Romp n' Roll Pittsburgh Blog
Tips for Teaching Coping Skills to Children in Pittsburgh, PA
Mar 7th, 2022
Child Development, Tips
How to Help Kids Work Through Their Feelings in Healthy Ways
The last few years have taken a heavy toll on children and adults alike. New and confusing experiences have led to big emotions that can feel difficult to make sense of and appropriately process. Just like adults can spend time working on our emotional intelligence and learning how to cope with difficult emotions, children can too!
The Importance of Coping Skills
Particularly at ages when feelings are big but vocabularies are small, coping with difficult emotions can feel extremely frustrating and distressing for children who may not know how to express themselves.
Teaching healthy coping skills for children can help set them up for success in their relationships later in life and can help them become more resilient. Knowing they have power in managing their own emotions can help kids build confidence and keep them healthy in various aspects of their lives.
The last couple of years have left many children isolated from their friends, lacking crucial parts of their adult support system, and experiencing overwhelming stress in their shared communities. Instilling healthy coping practices can go a long way in beginning to repair and manage what has likely been a traumatic time for many children.
How to Teach Coping Skills to Children
No one is born knowing how to manage their emotions. Many of our initial reactions to difficult emotions might be the exact opposite of what our clear-headed self might hope we'd do. Coping skills require direct teaching and ongoing practice.
Every child is different, and different coping skills will offer different levels of benefit to different people. There are a wide range of types of coping skills, such as:
- Active Coping Strategies
- Relaxing Coping Strategies
- Creative Coping Strategies
- Social Coping Strategies
- Emotion-Focused Coping Skills
- Problem-Focused Coping Skills
There is no Singular “Right” way to Work Through an Emotion.
When Teaching Coping Skills to children, Keep these Tips in Mind:
- Ask questions. It's easy for parents and teachers to jump to conclusions or make assumptions about what children need. We might be operating on our understanding of what they've needed in the past, or projecting our own preferences and experiences onto them. Asking open-ended questions can help children practice identifying their emotions and allow them to advocate for the right coping strategy in the moment.
- Praise the practice. Once you've introduced a few coping strategies and you see a child using one, offer specific praise and continue to ask follow-up questions if appropriate.
- Discuss the process. Allow space for kids to weigh in on how each strategy is working for them. Continue to offer new ideas and introduce new skills over time.
Visit Romp n' Roll in Pittsburgh, PA
Classes at Romp n' Roll in Pittsburgh, PA can help children practice their coping skills in a variety of ways. From creative outlets like music classes and art classes to classes aimed at socialization or problem solving, each Romp n' Roll Pittsburgh offering serves as a perfect opportunity for learning and practicing crucial coping skills.
It's never too early to begin equipping children with coping skills, and these classes for toddlers do just that! Enroll your child today.
