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Tools for Coping Skills for Children

Children need coping skills now more than ever before. By the age of 16, nearly 70 percent of children experience a potentially traumatic event, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. When a child's stress level exceeds his ability to cope, the child may have problems with sleep, anger or physical discomfort. Children with good coping skills are more resilient, allowing them to adapt positively to stress.

  1. Art

    • Art can help children develop coping skills by giving them a means of expression or outlet for their stress. Using such art materials as paint or clay allows for active expression. Art can allow a child to "externalize" or distance himself from a problem or troubling behavior, according to the Western Journal of Medicine. Art as a coping skill is appropriate at any age but may be especially useful in reaching teenagers who may not be willing to communicate in other ways.

    Literature

    • Literature can help children cope with problems by allowing them to immerse themselves in a character who is experiencing similar life challenges. Children can learn to identify problems, brainstorm solutions and evaluate the outcome--all in the framework of an entertaining story. Children can then be encouraged to implement similar solutions in their own life situations. Children can also be encouraged to write their own stories, either fictional or autobiographical, as a means of coping with difficulties.

    Role Playing

    • Role playing can help children express feelings in a non-threatening environment. Young children may use dolls, puppets or cars to express their feelings. Older children can assume roles in a play to act out situations and possible solutions. An adult can help children practice coping skills in guided scenarios.

    Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    • Cognitive behavioral therapy is a specific intervention which can be helpful for some children having difficulty dealing with the effects of stress. Children are taught relaxation techniques, deep breathing and muscle relaxation to replace inappropriate behaviors. Finally, children are taught problem-solving skills to help them identify irrational thoughts that can contribute to anxiety.

    Communication

    • Talking openly as a group or family about experiences, fears and feelings can help children learn to cope. They learn how other people experience stress and the coping strategies that others find successful. Talking about stressful life events helps put them in perspective. Communication can be facilitated in the family through regular family conferences and mealtimes together. In the educational setting, communication can be facilitated through group discussions and classroom meetings.

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