Emotions Charades is a super fun and incredibly potent tool to help support EQ and empathy in our kids. Use these tips from our theater classrooms to inspire your games and learn about other playful ways that help kids come to terms with their emotions. In these highly charged times we live in, kids need support in identifying and expressing their feelings…let’s do it through play!
What a parenting relief to find great kids lit that helps kids identify and process emotion! These 6 books, recommended by a librarian and a theater teacher, can boost kids’ emotional intelligence and help them manage complex feelings.
Getting kids to sleep can be a challenge! But bedtime can actually be the most meaningful time of the day, where we tell stories, sing songs and wind down through relaxation. Read on to learn tips that add a little play and a lot of calm to your nightly routine. Sweet dreams!
Sculpture is the best theater game to spark imagination and literacy. Kids love molding each other (and you!) into creative tableaus. Get creative with the titles to boost literacy. Expand EQ by riffing on themes that matter to their development. Above all, have fun in a screen-free, physical and bonding way!
Add this dramatic play twist to the classic game I Spy. Your kids will have more fun and get calm in the process. Here I share other games, tools and toys for mindful observations.
Brain Breaks are brilliant ways to energize your kids in the classroom or at home. These short movement activities invigorate kids so that they can learn with calm bodies and focused minds. They tap into imagination and word play too!
With this theater game, kids develop their listening skills through play – and they don’t even realize all the benefits because it is so silly! Play one-on-one or as a birthday party or playdate game. It is a saving grace on car trips or waiting rooms when you need to focus squirmy bodies! Check out the ways to boost mindfulness through relaxing variations that help with bedtime too.
20 Questions can help your kid with impulse control (hello, spring break car trips!), flexible thinking and growth mindset. Kids love it because they can get their “sleuth” on! Parents love it because it is a fun way to get kids focusing in tight spaces!
You can get calm kids without being the “bad guy”! Use this chant to harness kids’ natural creative energy to get them focused and relaxed. Perks: it boosts executive functioning skills like working memory and impulse control. Use it for building literacy skills too!
Give kids mastery over their emotions. Let them identify and communicate about their feelings by talking “to” them! If they give voice (literally) to parts of their brain, they gain mindfulness and perspective over their worry.