My 5 favourite books to use in playtherapy
Playtherapy comes in many forms and at times I’ve found that nothing can really bring a message home to kids the way a good story book can. I often think of the books below as my old, reliable friends. They have never failed me and I plan to still use them a lot in the […]
Talking to children about death
Talking to children about death when a family member or pet has passed away will help them develop emotional coping skills for later on in life. Unpleasant as it may be death is an inescapable fact of life – and one that many children will be faced with at some time or another. When talking […]
Helping children with fear – advice from a Play Therapist
Helping Children with Fear – advice from a Play Therapist All children have fears at some point in their life and it is usually considered to be a normal part of development. These fears are only abnormal if they are persistent or interfere with the child’s normal activities. Toddlers normally have simple fears of separation, […]
What is selective mutism?
Children who suffer from selective mutism are able to speak and have a good understanding of language, but do not speak in specific situations or to specific people. Experts have found that children with selective mutism suffer from severe anxiety and it is this anxiety that prevents them from speaking – in essence the mutism […]
What is play therapy? – A play therapist explains
What is Play Therapy? “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” ~ Plato Play therapy is a therapeutic medium used by therapists who work with children. Children cannot always express themselves and speak about their feelings. Play therapy helps children to work through their […]
Thoughts on praising a child
Praise has gotten a lot of media attention lately and many parenting magazines and blogs now seem to offer conflicting advice about whether or not to praise your children. Personally, I think we’re simply over-thinking the issue. To me, praise is a natural reaction – when you’re impressed by something someone has done, you praise […]
How to deal with temper tantrums
Dealing with temper tantrums is undoubtedly one of the least fun aspects of parenting. The balance between building your child’s confidence and setting appropriate boundaries is easily upset and may result in a range of negative outcomes if the scale swings too far in either direction. Here are some of the ways in which you […]
Effects of divorce on kids – what are the risk factors?
A divorce is, by it’s very nature a traumatic and unpleasant experience for all concerned. This is a very difficult time for children, but parents may unknowingly make the experience harder than it needs to be. Divorce can have a long-lasting negative impact on children’s development and in this article we look at some of […]
Teaching kids to say sorry and mean it
Teaching kids to say sorry is a relatively easy feat, but most young children will simply shout a casual “sorry!” over their shoulder and then carry on to repeat the exact same behaviour they had apologised for moments before. You might have seen the broken plate scenario featured on posters and posts on popular media […]
Better parenting – how to move towards a democratic parenting style
It’s almost a given that if you spent time in ten different homes, then you would see a variation in different parenting styles in each one of those ten domains, as well as at different times. However, authoritative or democratic parenting, which balances explicit demands with emotional awareness and respect of their child’s independence, is […]
