It is so beneficial when parents of young students have some "tricks" up their sleeves and can teach and reinforce social-emotional skills at home and in life situations. There are lots of practical ways to help children navigate everyday interactions and feelings. Here are a few of the most common and needed "tricks" that help young students on their journey toward social-emotional health and intelligence:

Like many, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I look forward to wearing my Christmas sweaters and getting out my late grandmother’s vintage ceramic tree. However, when school is out and normal activities are on hold, I often feel a bit overwhelmed without that familiar structure to our days. It is easy to say yes to all the fun things that this time of year has to offer, but I try to keep margin in my time during Christmas break for special time with my kids. What a better way to point my kids, and my heart, back to Christ than serving others or making something to share God’s love with them. 

Inclusion is a word that gets tossed around a lot nowadays. My experience as a mother of four children—two of which were diagnosed with autism in their earliest years—has shaped my perception of and passion for inclusion. For the last three decades, schools and education systems have been moving progressively toward greater and greater inclusion for students are differently-abled physically, cognitively, and neurologically. Amazing strides have been taken to make sure that these differently-abled students receive the same or equivalent educational opportunities alongside their “typical” peers. While inclusion has been addressed on a policy and systemic level, this level of inclusion does not directly translate to inclusion among and by peers. Part of what I experienced with my own children on the autism spectrum is that even when their teachers worked hard to meet their needs and include them at the classroom level, their peer interactions could still be quite challenging.