Article archive: page 24
More practical, evidence-informed guidance for the real emotional and social situations children face.
How to Turn a Worry Prediction Into a Small Behavioral Experiment
A behavioral experiment is not an adult proving that a child’s worry is silly. It is a planned way to gather new information about a specific prediction. It should be collaborative, proportionate, and safe.
How to Use SEL Scenario Cards in Classroom Discussion
Scenario cards work best as a rehearsal space, not a quiz about the “correct” feeling. A short fictional situation lets students notice different perspectives, compare choices, and practise language before a similar moment happens in…
How to Use Social Scenarios Without Teaching Scripted Responses
Social scenarios are most useful when they expand options, not when they teach a single performance as the correct way to appear. Real interactions vary, and communication differences should not be treated as moral failures.
Why Uncertainty Feels Threatening to Some Children
When an outcome is unknown, the mind has to generate possibilities. Some children give extra weight to threatening possibilities and experience “not knowing” as a problem that must be solved immediately.
What to Do When a Child Blames Others After Hurting Someone
When a child blames someone else after causing harm, do not argue about the entire story while emotions are high. Stop unsafe behavior, hear the child’s perspective, and separate three questions: What happened? What part belongs to…
How to Help a Child Who Freezes Before a New Activity
When a child freezes before a new activity, the most helpful goal is usually not to make the fear disappear before they begin. Help them understand what will happen, reduce the first step to a manageable size, offer limited choices,…
Why Does My Child Fall Apart After Holding It Together at School?
A child may fall apart after school because the transition home releases effort they have sustained all day. Hunger, fatigue, noise, social monitoring, academic strain, sensory load, and repeated self-control can accumulate even when…
What to Do When a Child Refuses School Because of Anxiety
When anxiety leads a child to refuse school, respond promptly and collaboratively rather than treating the morning as a battle of wills. First check for illness, safety concerns, bullying, learning problems, or another reason school…
How to Help a Child Repair After an Angry Outburst
After an angry outburst, help the child repair the specific impact rather than demanding an immediate apology. Wait until regulation has returned, identify who or what was affected, choose a proportional repair, and rehearse a safer…
How to Help a Child Handle Not Being Invited
When a child is not invited, begin by acknowledging the hurt without immediately explaining it away, contacting the other parent, or promising a future invitation. Gather context calmly. A small guest list, a changing friendship,…
How to Help a Child Recover After an Emotional Outburst
After an emotional outburst, help the child move through four stages: regulate, reconnect, repair, and rehearse. Do not demand an explanation or apology while the child is still overwhelmed. Restore safety first, reconnect without…
How to Help a Child Who Treats Every Thought as a Fact
When a child treats an anxious thought as a fact, do not try to win an argument about whether the thought is true. Help the child notice the thought, name it as a mental event, check what is known and unknown, and choose a useful next…