Emotions
At Hope 4 Hurting Kids, one of our principle missions is to help young people understand, cope with and overcome the difficult emotions that they face. Whether it is dealing with family problems, parental divorce, bullying or a multitude of other issues young people face today, dealing with the underlying emotions is a vital first step in moving from hurt to hope and healing. To that end we have developed a comprehensive emotions management plan we call Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up! Many of the articles and resources listed on this page represent ideas on how to help kids understand (Jump In!), cope with (Stand Strong!) and overcome (Rise Up!) difficult emotions. We have also included information and resources related to grief on this page. While we realize that grief is way more than emotions, difficult emotions are a significant part of grief. If you would like to limit your search to one area, please click on one of the options below.
Lazy 8 Breathing
Lazy 8 Breathing is a very simple technique to help teach kids deep breathing. Deep breathing is a foundational skill when it comes to coping and is a vital part in the Please Don't Sweat The Small Stuff coping tool box. Whether you find the number 8 in a magazine or book or draw your own on a sheet paper, you can quickly and easily teach kids a simple method to practice deep breathing. How Does Lazy 8 Breathing Work Have the child trace the number 8 with their finger. Obviously, the speed will vary depending on the size of the 8, ...
Emotion Face Plates
Emotion Face Plates are a fun way to get kids thinking about what emotions look like. Emotion Face Plates are an easy project that you can do with objects lying around your house, and once you get kids started, it is something they can continue to work on by themselves. Supply Listing for Emotion Face Plates This is a fairly simple task. All you need is: Paper plates (that you can write on). Markers, pens or crayons. Scissors (if you want to make the half-plate emotion faces). How to Use Emotion Face Plates Pick emotions (the picture above only includes ...
Emotion Egg Faces
With Easter coming up soon, it's a great time to stock up on empty Easter Eggs. These Emotion Egg Faces are a simple, fun and captivating way to help kids learn about, and express, emotions. They can be utilized for several of the steps in the The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique. How to Make Emotion Egg Faces All you need for this craft is empty Easter Eggs, a marker and some clay or play-doh (optional). Draw a different emotion face on each Easter Egg. The eyes and the nose should go on the top half of the egg with the ...
Emotions Spoon Race
The Emotions Spoon Race is a fun and active way to help kids to better understand their emotions. It combines all the fun a traditional egg on spoons relay race with an improved emotional vocabulary and awareness. Make sure to check out our video from the first time we played this game at the bottom of this post. What You'll Need for the Emotions Spoon Race A package of ping-pong balls. We actually used balls which don't officially qualify as ping-pong balls. They're a lot cheaper and actually easier to write on. We used white ping-pong balls this time, but ...
Emotions Paper Chain
The emotions paper chain is a fun craft you can do with kids and can be a crucial part of the Talk About It! component of The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique. What You Need to Make An Emotion Paper Chain Various colors of construction paper. Scissors A marker, pen, pencil or crayons. Tape or glue How To Make an Emotion Paper Chain Cut the construction paper into strips of equal width. On each strip, have the child write a statement in the following form: I feel ______ when __________. Be prepared to offer suggestion either for the emotion (a deck ...
Row Row Row Your Boat Emotion Game
The Row Row Row Your Boat Emotion Game is a fun way to talk to kids about emotions and what they sound like. It can be a valuable tool in the The Super Simple Feelings Management Technique for See It, Say It and Mimic It. Here's how it works: Use a set of emotion cards, an emotion chart or just your own imagination to throw out an emotion to another player. The player must hum the song Row Row Row your boat sounding like the emotion given. Laugh and have fun. It's that simple! You can use whatever song you want, ...
Helping Children Grieve Their Parents’ Divorce
Judy Blore, a bereavement expert, in her article, “How to Help a Grieving Child” says, “Grief is an agony for anyone, any age, any maturity, any faith. Grief takes time. It is a process of letting go of something familiar and taking hold of something in the future.” Have you ever considered the child of divorce or separating cohabitating parents as being in agony? Judy also says, “Children will generally exhibit one of three behavioral responses to changes in their lives: they will act out, withdraw, or become the responsible manager of the family. Many, including myself, think that the ...
The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! by Mo Willems (An H4HK Review)
About the Book The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! is the sequel to the popular Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! book. It follows the activities of a pigeon and his acquaintance the bus driver. Who Is This Book For? The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! is a board book aimed primarily at younger children and potentially very early readers. It recommended age range is 0-4. Our Synopsis of the Book This book is the fun story of how the bus driver "tricks" the pigeon into showing his HAPPY face. The pigeon doesn't want to show his HAPPY face but does show the bus ...
Fishing for Feelings
Fishing for Feelings is a fun game to play with kids to help them learn about emotions. With our template and a few magnets, you can create a game that will help preschool through elementary aged kids to Jump In! Stand Strong! Rise Up! Fishing for feelings is a great game to help kids start to master the skills included in the Super Simple Feelings Management Technique Here's how Fishing for Feelings works. First download our easy to use template by clicking here or on the picture of the template to the right. Follow the instructions in the template for creating the emotion ...
The Emotional Brain, Part 2 – How to Work With A Child in the Emotional Part of the Brain
Last week, we introduced the limbic system (the emotional part of the brain) and explained how it affects children of divorce. Children in the limbic system or the emotional part of the brain wonder if they are loved. They wonder if anyone cares about them. It is all about emotions. Divorce and the Limbic System of the Brain When I think back to when I went through a divorce, I now realize that I lived in for many weeks in the emotional part of my brain. I couldn’t analyze or get organized, and I was late to every appointment. I ...
The Emotional Brain, Part 1 – “Do You Love Me?”
Learning about the emotional brain or the limbic part of the brain is an important part of working with the child of divorce. The limbic system is located in the mid part of our brain and serves many functions including: Generating emotions/feelings Directing our emotions Helping to motivate us Directing our drive Arousing our attachment Establishing the ability for us to have attachments and relationships Storing highly charged emotional memories Being territorial Taping events as internally important Controlling appetite and sleep cycles Storing the unconscious part of the brain (everything ever said is stored in this part of the brain) ...
Stress and the Brain in Children of Divorce
Last week we discussed what was happening in the brains of children that are fearful or scared. This week let’s expand that concept and look at stress and the brain. What is Stress? Stress is the body’s way of reacting to challenging events, one of which for children is the divorce of their parents. Stress in children can affect them physically, emotionally and mentally. Stress and the Child of Divorce Children of divorce have all kinds of stressors including not knowing: Not knowing where the other parent is Not knowing who is picking them up after school Not knowing where ...
