Halloween is one of the most fun times of the year. But for some kids, it can be downright petrifying. The environment once deemed safe and secure has now changed in some seriously scary ways. Kids’ senses can play tricks on them. Their imagination is running wild with fear. So how do we get a sensory-defensive kid to become brave at Halloween?
Continue readingTrying to figure out what kind of activities your kiddo can do to get to that “just-right” level of arousal? Here are some ideas to get you started!
Arousal refers to the ability to maintain an ideal level of sustained alertness needed to complete various tasks and activities.
In general, we are most productive in a calm-alert state with moments of low- and high-arousal in between.
Every day, our bodies constantly seek out ways to maintain the optimal state of arousal necessary to complete tasks and activities. Sure, there might be moments of lethargy or hyperactivity, but that’s typical. As adults, we have the ability to seek out whatever we need to help us self-regulate (Hello, coffee!).
However, children don’t have the freedom or knowledge to get them to where they should be. So when they are jumping off the walls, are cranky or tired, or just in a complete meltdown, it’s because they have exhausted the mental energy needed to handle stimuli and expected tasks (i.e. focusing on an assignment, completing chores, or engaging politely with others). They’ve simply run out of gas.
So, how can we help our kids self-regulate throughout the day, especially when they are stuck at home?
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School is back in session, and it’s something we’ve been anxious about all summer. Thanks to COVID, we’ve seen a ton of different back-to-school plans and after this past month, we’re starting to see which schools are working and which schools are back to the Zoom drawing board.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends in-person schooling for children as it provides social interaction, physical activity, and emotional aptitude. Face-to-face school also offers access to a variety of learning supports otherwise limited with online classrooms.
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On August 13th, our family of three gained two new members with the arrival of our twin daughters, H and K.
We are overjoyed to have these girls in our lives, but make no mistake, it has been exhausting these past couple of weeks. We’re learning the personalities of these babies, constantly changing up our routines, and acclimating our son A from being an only child to big brother.
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Child(ish) Advice 