Starting School video 5: Coping skills for children

Summary

This script emphasizes the importance of teaching children coping strategies from an early age to manage life's challenges. It highlights the need to support them in developing skills to handle complex situations, which not only aids in their mental health but also prepares them for future challenges. Strategies such as calming techniques, helpful thinking, problem-solving, and seeking help are discussed. The script also suggests breaking down problems into smaller steps and modeling coping mechanisms as a parent. By doing so, children can face school, friendships, and learning with increased confidence and a positive outlook.

Takeaways

• 👶 Children start learning coping strategies from birth, and these skills evolve as they grow older.
• 💪 Supporting children to build coping skills strengthens their mental health and wellbeing.
• 🤝 Children may feel shy or unsure in new situations, but having support (like from parents) can help them feel more comfortable.
• 😣 Strong emotions like anger or distress can make it hard for children to think clearly in difficult situations.
• 🧘 Teaching children calming techniques, like deep breathing or counting, helps them manage intense feelings.
• 🗣️ Encouraging children to talk about their feelings with friends, teachers, or family can help them process emotions.
• 🤔 Teaching children to recognize unhelpful thoughts and replace them with positive ones improves emotional management.
• 📋 Breaking down big challenges into smaller, manageable steps can help children overcome fears and succeed.
• 🏊 Children can gain confidence by gradually facing fears, like in swimming lessons with a new teacher.
• 🌍 By learning helpful thinking and problem-solving skills, children are better prepared for the challenges of school and new friendships.

Q & A

What are coping strategies, and when do children start learning them?

Coping strategies are methods that individuals use to manage difficult or stressful situations. Children begin learning these strategies from birth and continue enhancing them as they grow older.

Why is it important to support children in building their coping skills?

Supporting children in building coping skills is important because it helps them manage life's ups and downs and strengthens their mental health and wellbeing, particularly when starting school and facing future challenges.

What can parents do to help their children manage strong emotions in difficult situations?

Parents can teach their children calming strategies such as counting to ten, taking deep breaths, dancing, or finding some quiet time. These techniques help children cope with overwhelming emotions like anger or distress.

How can children recognize and manage unhelpful thoughts?

Children can learn to recognize unhelpful thoughts, which are common in both children and adults, and replace them with more helpful, positive thoughts. This process helps them manage their feelings better and act in more positive ways.

What role does problem-solving play in preparing children for challenges?

Problem-solving helps children prepare for challenges by breaking down big problems into smaller, manageable steps. This approach helps children feel less overwhelmed and more confident in tackling difficulties.

How can parents use everyday situations to teach their children about coping with challenges?

Parents can model coping by talking out loud when they face tricky situations. This helps children observe and learn how to handle challenges and make decisions.

Why is it helpful for children to develop step-by-step plans when facing challenges?

Step-by-step plans break down large challenges into smaller tasks, making the situation feel less daunting. Achieving each step provides opportunities for praise and encouragement, boosting the child's confidence.

What was the example given in the script about using a step-by-step plan in a real-life situation?

The script provided an example of a child facing anxiety about swimming after a change in teacher and pool. The parents and swim teacher worked with the child to break the task down into smaller steps, such as getting used to putting her face under the water.

How does learning coping skills benefit children in school settings?

Coping skills help children manage the challenges of starting school, such as meeting new people, adjusting to routines, and handling emotions like shyness or nervousness. These skills allow them to approach new experiences with more confidence.

How can positive thinking impact a child’s behavior and outlook on the world?

Positive thinking helps children feel and behave in more constructive ways. It leads to a more optimistic outlook on the world around them and allows them to approach situations with greater confidence and resilience.

Outlines

00:00

👶 Developing Coping Skills in Children

From birth, children start learning coping strategies and enhance these as they grow, allowing them to manage more complex situations. Supporting children in building these skills helps them deal with life's challenges, including school transitions, and strengthens their mental health. The script introduces how children may feel overwhelmed in new environments, like meeting new people or facing unfamiliar routines at school. To manage strong emotions such as anger or distress, children can learn calming techniques, including counting to ten, taking deep breaths, or finding quiet time. It's important to acknowledge feelings and share them with friends or teachers, helping children process emotions in positive ways.

05:02

🤔 The Power of Thoughts in Shaping Feelings

Children must understand that thoughts influence feelings and behaviors. While both helpful and unhelpful thoughts are common, unhelpful thinking can lead to negative emotions. It's essential for children to recognize these patterns and learn to replace unhelpful thoughts with constructive ones. Teaching them that it's okay to make mistakes and encouraging them to try again can foster resilience. Additionally, parents and caregivers can help children think of alternative, positive interpretations in challenging situations, contributing to better emotional regulation.

📝 Breaking Down Challenges with Step-by-Step Planning

Preparing children for big challenges can be achieved by helping them break down problems into smaller, manageable steps. This process makes daunting tasks feel less overwhelming. As each step is completed, it’s an opportunity to provide encouragement and praise. An example given is a child overcoming nervousness in swim school by gradually building confidence through smaller steps, such as getting used to putting their face underwater. This strategy helps children tackle larger challenges with increased confidence.

👨‍👩‍👧 The Role of Adults in Modeling Coping Mechanisms

Children learn a lot about coping from observing family members and other adults. Demonstrating how to handle tricky situations by talking through the problem out loud allows children to understand the process. This modeling shows them how to approach difficulties and teaches them coping strategies. Encouraging children to adopt problem-solving, helpful thinking, and step-by-step planning builds their confidence in facing new experiences, such as starting school or forming new friendships.

🌍 Nurturing a Positive Outlook

By teaching children valuable life skills like asking for help, breaking down problems, and thinking positively, they can approach new challenges with greater confidence and resilience. These skills not only help children navigate school and friendships but also contribute to their overall positive outlook on the world around them.

Keywords

💡Coping Strategies

Coping strategies refer to the methods or techniques that children learn to manage their emotions and handle difficult situations. In the video, these strategies evolve as children grow, helping them navigate more complex challenges like starting school. Examples include counting to ten or taking deep breaths to calm down during overwhelming moments.

💡Mental Health and Wellbeing

Mental health and wellbeing encompass emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The video emphasizes the importance of building coping skills to strengthen children's mental health, particularly as they face challenges like starting school or making new friends. Supporting children in this way helps them manage life's ups and downs with more resilience.

💡Helpful Thoughts

Helpful thoughts are positive or constructive thoughts that improve how a child feels and behaves. The video suggests that encouraging children to recognize and replace unhelpful thoughts with helpful ones can help them manage their emotions better. This concept helps children approach situations with a more optimistic outlook, fostering a positive mindset.

💡Unhelpful Thoughts

Unhelpful thoughts are negative or discouraging thoughts that can lead children to feel bad about themselves or their situation. The video explains that having unhelpful thoughts is common, but children can learn to recognize and replace them with helpful thoughts. This understanding is key to better emotional management and problem-solving.

💡Step-by-Step Plans

A step-by-step plan involves breaking down a big challenge into smaller, manageable tasks. The video suggests this as a strategy to help children feel less overwhelmed by difficult situations, such as transitioning to a new environment like a swim school. Each small achievement in the plan provides an opportunity for praise and encouragement, boosting the child's confidence.

💡Calming Techniques

Calming techniques are specific actions children can take to soothe themselves when feeling distressed or overwhelmed. The video mentions strategies like counting to ten, taking five deep breaths, or dancing to release tension. These techniques help children regain control of their emotions in challenging situations.

💡Problem Solving

Problem solving refers to the process of identifying solutions to difficult or challenging situations. In the video, helping children develop problem-solving skills is portrayed as crucial for navigating new experiences, like starting school or making new friends. Children learn to break problems into smaller steps and think of alternative ways to handle situations.

💡Support from Adults

Support from adults is highlighted as essential for helping children cope with challenges. The video shows how parents and teachers can provide emotional and practical support, whether through modeling coping strategies, offering guidance, or providing encouragement. Adults can help children build their coping skills and navigate situations like a change of swim teacher or the first day of school.

💡Positive Outlook

A positive outlook refers to an optimistic and hopeful perspective on life. The video encourages helping children develop this attitude by teaching them to focus on helpful thoughts and strategies for overcoming challenges. A positive outlook enables children to face new experiences, such as forming friendships or learning new skills, with more confidence and resilience.

💡Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is the ability to manage and respond to emotional experiences in a healthy way. The video discusses teaching children to calm themselves when faced with strong emotions like anger or distress. Techniques like quiet time or talking to friends help children process their feelings and respond appropriately to difficult situations.

Highlights

Children begin to learn different coping strategies from birth, which enhance as they grow to manage complex situations.

Supporting children to build coping skills strengthens their mental health and wellbeing, especially when starting school.

Children can feel shy or anxious when meeting new people or starting school, and need support to navigate these experiences.

Teaching children tricks like counting to ten, deep breathing, or dancing can help them manage strong emotions in difficult situations.

Children benefit from strategies like quiet time, telling jokes, or thinking about their favorite things to calm down.

Encouraging children to talk to friends or teachers about their feelings can help them process emotions and feel better.

Helping children understand how thoughts affect feelings and behaviors allows them to manage emotions more effectively.

Recognizing unhelpful thoughts and replacing them with helpful ones is key to managing negative feelings.

Children should understand that everyone has unhelpful thoughts, and learning to handle them is part of growing emotionally.

Breaking problems into smaller, manageable steps helps children feel less overwhelmed and more confident in facing challenges.

Providing praise and encouragement as children complete each step is important in building their coping skills.

Parents can model coping strategies by talking aloud and working through problems in front of their children.

Children learn about coping from family and other adults, so demonstrating positive coping methods is essential.

Teaching children problem-solving, helpful thinking, and asking for help boosts their confidence in facing new challenges.

A positive outlook on challenges, such as starting school and making friends, helps children adapt and thrive.

Transcripts

Children begin to learn different coping strategies

from the time they're born.

As they get older they enhance these skills

so they're able to manage more complex

or difficult situations.

Supporting children to build their coping skills

helps them manage life's ups and downs

as well as strengthening their mental health and wellbeing

when starting school and into the future.

Meeting new people.

I was a bit shy of every, um, people getting their bags on

'cause I didn't really like it.

So my dad holded it for me.

And when the bell rings you have to line up

and sit up you have to go back in your class

and sometimes when you take photos

you have to go in different classes.

On my first day we were a bit shy

and when they read books to us

we didn't know what it was all about.

When faced with difficult or challenging situations

your child may feel overwhelmed, angry

or perhaps distressed.

It can be hard for them to think clearly at these times.

So one way to help them cope

is to teach them some tricks

for how they might manage these strong emotions.

Teaching them strategies to calm themselves

like counting to ten, taking five deep breaths,

or dancing their worries away

will help them deal with difficult situations.

Sometimes be by yourself

and have a little bit of quiet time and calm down.

And tell fun jokes.

You think of your favourite things

and what you want to do.

You tell your friends why you feel sad then,

if you still feel sad, you can tell a teacher.

If you talk to a friend and you play with a friend.

Another way you can support your child

is by helping them understand that how we think

affects the way we feel and behave.

Sometimes we have helpful thoughts

that make us feel and act in positive ways,

while at other times we have unhelpful thoughts

that can lead us to feeling negative

or bad about ourselves or the situation.

Unhelpful thinking is very common

in both children and adults.

Children need to know

they're not wrong to have unhelpful thoughts

everybody has them

but learning to recognise them

and replacing them with helpful thoughts

is a way of managing their feelings better.

No, it doesn't have to be perfect.

Just have another try, yep.

Owen, I know it's tricky, can you give it another try?

It doesn't mean that Sarah doesn't like you anymore.

Maybe there's some other ways we can think about that.

Another way to prepare your child for big challenges,

is to help them come up with a step-by-step plan.

This involves breaking down the problem

into smaller steps so it feels more manageable.

Together, you can work out how to break it down

and as your child achieves each step

it's a great opportunity

to provide praise and encouragement.

So recently with her swim school we had a few concerns

because there was a change of teacher and,

um, a change of pool and she was a little bit nervous

about the situation.

The swim teacher suggested putting the,

her face under the water so she was getting

used to having, like, being underwater

so she wasn't so nervous when she was in the deep pool.

Um, and once we sort of broke that down

and worked on some smaller steps

it sort of just helped the overall situation.

Children also learn a lot about coping

from their family and other adults

so it helps to show them how you manage

in a tricky situation.

You might talk out aloud about a situation

so they can hear you working it through.

Everyone copes with change in difference ways

and children are just the same.

By learning about helpful thinking,

problem solving, step-by-step plans

and the benefits of asking for help,

children are able to face the challenges

of starting school, beginning new friendships

and learning new things with more confidence.

And, importantly,

they'll help your child to have a positive outlook

on the world around them.