Executive Skills Defined

http://minds-in-bloom.com/executive-functioning-explained-20-strategies-success/

Executive Skill Tips-Study Skills

10 Ways to Train Your Brain / Growth Mindset

Simple Grief Projects to do with Family

The holidays can be a tough time for families who have experienced the loss of a loved one. It can be therapeutic to do an activity as a family to celebrate the memory of that loved one. Here are some kid friendly ideas! Happy Holidays!

1. Create a memory jar. Have everyone in the family write down his or her favorite memories of the departed loved one and put it in a nicely decorated mason jar. This is a fun and easy way to keep everyone's memories together.

2. Create a memory scrap book. This is another nice way to keep all family member's memories in one place. You can add pictures or anything that reminds you of the lost loved one.

3. Write a letter each year to your departed loved one. Either individually or if you have small children, together. Another option with small children is that you could have them draw or color a picture. Make sure to keep the letters/pictures! This is a good way to reflect on the year, as well as a good way to incorporate the departed loved one in a tradition.

Stress, Depression, and the Holidays: Tips for Coping

The holidays can be a joyous time of year, but can also be very stressful. An article from Mayo Clinic outlines 10 tips for coping with and preventing holiday stress and depression. Check it out here!

Your Brain On Sleep

Power of Sleep

Why You Can't Sleep

10 Teaching Tips for Children with Anxiety

10 Teaching Tips for Children with Anxiety

1. Provide a way to release anxiety. This will vary from child, to child but could include listening to calming sounds or taking a body break
2. Validate the child’s feelings, take their concerns seriously
3. Give the child a place where it is safe to fail, provide a quiet spot away from peers to manage their anxiety
4. Be organized, give the child a visual schedule at their desk, break the school day into sections that the child can visualize and manage
5. Give the child more time to process information, the situation and the demands that may be asked of them
6. Remain calm and relaxed, provide a comforting presence
7. Be consistent and have a predictable classroom routine
8. Teach and model coping techniques, deep breathing for example (smell the flower, blow out the candle)
9. Use a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach that allows the student some freedom in choosing their task or assignment
10. Try not to put the child “on the spot” or call attention to their anxiety
11. Allow the child to have an item or toy that provides comfort at school

How to Reduce Test Anxiety