
What to Do When Consequences Lead to More Escalation
When every consequence produces another behavior and another consequence, stop adding penalties during the peak. Protect safety, preserve the original boundary, and decide later what repair is related and teachable.
Coping Cards for Children: What Makes a Set Useful?
Coping cards are prompts, not magic instructions. A useful set helps a child remember practised options when language and working memory are under strain. It does not assume that every strategy works for every child.
Coping Strategy vs. Safety Behavior in Childhood Anxiety
Deep breathing, sitting near an adult, carrying a card, or checking a plan can be helpful coping. The same action can also become a safety behavior—a ritual the child believes must happen to prevent catastrophe. The action alone does…
How to Debrief a Behavior Incident Without Shaming the Child
A useful debrief explains the sequence, identifies impact, and creates a next-step plan. It does not require the student to accept an adult’s character judgment or display remorse on demand.