Kid Routine & Play

The first day of school is a big milestone for every family. New backpacks are packed, lunch boxes are ready, and parents often hope their child will walk into the classroom with a smile. While many children feel excited about meeting new friends and learning new things, others may feel nervous, worried, or even scared about going to school. If your child has been saying, "I don't want to go," crying before school, or complaining about a tummy ache, you're not alone. Back to school anxiety is very common, especially for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarten children, and those who find changes in routine difficult. Starting a new school year brings many changes all at once. Children may have a new teacher, a different classroom, unfamiliar classmates, or a new daily schedule. Even children who enjoyed school last year can feel uncertain about returning after a long summer break. For some children, these changes feel exciting. For others, they can feel overwhelming. C...

Parenting is one of the most rewarding experiences in life, but it also comes with moments that can feel overwhelming. Every child experiences frustration, disappointment, sadness, excitement, and anger. These emotions are a natural part of growing up. What children need is not for those feelings to disappear, but for caring adults to teach them how to understand and manage them. Visual supports can help children recognize emotions, make calm choices,  and practice  healthy coping skills during everyday routines. Many parents have experienced a child crying over a broken cookie, refusing to get dressed, or becoming upset when it's time to leave the playground. To adults, these situations may seem small. To a child, however, they can feel incredibly important. Young children are still learning how to process emotions, communicate their needs, and cope with disappointment. When children don't yet have the skills to express themselves with words, their emotions often come out thr...

Helping young children manage big feelings is an important part of every day in my home daycare. Children experience many emotions as they learn, play, and interact with others. They may feel excited, frustrated, disappointed, worried, or overwhelmed, sometimes all within the same day. Over the years, I have found that children learn emotional regulation best when they are given simple visual supports and opportunities to practice coping skills in a positive way. Three tools that have become a regular part of our routine are social stories, breathing charts, and coloring activities. These tools work together to help children understand emotions, build self-regulation skills, and learn positive ways to respond to challenges. Understanding Big Feelings in Early Childhood Young children are still learning how to identify emotions and communicate their needs. When they experience frustration, anger, sadness, or anxiety, they often need guidance and support. Rather than expecting childre...

  If you live or work with a toddler, you have probably seen it happen. The cup is the wrong color. A cracker breaks in half. A favorite toy is unavailable. Playtime ends before the child is ready. Suddenly, a small moment becomes a very big reaction. To an adult, the situation may seem small. To a toddler, it can feel much bigger. Toddlers are still learning how to understand emotions, communicate their needs, handle disappointment, and calm themselves. Big emotional reactions can be part of that learning process. Toddlers Feel Before They Can Explain Toddlers experience emotions strongly, but they are still developing the language and self-regulation skills needed to explain what is happening. A toddler may know: “I don't like this.” But they may not yet be able to explain: “I am frustrated because my plan changed and I don't know what to do next.” Instead, the feeling may come out as crying, yelling, dropping to the floor, pushing something away, or refusing to move. Thi...

 As a daycare provider, I’ve seen toddlers experience big feelings that are hard to manage. One of the most common is  hitting  — especially when a child feels angry, frustrated, or overwhelmed. I created this  printable social story  because I needed something calm and clear for my own daycare program. A story that didn’t just say "don’t hit" but helped toddlers understand what they  can  do instead. 👉  View the story on Etsy 🛒 Shop Now on Etsy Why I Created This Story I made  When I Feel Like Hitting  after seeing the same pattern over and over in my daycare. A child would feel ignored or upset when someone didn’t share. They didn’t know how to express that feeling — so they hit. I wanted something visual, something gentle, and something that could be used again and again. This story has now become one of our most-used tools. I designed it using real moments from my program, and it’s worked better than I imagined. Wh...