Tired Mommy- Making an Effort for Daily Playtime

Lives can be so hectic, especially with working and raising a family. One thing I have been trying really hard with over the last year or so is to strive for at least 30 minutes a day of uninterrupted play time with my girls. They decide everything. What we play, how we play it, and what role I will have. I love seeing them just take over completely. They immediately begin to direct me from one place to another and I can sense the excitement in their voices of perhaps feeling a sense of control. As a parent, it can be really hard to not want to control parts of this play. Once, at the end of a particularly stressful day, my daughter began to dump out a huge bin of toys that had just been cleaned and organized earlier in the day. It was difficult, extremely difficult, to not automatically say, "let's not dump it out" or "let's find something else to play with." However, I bit my tongue and let her proceed. Of course, we also include a ten minute clean up time afterwards to help us with any messes. 

I have to admit, there are many days I do not want to sit in the floor and just play and be told what to do. I am a tired mom and have worked all day as well. But I know the excitement my kids have when they can just sit and play with us (my husband will usually join in). They actually look forward to it. I've had my daughter wake up first thing in the morning and tell me that she's already thought about what family playtime will be for that night. It's a special time for them because they know that they have complete control over the time. It is not an activity that I have gathered for them, or something that I try and control in any way. As long as it is safe, I'm pretty much up for it. Our 30 minutes usually exceeds into the hour range before we finally stop for baths. 

During our play time, I always try and engage them in conversation about what they are doing. If my daughter wants me to be a queen and pretend to be chased by a dragon, I might say, "tell me more about this queen" or "what does her castle look like?" I love seeing their imagination and creativity come out. I have also noticed on days where we aren't able to fit this special playtime in for one reason or another, my girls seem more frustrated or get upset easier. Their lives, even as young girls, as still pretty controlled. They have to be up at a certain time, school for several hours, help with cleaning, etc. This playtime is a part of their day that they completely control and honestly...we all need some of that! 

FREEBIE- Stop the Cycle of Negative Thinking

Changing a child's mindset from a negative thinking pattern takes a lot of practice. This worksheet is a great tool when working with students and challenges them to change the way they view a situation. It is one of the worksheets that I've included in my self-esteem 6 week curriculum that I will have available soon on my shop! Enjoy this freebie!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREEBIE-Stop-the-Cycle-of-Negative-Thinking-2986381

Self Esteem Resource for Individual or Small Groups!

Self-esteem is so important for a child's success. For this reason, I love running self-esteem small groups. It a great time to get together with kids and allow a safe place for expression. I have seen students become completely different and take on a new perspective in just a matter of weeks. These groups are so beneficial! I have just posted my self-esteem packet on my Teachers Pay Teacher store.

This resource is perfect for small groups or individual student sessions. In general, these worksheets are recommended for grades first through fourth. This packet includes 6 separate worksheet topics and one activity. I have also included talking points that can help educators facilitate the activity or discussion. This packet includes the following:

Talking Points- For educators or parents
I’m special- Writing or drawing handout
I have so many reasons to be Proud- Boy
I have so many reasons to be proud- Girl
Talk about your happy memories- Girl
Talk about your happy memories- Boy
Let’s make some goals!
Let’s make a plan to reach a goal!
All about my school-Writing or drawing handout
Activity- Roll the dice self esteem discussion


I have created each activity to fit within a 20-30 minute session but of course this can be extended or shortened if needed. A great resource for counselors!

You can find these (and my other products) for sale on my Tpt store. Have a great day!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Self-Esteem-Packet-with-Worksheets-and-Activities-Perfect-for-small-groups-2986128

Updated Preview for Grief Packet!

I just updated my grief packet that is currently for sale ($2) on Teachers Pay Teachers to include a preview of everything you will get with this purchase. This workbook is perfect for a 6 to 8 week group or individual sessions with students and includes
the following worksheets:


1. Talking Points: Resources for Educators

2. How am I Feeling Today?

3. What do you hold in your heart?

4. What I think Matters- Boy

5. What I think Matters- Girl

6. Write a Letter to a Loved One

7. I may feel Different, but I am still me

8. My Worry Scale

9. I am not alone- Color Sheet and Message

10 .I am not Alone- Color sheet and Message

11. I am not alone- Color sheet and Message

12 .I am not alone- Color sheet (blank message)

13. Activity 1: Emotions Scavenger Hunt

14. Activity 2: Musical Memory

You can find this and more on my Teachers Pay Teachers store! 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Grief-Packet-for-use-in-Small-Group-or-individual-Sessions-2976614

Classroom Rules with a cute owl theme!

Having classroom rules posted is very important. I always made sure they were easily seen by everyone. Many times, if I saw a child breaking one of our rules, I would simply point to the rule posted around the room. With this product I added a cute owl theme and incorporated each rule into a short poem. It adds some cuteness but still gets the point across. This product is now for sale for $1 and includes 4 rules.

You can find this product for sale at my teachers pay teachers store:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Rules-Owl-Theme-2982899

Self-Esteem and Social Media

With pretty much everything related to children, I believe the foundation always starts at home. So how can we, as parents, help our child's self-esteem that builds a strong foundation before we send them out the door everyday?

I've always said, I am SOOOOO grateful social media did not exists when I was a kid. I have always been pretty sensitive as a child and I let things get to me easily. If social media had been thrown into the mix...I may have just melted into a pool of insecurity from time to time. I have two daughters quickly entering these years and want to help them the best I can. That being said, my first piece of advice is to strongly monitor your child's social media connections and activity. Especially in the pre-teen years because this is when most kids begin to experiment with social media, not to mention they are still young enough that you can (hopefully) get away with it as part of the deal when they initially sign up for some of these sites. If it is part of the deal from the beginning, you may have a much easier time than if you spring it on them when you suspect something may be happening. It may even be a good idea to make up a contract with your child that you both sign, laying out some of the ground rules, and posting it somewhere you both can see, You can make the contact fun..it doesn't have to be scary or intimidating or make your child feel like they have no privacy. That is definitely not the intention. It's also a good idea to sit down with your child and you both write up the contract together and let them decide some of the rules. Have consequences for not following these rules you've both agreed upon. Follow-through with the consequences.

If you work to set these ground rules when they are still young, and remain consistent with following through (and updating the rules as needed), you have set a clear expectation that will hopefully carry into their teen years...when things will only get harder!

Callie Cookie and the VERY Emotional Day

It is the first day of school for Callie Cookie and she is feeling a range of emotions. Follow Callie through her first day and experience some of the same emotions we all feel everyday. This 16 page story book includes questions and talking points that help facilitate the discussion. These questions are perfect for not only discussing feelings, but also requires the student to recall important details from the story. Perfect for a small group or individual counseling sessions.

Be sure to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store for more products!!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Kikis-Education-Station

Grief Packet for Sale!

Excited to share my first resource as a preview of what's to come. It's currently on sale on Teachers Pay Teachers (you can follow the link below). Grief is something that children have a hard time expressing and this packet is the perfect resource for communicating when the words may be hard to say. Please stay tuned for further resources!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Kikis-Education-Station