Podcast Archives - Life Skills 4 Kids

Season 2 Episode 1 – Building Early Readers: Expert Insights with Dr. Rubman

Liza Clutario — Wed, 17 May 2023 07:31:32 +0000

Season 2 Episode 1 – Building Early Readers: Expert Insights with Dr. Rubman

This episode of the Superstar Practical Strategies helps parents check if their child is experiencing anxiety and teaches how to manage after experiencing or knowing someone affected by the floods.

Dr. Rudman’s book focuses on helping parents understand and implement the key elements of early reading that can contribute to children’s success in the classroom.

She encourages parents to go to the library and make picture books to engage their children in the activity and to model behaviors they want them to pick up. It is essential to reward comprehension and to make reading an active process.

Additionally, reading with children should be a shared experience, and fun activities can be used to make the task more engaging. Games such as Zingo, phonetic games and shopping activities with pictures can all help with reading comprehension and increase interest in the activity. In summary, Dr. Rudman’s book provides guidance in how to foster reading development, emphasizing the importance of an enjoyable environment in which to learn.

If you liked this podcast or have any suggestions for a future topic, you can let us know at help@lifeskills4kids.com.

For more updates, follow us on our social media channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram!

Alex Learns That Changes Are OK

Alex loves school. He enjoys all the activities he does during the term such as swimming and soccer. He also loves holidays and all the fun things he gets to do while he’s not at school. The problem is, Alex doesn’t like changes. His tummy gets all tight and he gets a worry cloud that comes over his brain and makes it feel foggy. When the school term ends and holidays begin or when school is about to start again, Alex feels really worried and anxious.

Alex’s Mum doesn’t want him to worry. So she does some reading and finds a really cool trick that helps Alex to feel comfortable with changes. It works! Alex is able to keep his worries under control and think about all the fun things that are coming up instead. Can you guess what Alex’s special trick is.

Alex Learns that Changes Are Okay is a beautiful book for children who find change difficult.
When you purchase the Alex Learns that Changes are OK (Flipbook), you will receive a digital flipbook that gradually changes from one page to the next while listening to high-quality audio narration as if someone is flipping and reading the book for you!

Buy the eBook!

The post Season 2 Episode 1 – Building Early Readers: Expert Insights with Dr. Rubman appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Episode 57 – Recovery After the Floods

Liza Clutario — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 00:42:58 +0000

Episode 57 – Recovery After the Floods

This episode of the Superstar Practical Strategies helps parents check if their child is experiencing anxiety and teaches how to manage after experiencing or knowing someone affected by the floods.

After a flood, many families will take time to recover. This will depend partly on the level of trauma a family suffered during the actual event, and how quickly life can return to normal after the event.

For instance, people who had to evacuate their homes, those whose homes were destroyed, or those who lost significant possessions or family pets, the process will be longer. This also depends on the amount of recovery support available, whether the family suffers ongoing financial hardship, and how long and arduous the process of returning to normal life is.

Moreover, Children look to parents and carers in times of crisis to know how they should behave and feel. It’s important to stay calm and model a healthy stress response (easier said than done!) to help your child feel secure and comforted. Self-care is vital during this time because you are unable to give to those around you if your own cup is empty. If you need help during this time, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask.

Children and young people function better when they have an understanding of what has happened, so encourage your child to ask questions or talk about the flood. Provide openings to get the conversation started, such as sharing your own feelings.

However, children and young people don’t always talk about what’s going on inside, so check the list below to help you figure out if your child is anxious after the floods.

If you liked this podcast or have any suggestions for a future topic, you can let us know at help@lifeskills4kids.com.

For more updates, follow us on our social media channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram!

Alex Learns That Changes Are OK

Buy the eBook!

The post Episode 57 – Recovery After the Floods appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Episode 56 – Anxiety and War: Help Your Child Win the Battle

Liza Clutario — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 04:01:37 +0000

Episode 56 of the Superstar Practical Strategies help parents cope with the anxiety that their child is having amid the news of war and conflict.

Unless you refuse to partake of any form of media, it’s impossible to miss mentions of the war in Ukraine. The TV is constantly bombarding us with images of the conflict, and we see people just like us being forced to flee with their children and pets into a very uncertain future.

Kids see it, too. And it can cause or escalate anxiety, especially for children who are already prone to worrying. This podcast helps parents and carers can take steps to minimize the harm and equip kids with the skills they need to cope.

It’s probably the most pressing issue facing the world today, but we don’t talk about it. How do you teach your child to be calm and confident, even in the middle of a war?

If you liked this podcast or have any suggestions for a future topic, you can let us know at help@lifeskills4kids.com.

For more updates, follow us on our social media channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram!

Teaching Kids to Manage Anxiety

Kids today are growing up in a fast-paced world where information and opportunity overload can be overwhelming.

Based on many years of clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist, Deb Hopper has been using her Just Right Kids® Model to teach children to communicate and manage their stress and anxiety by:

Identifying their “body speed”,
Understanding their stress triggers, and
Implementing simple strategies to reduce anxiety and stress.

“This is quite simply the best, most comprehensive and practical bookI have ever read to help teach children – and many grownups – how to manage anxiety. It is written in an easy to read way with lots of fabulous graphics. This brilliant book needs to be in every home, every school and every library.” — Parenting author and educator Maggie Dent

Explore

How the body reacts to anxiety and impacts on our ability to think and get an action plan together
How to teach your children to identify when their body and mind is anxious, and how to tell you
Sensory overload and how this can push children into being anxious
Strategies to reduce screen time that you can start today (because this will help reduce anxiety in your house and make life more peaceful

Buy the eBook

The post Episode 56 – Anxiety and War: Help Your Child Win the Battle appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Episode 55 – Managing Anxiety When Bad Things Happen: Floods and War

Liza Clutario — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 05:10:19 +0000

Staying sane when the world goes crazy

In episode 55 of Superstar Practical Strategies, Deb talk about how to manage anxiety when bad things happen because many children and adults are experiencing heightened worry and anxiety as our world faces wars and natural disasters, unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes. Our TVs and newsfeeds are full of bad news and terrible things happening to ordinary people just like us.

We must do what we can to manage our response to these things because it’s the only way we can stay mentally healthy in a crazy world. This podcast will discuss tips for ways to help the whole family deal with the worry of living with events such as wars and floods. Managing anxiety over world events: tips for a stress-free life.

If you liked this podcast or have any suggestions for a future topic, you can let us know at help@lifeskills4kids.com.

For more updates, follow us on our social media channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram!

Teaching Kids to Manage Anxiety

Kids today are growing up in a fast-paced world where information and opportunity overload can be overwhelming.

Based on many years of clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist, Deb Hopper has been using her Just Right Kids® Model to teach children to communicate and manage their stress and anxiety by:

Identifying their “body speed”,
Understanding their stress triggers, and
Implementing simple strategies to reduce anxiety and stress.

Explore

How the body reacts to anxiety and impacts on our ability to think and get an action plan together
How to teach your children to identify when their body and mind is anxious, and how to tell you
Sensory overload and how this can push children into being anxious
Strategies to reduce screen time that you can start today (because this will help reduce anxiety in your house and make life more peaceful

Buy the eBook

The post Episode 55 – Managing Anxiety When Bad Things Happen: Floods and War appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Episode 54 – Goal-Setting How to Make it Work for Your Family

Liza Clutario — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 13:42:54 +0000

In episode 54 of Superstar Practical Strategies, Deb talk about the importance of Goal Setting in the Family as well as tips on how to make it work.

Goal-setting is the common theme of January as New Year’s resolutions are made. Things start out well at the beginning of the month, but by the end of the month, many of our grand plans have fallen in a heap and we give up on the idea of achieving our goals.

So, what are some ways that you can make goals and keep them? How can you help your child to achieve some sustainable goals when it comes to life skills and learning?

In this episode Deb discusses:

Why goal-setting is important
How to make your goals
S.M.A.R.T
Working with a therapist to make your goals
Sample 5 goals for your kids and family

If you liked this podcast or have any suggestions for a future topic, you can let us know at help@lifeskills4kids.com.

For more updates, follow us on our social media channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram!

Alex Learns That Changes Are OK

Buy the eBook

The post Episode 54 – Goal-Setting How to Make it Work for Your Family appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Episode 53 – Hidden Anxiety: 7 Ways it looks like Something Else

Liza Clutario — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 03:01:53 +0000

In episode 53 of Superstar Practical Strategies, Deb talk about hidden anxiety among children is surprisingly high, undoubtedly because it often masquerades as something else. And without understanding what they’re dealing with, the adults in a child’s life are often not equipped to handle it in the best way for the child. Anxiety arises when the amygdala, a small organ in the center of the brain, sends out signals chemical signals intended to give a person extra speed or strength in times of danger. It puts the whole body on high alert as it goes into “flight, fight, or freeze” mode whenever it perceives a threat. But anxiety doesn’t often wave a banner and announce its presence, especially in children. And unless a parent or carer knows what to look for, what is essentially a cry for help may go unrecognized. So, what does hidden anxiety look like? (It’s important to remember that each child is different and anxiety patterns are not uniform).

Get your own copy!

Kids today are growing up in a fast-paced world where information and opportunity overload can be overwhelming.

Based on many years of clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist, Deb Hopper has been using her Just Right Kids® Model to teach children to communicate and manage their stress and anxiety by:

Explore

How the body reacts to anxiety and impacts on our ability to think and get an action plan together
How to teach your children to identify when their body and mind is anxious, and how to tell you
Sensory overload and how this can push children into being anxious
Strategies to reduce screen time that you can start today (because this will help reduce anxiety in your house and make life more peaceful

The post Episode 53 – Hidden Anxiety: 7 Ways it looks like Something Else appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Covid Anxiety: The New Normal For Teens (and ways you can help) | Ep 52

Liza Clutario — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 01:25:20 +0000

In Episode 52 of Life Skills 4 Kids, Deb talked about Covid anxiety which is something no one has talked about much, especially when it comes to children and teens, who have been silently suffering from the side effects of the pandemic.

But research is emerging now that we are almost two years into the pandemic and it’s revealing some grim truths about the effects of the social upheaval on the health and wellbeing of our younger generations.

Covid anxiety has come about as a result of so many social norms being disrupted or removed from kids’ lives completely. Things that previous generations took for granted or experienced as a rite of passage have been off-limits for the current generation of teens and children.

Added to the social isolation, online learning, and the general fear of disease has been discrimination against certain groups for their ethnicity (wanting someone to “blame” for the pandemic) or vaccination status (for those who choose not to have it).

Get your own copy!

Kids today are growing up in a fast-paced world where information and opportunity overload can be overwhelming.

Based on many years of clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist, Deb Hopper has been using her Just Right Kids® Model to teach children to communicate and manage their stress and anxiety by:

Explore

How the body reacts to anxiety and impacts on our ability to think and get an action plan together
How to teach your children to identify when their body and mind is anxious, and how to tell you
Sensory overload and how this can push children into being anxious
Strategies to reduce screen time that you can start today (because this will help reduce anxiety in your house and make life more peaceful

The post Covid Anxiety: The New Normal For Teens (and ways you can help) | Ep 52 appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Technology Anxiety: Helping Kids Cope with the Transition to the Classroom | Ep 51

Liza Clutario — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 07:33:21 +0000

In Episode 51 of Life Skills 4 Kids, Deb talked about how Technology anxiety is real amongst children and young people who have been in lockdowns, back to face-to-face returning to the classroom and another change coming up – back into school holidays and the threat of the Omicron arriving in countries all over the world.

During the last 2 years, most children have been learning online or through an increased amount of screen time rather than face-to-face. For children with anxiety or worries about the problems in the world, this has often been less stressful than engaging in activities in the real world.

But what about when they return to face-to-face learning for a short time, and then back into school holidays shortly? And what is technology anxiety, anyway?

Get your own copy!

Alex Learns that Changes Are Okay is a beautiful book for children who find change difficult.

When you purchase the Alex Learns that Changes are OK (Flipbook), you will receive a digital flipbook that gradually changes from one page to the next while listening to high-quality audio narration as if someone is flipping and reading the book for you!

Another book from the So-Sense: Stories that make so much Sensory-sense series by Occupational Therapist Deb Hopper.

The post Technology Anxiety: Helping Kids Cope with the Transition to the Classroom | Ep 51 appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Helping Kids with Anxiety | Ep 50

Liza Clutario — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 06:26:39 +0000

In Episode 50 of Life Skills 4 Kids, Deb is featured as a guest speaker in Julia Hasche podcast. Julia is a blogger, author, and mentor for single parents who also created the Single Mother Survival Guide in 2016.

Deb talks with Julia about some of the verbal cues and behaviours that children do when they are anxious. Deb also discusses about the ways on how we, as parents, can make it easier for our children who experience anxiety.

In this episode they cover:

Defining anxiety and how would you know if your child might have it?
Ways on Managing anxiety
How life can be better for children with anxiety
Signs/behaviors that your kids might unintentionallly say or do leading to anxiety
What is the difference between “normal kid behavior” vs anxiety
Ways on how we can reduce anxiety in children
Teaching Kids to Manage anxiety book

Get your own copy!

Alex Learns that Changes Are Okay is a beautiful book for children who find change difficult.

Another book from the So-Sense: Stories that make so much Sensory-sense series by Occupational Therapist Deb Hopper.

The post Helping Kids with Anxiety | Ep 50 appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.

Challenges and How to Survive Single Motherhood | Ep 49

Liza Clutario — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 03:01:43 +0000

. .

In Episode 49 of Life Skills 4 Kids Podcast, Deb talks with Julia Hasche, a blogger, podcast host, author, and mentor for single parents. She became a single mother in 2013 when her daughter was just a few months old and created the Single Mother Survival Guide in 2016.

In this episode they cover:

The challenges of single motherhood. Tackling feelings of loneliness, lifestyle changes, dating, co-parenting, and communication.
Top tips to give to single moms especially in the grieving process.
Finding your support and working on your mindset.
Prioritizing self-care

Get to know more about Julia Hasche and Single Mother Survival Guide.

Visit:

https://www.singlemothersurvivalguide.com/or Facebook or Instagram

For more LS4K updates, follow us on our social media channels. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram!

Get your own copy 🙂

A beautiful book for children who find change difficult.

Purchase here

The post Challenges and How to Survive Single Motherhood | Ep 49 appeared first on Life Skills 4 Kids.