It is easy to disregard children’s anxiety, because their problems seem insignificant. Their worries about homework and mean girls on the playground pale in comparison to our worries about filing taxes and marital problems.
Right?
Maybe not. Sure, we forget how traumatizing learning long division was in elementary school. But our kids are stressed out. Just because their problems feel small to us does not mean their anxiety should feel small to us.
Why are therapy and stress relief in children important?
We want our kids to work hard and be successful. Then they can grow up to go to college and have booming careers. Most parents have such desires for their sons and daughters. There are reasons to not place this pressure on children, though.
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Anxious children are not happy. When their lives are taken over by school work, soccer practices, and piano lessons, they do not know how to be children. When we raise stressed kids, we turn them into adults too quickly. They lose chunks of their childhood. If we want our kids to experience childhood, we should focus more attention on their happiness, rather than just their success.
Playing leads to happy kids
Doctors are learning how to make kids joyful again. Playing is its own form of therapy. Children’s therapists have even developed “play therapy.” In these sessions, psychologists use toys and games to work through kids’ problems and worries.
When kids play, they are able to tap into their imaginations. This form of escape helps them let go of their everyday concerns.
Allowing our children to de-stress gives them the chance to be happy. We may not give much thought to our kids playing in their rooms, but playing is therapeutic and helps them relax.
Why are coloring books so special?
We have determined that playing is vital to kids’ happiness and well-being. Different forms of “play” help them in different ways.
Why should kids color? Is fiddling with crayons actually crucial to their contentment?
Coloring is
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Placing crayon to picture, they learn to be patient while finishing a task. Coloring relaxes children, so they feel a sense of calm in completing a goal. Finishing homework assignments and tuba lessons may be stressful, but this is a task they can relax in carrying out. Coloring is a way to escape
In the past few years, coloring books have become popular for adults, as well! Why have grown-ups suddenly wanted to get in touch with their inner child again? Adults color because the activity is a way to be absorbed in something. We are transfixed by something outside the real world. Coloring gives us as much relief from work deadlines and grocery shopping as it once did from ballet classes and learning to tell time. It is a way to escape, no matter our ages. Why should parents color with their kids?
Coloring seems like a childish thing to do. What’s the harm if we carry on with our day while our children sit quietly with their coloring books in the background?
There are actually multiple benefits to parents picking up a crayon and coloring Minnie Mouse’s dress.
Kids become better
I feel that having full color illustrations in texts helps children when they are reading because they can read the words that are on the page and then they can look at the picture to help clarify and explain what was being explained to them in writing. By having full-color illustrations a child does not have to imagine what the color of something is in a picture, it is already there for them to enjoy and interpret. I also never realized that picture books are used for both children and adults and in every genre of literature, but know that I think about it when an adult is trying to put together a piece of furniture there are diagrams with instructions that way after reading the instructions you can see exactly what they are talking about. For example, in The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Where The Wild Things Are every page in these stories has a full-color illustration either above the words or the picture will be on the page next to the words. In The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter on page 15, it states, Next to the words is a picture of a rabbit, holding an umbrella and a basket in her hand, which is very important when a child is reading this story because the picture will help a child to have a better understanding of what is being said, especially if a child doesn’t know what an umbrella or a basket is, they can look at the picture. In the story Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak there are illustrations as well that correspond to what has been written. For example, in the book it states, “The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind” (Sendak). After a child reads the writing, they can then look at the illustration to that Max is wearing a wolf suit and that in the picture it looks like
These subjects were tested on the negative affects of their children as well as the presence of any depressive or anxious symptoms and stressors. Through a two-part series of questionnaires parents were asked about their children and their observable behaviors using a five point Likert scale rating. The purpose of this study based on the findings as described in the article abstract is to test the relationship between temperament and stressors as a predictor of youth depressive and anxious symptoms over a 3-month period (Gulley, Hankin & Young, 2016). Although many factors contribute to the onset of depressive and anxious symptoms in early to late adolescence, temperament is often times attributed with directly determining how we externalize and internalize our day to day problems; temperament refers to individual differences in affective reactivity and self-regulation (Rothbart & Rueda, 2005). As described in the article, negative affectivity is directly correlated to internalized disorders due to its link to depressive and anxious tendencies. Temperament like we saw in “Understanding the Anxious Mind” is associated with high-reactivity in individuals who were found to possess
Wilde, J. (2008). Rational-emotive behavioral interventions for children with anxiety problems. Journal of Cognitive and Behavioral Psychotherapies, 8(1), 133–141.
Children can greatly benefit from having chances to create connections to the real world in their play space, waiting for the fruit on the fruit trees to ripen or continuously checking to see if their seeds have sprouted all provide both connections to the real world ,as well as expanding developmental skills and knowledge. An ideal learning environment for children does not necessarily need to cost a lot of money to establish and maintain, using items found out the natural environment can often spark creativity and connections with children. Children don't need to always be surrounded by the newest and fanciest plastic toys, natural ideas such as wood blocks can but used instead of lego pieces or rocks for painting on, items such as those can be cheap easily found and yet still provide children with the same if not more developmental skills and learning. From young age children need to be presented with opportunities to take safe risks in order for them to grow and
Early childhood teachers often say that “play is a child’s work” while some parents ask ‘Did my child just play all day?’” (Rice 1). Many people do not realise how important play is and what role it plays in the development of their children. Teachers provide opportunities for children to have spontaneous, unstructured child-initiated play experiences by providing stimulating materials to “enhance and entice children into play” (Rice 2). These materials include loose parts and are open-ended and spark creativity by providing children opportunities to think, plan, and carry out their play (Rice 2). Limited learning may take place if teachers do not make play easier and maximize the benefits (Rice 2). Teacher support is also a necessary component
Parents don’t realize that their child’s play is indeed their work; it’s just different than what people see happening in a typical classroom setting. Playing helps children grow and develop socially, physically, emotionally, and mentally; it wouldn’t hurt for older children and adults to play once in a while as well. Docia Zavitkovsky, a lifelong advocate of play, says “Discovering and questioning the world…gives children the tools to become creative, knowledgeable, integrated human beings ().” When a child plays with blocks, he isn’t just playing; he is learning how to use his imagination by building a house with an attached garage. The child is learning how different shapes go together and about the color of each shape. The child will even go through the process of destroying what he has created so he can start working again; every child you meet will enjoy that process.
This article, “No Worry Allowed. Get Out!” A Case Study Tribute to the Life and Work of Michael White, focuses on anxiety in children and the use of narrative therapy. According to the author, anxiety disorders are common in youth affecting about 10 percent of our youth’s population. Furthermore, the category of young children are affected even more my anxiety showing an increase to 15 percent; five percent higher than the overall average of all children under 18 years of age. The article discusses that young children with anxiety may suffer from intense and persistent fears, shyness, and social withdrawal, when faced with an unfamiliar environment or situation. These children face a higher risk of having a diagnosis of social anxiety, separation anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Throughout the years there has been many debates about the best anxiety treatment. Going back and forth between medication and therapy. Many feel medication can be too harsh for children while others feel it is the most beneficial. Therapy is the best way to treat childhood anxiety because therapy teaches tool that can be used to overcome anxious feelings, that can help in the long term, therapy treats more than just anxiety and can help treat any other issues that are caused by anxiety, and therapy can be adjusted to fit the needs of the individual.
Research has shown that children who are at highest risk for toxic stress are those exposed to social isolation, poverty, family violence, and parents with substance abuse or depression (Franke, 2014). If adults and authority figures can identify toxic stress in children during the early stages, measures can be taken to prevent the harmful effects that are associated with this high stress level. Treatment of toxic stress should be aimed towards helping children learn to deal with stress in a healthy manner and responding to the child’s needs (Franke, 2014). Providing children with a strong support system is crucial so children have an outlet to communicate with and receive advice on healthy coping mechanisms. Examples of a buffering support system could be a parent, relative, social worker, or counselor. Recent research has also found that treatment of toxic stress can occur through teaching relaxation methods such as breathing techniques and guided imagery (Franke, 2014). It may also be beneficial to focus on the caretaker of the child by providing educational opportunities regarding toxic stress and by administering social resources for the parents, such as parenting classes to help with problem solving skills (Franke, 2014). It is also important that the nation as a whole raise awareness of the issue of toxic stress and provide schools,
An Article by Dr. Leong and Dr. Bodrova (2016) stated that play is beneficial to children’s learning especially when it reaches a certain degree of complexity. When they engage in play activities most of their early years, they learn to delay gratification and to prioritize their goals and actions. They also learn to consider the perspectives and needs of other people and to represent things significantly to regulate their behavior and actions in a cautious, intentional way.
All children play and it is something that most children do because they are having fun, but without realising children are developing and learning skills when they are engaged in play. Play helps stimulate the mind as it is practical and gives children the chance to explore and experience new situations. It can also ensure that children get to think by themselves and be spontaneous as they control their own play. Children get the chance to be creative and imaginative which develops independence for children. Play is vital for child development and helps children develop five main areas of development:
Numerous sources have concluded that it is a necessity for children to have time to play for countless reasons; this includes the development of their mind and bodies. When observing a young child at the age of 4 on November 1st, 2016 I found information that supported why play was essential to children 's development. When conducting this observation I was unable to participate in the children 's classroom activities, but only allowed to watch and listen. During this observation, we were asked to pick one student to observe for this observation. I chose a student whose name was Wyatt, he demonstrated that play is a crucial part of their learning in terms of mood and interactions.
Children develop normally when they are exposed to different types of play that allow them to express themselves while using their imaginations and being physically active. According to the Center for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness, “Play is child’s work”; this is true because it is a child’s job to learn and develop in their first few years of life, in order for them to do this, they play. Not only is playing a child’s full time job, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights listed play as a right of every child. Through their full time job of play, the children develop emotionally, socially, physically, and creatively. Children need to participate in child-led play in order to facilitate healthy development of their minds, body, and creativity.
A child’s drawing can tell so much about what they are thinking and feeling about their surroundings. They see things differently from adults and teens because when they are drawing or doing some sort of art they are not told that it is a “bad picture” or what ever they are doing is “not right.” They don’t have a limit upon their thoughts and ideas, but when they grow up, they do. Starting from the first day of school, they are taught about the wrong things and the right things. As we grow older there are more classes that have right and wrong answers to a question like, for example, math.
Firstly, children’s cognitive development is greatly enhanced through visual arts. In order for children to produce art, they have to think of an idea, an experience or feeling and construct symbols to express what they know (Isbell & Raines, 2007). Exploration of art materials help children build a knowledge of their physical properties which supports decision-making, evaluation and problem-solving (Edwards, 2010). Moreover, children will have many opportunities to work together in small groups and will then learn to value others’ ideas (Isbell & Exelby, 2001). Since visual arts is a form of self-expression, children can express their feelings through artworks and hence, learn emotional regulation. Small muscle development occurs when children cut, paste, draw and paint while large muscles develop through activities such as creating a large mural (Isbell & Raines, 2007). Therefore, visual arts enhances children’s development in all