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  • Positive Parenting
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  • Childhood Mental Health

125 Positive Affirmations for Kids to Skyrocket Strength, Confidence and Self-Love

September 21, 2020 by Angela Pruess Leave a Comment

Inside: Discover why science says affirmations are so powerful and learn 125 positive affirmations for kids that will boost their Confidence and Self-Esteem. 

“I don’t understand my math problems at all and now my day is ruined!”. 

My 10-year-old daughter tends to be a bit of a ‘black and white’ thinker.

In her quickly moving mind, most situations are deemed either all good or all bad within a matter of seconds, and she struggles to see the grey possibilities that exist in-between. 

Positive Affirmations for kids

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting Tagged With: Affirmations for Kids, confidence, Positive Thinking

A Child Therapist’s Best Tips for Parenting a Child with ADHD

February 10, 2020 by Angela Pruess Leave a Comment

These vital tips for parenting a child with ADHD may surprise you, but will lead your child to better behaviors now AND a more successful future later.

parenting a child with ADHD

My 9-year-old client sits down on the couch in my therapy office and I can tell already by his slumped shoulders and downward gaze that he is having a rough week.

“How’s your week been bud? Should we start with the highs or the lows?”

“I hate school and I never want to go back again”. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting Tagged With: ADHD, neurodiverse children, positive parenting

What to do When Your Angry Child Refuses Coping Strategies

February 5, 2020 by Angela Pruess Leave a Comment

Inside: Learn how to proceed when your angry child refuses coping strategies.

“What do I do when my child refuses the coping strategies I offer?”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting

75 Awesome Calm Down Strategies for Kids (that they’ll want to try!)

January 3, 2020 by Angela Pruess Leave a Comment

Inside: These science-backed calm down strategies for kids are easy, engaging and will help your child develop strong emotional regulation skills.

When it comes to children’s emotional development you’re going to be hard-pressed to find another skill as important (and as predictive of future success) as emotional regulation.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting Tagged With: calming techniques for kids, emotional regulation for kids

40 Astounding Benefits of Outdoor Nature Play for Kids

July 29, 2019 by Angela Pruess 2 Comments

Inside: Time kids spend outdoors in nature play has been steadily declining for decades and it’s costing them enormously when it comes to their physical and mental health. 

I feel my shoulders relax.

My lungs open up and I breathe.

I just feel… lighter.

And all I have done is to simply step out my own front door.

nature play

THIS is the power of being in nature. After only a brief few moments in nature, I can literally feel the onslaught of positive changes in my mind and body.

I can understand why nature is one of the best calm down strategies for kids (and adults alike).

There is something incredibly powerful that nature and nature only is capable of doing to our minds and bodies. Since the beginning of time, humans have been closely connected to the natural environment.

We lived off the land and often used natural spaces as a natural extension of our homes. Many cultures remain close to the natural world and as a result, reap profound benefits to both their physical and psychological health.

In our Western modern culture, however, our kids are growing evermore disconnected from their natural environment and researchers have gone far enough to call this phenomenon ‘Nature deficit disorder’.

Studies show that while screentime and indoor time have increased for children, time spent outdoors in nature play has dramatically decreased.

The proof of nature play is in the research

It’s been hard to say exactly what the direct impacts of decreased green time on children were, but we now have the first epidemiological studies that show an association between less contact with the natural world in childhood and worse mental health in adulthood.

“Collecting data from nearly 3,600 individuals in four different European countries, researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health have found that these childhood experiences are associated with feelings of nervousness and depression in adulthood.

kids and nature

“The results show that participants who scored lower on the mental health tests also had less exposure to nature in childhood, and this was true regardless of how much time they spent in nature as adults. What’s more, these participants didn’t seem to place as much significance on natural spaces in general.” (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)

This is just one of several studies now showing causation between more time spent playing in nature during childhood and mental health in adulthood.

Another recent study found that children who grow up in natural surroundings have up to a 55 percent lower risk of developing a mental disorder as an adult.

The studies author Kristine Engemann reported further that “the protective effect grows stronger with more years spent living near nature. We found that association was stronger when we calculated a cumulative measure of green space from birth to age 10 compared to measuring green space at one single year, this indicates that the positive association builds up over time and that being exposed to green space throughout childhood is important.” (Study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

The positive effects of nature play for children go far beyond psychological. Nature has been proven important to children’s development in every major way—intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically (Kellert, 2005).

40 amazing benefits of nature play for kids. 

Mental and Emotional Health

  • Improves cognition and thinking
  • Increases focus
  • bolsters resilience against stress
  • Increases mood
  • Decreases anxiety
  • Builds confidence
  • Provides regulation sensory input for the nervous system
  • Builds mindfulness skills
  • Improves short term memory
  • Decreases anger
  • Reduces ADHD symptoms
  • Boosts confidence
  • Improved self-regulation skills

children and nature play

Physical health

  • Lower blood pressure
  • Decreased rates of obesity
  • Provides sensory stimuli
  • Increases energy levels
  • Increases vitamin D levels
  • Reduced risk of bone disease
  • Reduced risk of heart disease
  • Improves nutrition
  • Improves eyesight
  • Improves balance
  • Improves range of movement
  • Promotes muscle development
  • strengthens immune system

kids in nature and mental health

 

Character development

  • Higher levels of creativity
  • Increases appreciation and regard for the environment
  • Builds imagination
  • Teaches responsibility
  • Creates opportunities for awe and wonder
  • Encourages healthy risk-taking
  • Promotes experimentation
  • Develops critical thinking skills
  • Improves social skills
  • Improves self-discipline
  • Develops empathy
  • Promotes a deeper understanding of the world
  • Increase life satisfaction
  • Increases levels of kindness

nature play for kids

Every child desperately needs nature play

There’s no denying we have some work to do when it comes to getting our kids outside. For both their mental and physical health and well-being, we now know for a fact that getting back to our nature roots plays a powerful role in combating mental health conditions and serves as an enormous protective factor for our children.

What are you child’s favorite types of nature play?

Grab your free printable list of the Benefits of Outdoor Nature Play!

This post comes with a free printable list of the benefits of outdoor play for kids! (Keeping them close by will remind you to get those kiddos off their screens…and back outside!)

Here’s a peek at it…

 

  1. Download the benefits of outdoor play list. You’ll get the printable, plus join 10,000+ parents who receive my weekly insights, tips, and strategies on how to raise emotionally healthy kids who will change the world, every week!
  2. Print.
  3. Place it on your refrigerator or in a centralized area (and start improving your child’s well-being today!)

Click HERE to get your printable list and join!

More articles you’d like:

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Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting Tagged With: kids and nature, nature play

Parenting an Angry Child? 10 Underlying Reasons you Shouldn’t Ignore

May 22, 2019 by Angela Pruess 1 Comment

Inside: If you’re raising an angry child, learning the underlying causes of your child’s anger is the first step in anger management for kids. 

Anger loves to trick us.

In childhood, the anger of others made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. In adolescence, my own anger enabled me to feel powerful and strong and in parenthood anger allows me to feel a sense of control amidst the chaos.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting Tagged With: anger management for kids, angry child, emotional regulation, helping a child with anger

The Best Tools for Mindfulness with Children that Promote Focus and Calm

April 2, 2019 by Angela Pruess Leave a Comment

Inside: A child therapists top used tools for mindfulness with children that will help your child with focus, anxiety and emotional regulation.

The benefits of mindfulness with kids are many (increased focus, self-control, better mood, better sleep, lower anxiety, etc etc to the MOON) but parents often wonder, how the heck do you actually do mindfulness with children?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting

Mindfulness with Kids: 8 Life-Changing Benefits for Brain and Behavior

March 21, 2019 by Angela Pruess 2 Comments

Inside: Learn 8 reasons why everyone should be practicing mindfulness with kids and what amazing benefits will occur from better behavior to improved emotional well-being.

I was already sold on the magic of mindfulness with kids.

I’ve been a mental health practitioner for 15 years now and have steadily seen and heard more and more about the ability for mindfulness to effectively address mental health concerns in childhood.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting Tagged With: mindfulness, mindfulness with kids

10 Simple Everyday Ways to Improve a Child’s Behavior and Mood

March 14, 2019 by Angela Pruess 4 Comments

Inside: Discover how basic integrative health approaches can be applied daily to improve child behavior, mood, and mental health. 
(*This article contains affiliate links for your convenience which allow me to make a small commission off your purchase to support the site. Thank you!)

We call it the beast. 

It used to appear at least a couple of times a week, wreaking havoc on our household but was invisible to the naked eye.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health, Parenting Tagged With: child behavioral problems, emotional and behavioral challenges, improving child behavior

Lower a Child’s Anxiety with These 8 Research Backed Tips

January 28, 2019 by Angela Pruess 5 Comments

Inside: Learn powerful researched-based everyday habits and strategies that will help to lower a child’s anxiety and stress.

 

As a child and family therapist, I hear the following statements often.

“My daughter seems to have separation anxiety still even though she’s 6 now, and won’t even let me leave the room in our own house unless she knows where I am at all times.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Childhood Mental Health Tagged With: childhood anxiety

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Angela Pruess

I'm Angela, a licensed child therapist and mom of 3. I'm here to help you raise an emotionally healthy, resilient child who'll change the world through emotional intelligence, positive discipline, growth mindset, mindfulness, art/nature, childhood mental health and the therapeutic power of play. Let's help your child live their BEST life.

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