It’s graduation time - a moment to celebrate all the years your child has spent in elementary school. As exciting as this milestone is, many kids have mixed feelings about moving on to middle school - and that’s OK!  Let’s break down some tips for middle school and how to support your kid as they adjust.

Well the countdown is on and summer is right around the corner! With all this excitement, the transition from the school year to summer break can be a stressful shift for families too. As parents, it’s helpful to set clear expectations with kids about what summer break will look like. Here are a few thoughts and family discussion points to ease the transition.  

Both kids and adults will often try to shift blame onto others rather than owning their actions. My guess is, you know these lines well, “It’s not my fault,” “they made me do it,” “I didn’t mean to,” - and fill in the rest! Here I break down how to help your child own their actions and take responsibility.

My kid got in a big fight with their friend, how do I help them through it? Here we unpack the 1, 2, 3’s of recovering from friend fights and building conflict resolution skills.

Tips for Test Taking Anxiety - Our mindset can have a huge impact on performance. Here are some strategies to help manage nervousness and feel confident!

We’ve discussed previously that sports are a great way for kids to develop character - on and off the court. As guiding adults, sports offer valuable opportunities for teaching important life lessons to the kids in our lives. They learn about teamwork, conflict resolution, goal setting, perseverance, emotion regulation, and so much more. And remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Triangle breathing is a simple and effective technique for kids to practice mindfulness. Breathing techniques are useful to help children manage big emotions, increase their sense of control, return to the present moment, and build emotional resiliency.

Heart breathing is a simple, yet powerful mindfulness technique to slow down and get in touch with yourself. This tool is great for kids and adults to manage big emotions. Try it out for yourself!

Sportsmanship signifies virtues uplifted by society - fairness, self-control, courage, persistence, respect, morality, goal-directed behavior, and more. Additionally, research suggests a correlated relationship between sportsmanship and happiness (Özsari, et al., 2023). So what does sportsmanship look like?  

Five finger breathing is a simple mindfulness activity used to help reduce stress, ease anxiety, and calm big emotions.

Cupcake breathing is a simple tool you can use with your child to help them calm down. This is a great technique to practice when your kiddo is feeling angry, upset, or nervous!

E bikes have taken the South Bay by storm. This community issue has created conflict at various levels. As academic literature and public policy work to keep our bikers safe. Here are some considerations to determine when your child is ready for an e-bike of their own.

Ah yes, adolescence is here. I offer you this mantra of “complain but comply” to help you through this next developmental stage of adolescence. Ennui is alive and well. I can already hear the dramatic “ugh,” the sharp comment, the slamming door, and the sarcastic eye roll. You might not be able to stop this, but you can help them through this. Here’s what to expect at eleven…

RAIN is a mindfulness exercise created by Dr Tara Brach to help process difficult emotions, sensations, and experiences. This is a helpful technique to process feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, and more.

Breaking down worry, anxiety, and fear in the aftermath of the Los Angeles Fires.

Strategies, books, and resources to help kids during the Los Angeles fires.

Read about the social emotional development of 10 year olds.

Self-talk shapes our beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. With mindfulness, we can transform negative thinking patterns by catching it, checking it, and changing it. Let’s look at some positive examples we can fill our minds with instead.

Choices and Limits - How to Increase Cooperation