Family-Friendly Resources for Mental Health

HandholdMA.org was created by a team of mental health and child-development experts in partnership with parents who have gone through what you are going through.  Their goal?  To guide you in caring for your child's mental health and emotional well-being. 

Thinking with Social Skills at Home

Being a Developmentally-focussed educator means that I aim to be flexible in the strategies I use to teach skills. 

image: thinking boy

Yes, children need and thrive on consistency, but consistent application of expectations is not the same as rigidly applying strategies!  I find it best to use a variety of methods and materials; however I am consistently impressed with the developmental focus and application of the materials created by the professionals at SocialThinking Inc. Links to two of my favorites are below: I hope these are useful in your house!

 

Help Your Kids Become Whole Body Listeners: Fun Activities to Do at Home

     Credited: Elizabeth Sautter, MA, CCC-SLP  © 2020 Think Social Publishing, Inc.

Using Social Thinking® Vocabulary with My OWN Child

     Credited: Rebecca Reinking, CPSP, CCC-SLP  * May 29, 2019   

        Let's go on a... 

                            Field Trip!

No one knows how long the impacts of COVID-19 might make remote learning a necessity. Some may feel the need to "get away" but safety is the priority. 

These virtual field trips for families can take children places... to learn about history, discover science, and even checking out outer space. There are trips for everyone.  

If you want to make the most out of a virtual field trip, help your children engage with the material even after they've turned off their devices with a fun activity. They could draw their favorite part of the "trip" was, or write out a couple of facts that they've learned. Of course, this is still screen-time, and every family should strive to find the balance between "real" and "screen" experiences. After playing in the yard, or building a blanket fort, you might give one of these a try:

National Baseball Hall of Fame - Cooperstown, NY

Visit the Galapagos Islands

 

Museum of Science - Boston

See how M&M's are made 

International Space Station Tours

The National Aquarium - Baltimore, MD

San Diego Zoo - Live Animal Cams

The Empire State Building - Panoramic View from the 102nd floor