How to Teach Children Self-Help Skills

You can teach your children how to cope with emotionally difficult situations like confusion, sadness, fear, anger, stress and frustration. Children can respond to relaxation techniques and creative strategies for relieving stress even more effectively than adults if they know why they're good. Do them with your child the first few times and give him lots of options to choose from.

Instructions

• 1

  Encourage your children to talk to you or an adult they trust like grandma or their teacher. This is especially important when they need reassurance and self-help guidance.

• 2

  Choose physical activities your kids like. Roller-skating, bike-riding and jumping rope are good skills to develop. The movement in these activities helps relieve stress.

• 3

  Teach your children to reach out to friends. Sometimes a visit to someone's house or going to the park together can give them a different perspective on the situation.

• 4

  Practice meditation with your kids. Take it seriously and they will too. Do some research and explain to them why meditation is an essential self-help skill. The Learning Meditation website has both audio and written instructions especially for children.

• 5

  Buy your child an attractive notebook and a pen in a fun color. Give them journaling exercises and do them with her. A journaling habit helps your kids cope with difficult situations throughout life.

• 6

  Provide your children with plenty of opportunities to use their creativity. Artistic expression is a beautiful method of self-help in stressful situations. Let them explore drawing and painting, dancing, music, writing and crafts.

• 7

  Make your children understand that therapy is nothing to be ashamed of. Counselors can teach them self-help skills they wouldn't learn on their own. Your positive attitude can make the difference when they grow older and find they need professional help.