Hopscotch Blog

Hearing about your child being bullied is heartbreaking for a parent. You feel the hurt your kid is experiencing so deeply, that it's easy to get upset (maybe you want to say something directly to the bully too!) But one of the best ways we can be supportive is to help our children express how being bullied made them feel—to open that line of communication with us so we can help them process those difficult emotions. Dr. April Duncan, LCSW, RPT, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Play Therapist, shares a few interventions you can do with your child to spark that conversation, and to help them express their feelings in a healthy way. 

Do a "Feelings Heart" Activity Together

By asking your child to identify the feelings they have in their heart and color those in, it allows you to get a better sense of what's going on inside their head—and helps them express their feelings. 

Have Your Child Create an "Anger Pillow"

It is natural for your child to feel angry when they are a victim of bullying. As parents, part of our job is to validate that emotion—and to even share that you are angry too. This activity creates a safe way for your child to process and express their hurt feelings.

Try This "Gratitude Sticks" Exercise With Your Child

Instead of having your child lament what somebody said about them, help them learn how to control their narrative: they can use this Cognitive Behavioral Therapy tool to turn negative thoughts into positive thoughts, reframing something mean that someone said to them. 

Transitioning from school to home can be challenging—so can getting your child to open up after a long day. Hopscotch contributor, Dr. April Duncan, a licensed clinical social worker and play therapist shares two easy exercises to encourage your kid communicate.

Incorporate a Snack to Get Your Child to Open Up

One of the first things a child wants when they get home from school is a snack! In this video, Dr. April Duncan, LCSW, RPT, shares how to use colorful food to talk to kids about their emotions.

Use Music to Encourage Your Child to Share

Music is a great way for kids to open up about how they're feeling. In this video, Dr. April Duncan illustrates how to get kids to share and have a dance party at the same time!

Dr. April Duncan shares examples of what to do when your child has a tough day. 

While the holidays can be a time of excitement and joy, they can also be chaotic and stressful for parents and kids. Our behavioral health experts share advice for managing the holiday blues, cultivating gratitude in kids, and staying grounded in what is important to you.

The holidays can be exciting, but it's also normal for this time of year to elicit feelings of grief, sadness, and anxiety in kids. Hopscotch Parent Educator and Child Therapist Dr. April Duncan, LCSW, RPT, shares three activities to help your child process these emotions and give them the coping skills to make this holiday a joyous one. 

Try "Sugar Skulls" to Remember a Loved One

When your child has lost a family member or friend, the holidays can be a time of grieving the person who is no longer there to celebrate with them. Sugar Skulls is a great way for the family to honor those loved ones, create a physical representation of their presence, and start a conversation about the feelings your child may be having.

Have Your Child Create "Touch Stones"

If your child is feeling sad during the holidays, creating Touch Stones is a great way to remind them of their special qualities. Dr. April shares how to encourage your kids to recognize the things they love about themselves—and the importance of parents getting involved with their own stones.

Try This "Worry Dolls" Activity to Alleviate Anxiety

Worry Dolls is a great traditional activity to help kids identify their worries, express them, and to alleviate some of that anxiety. There's no wrong way to do this—you can use a variety of materials to create the Dolls with your kids.

Younger kids are often zonked when they get home from school—especially in the early days when they're learning new classmates names and trying to remember where they put their Math folder. Creating some structure when they get home—by using an After School Checklist like this one by Hopscotch's Head of Clinical Programming, z-andrew-jatau MS, LPC—will help kids feel more in control and give them a daily sense of completion.

Download the exercise here. 

Teaching your kids how to express their gratitude - whether it’s for their sister or their favorite stuffed animal - doesn’t just sound good. It actually makes your children feel good: There have been numerous studies showing how a child’s mental health benefits from learning to express gratitude, including:

• Improved mood
• Increased social connection
• Increased self-esteem
• Improved sleep
• Improved self-confidence
• Increased sense of belonging
• Better coping skills
• Helps children see the bigger picture
• Reduced suicide risk 

However, gratitude is not a natural human instinct or response, necessarily- it’s something that can be encouraged. Here are 5 activities that you can practice at home with your children to help them cultivate a habit of gratitude:

1. Gratitude Photos

Have your child write what they are thankful for on a large piece of paper and then take a picture of the child holding up his or her paper. Frame the photo and display it in your home.

2. Gratitude Collage or Bulletin Board

Have children cut out pictures of things they’re grateful for and then use the pictures to create their own collage or to decorate a gratitude board.

3. Gratitude Jar

This gratitude jar activity from Dr. April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, RPT-S, helps kids gain an appreciation for the things that they have and to be able to communicate those things. Encourage your children to think about the things in their life they are thankful for such as friends and family and pets (not just toys!). You can continue to utilize your jar with your kids throughout the year to help your kids appreciate what they have. 

4. Gratitude Grams by PBS

Have your children send these printable cards by PBS with a note to the family or friend about why they are grateful for the relationship. 

5. Gratitude with M&Ms

Children get to pull out an M&M from the bag. Before they eat it, they must say something they are grateful for based on the color. For example, blue could be something in school, yellow something about themselves, orange an object, green an event, and brown telling someone why they are grateful for them.