Talking about the Texas Flooding
Summer camp is a big part of many children’s experiences. Whether day camp or sleepaway, it’s an opportunity to…
MorePosts tagged: Trauma
Navigating Change with Ten Beautiful Things
Change can be both exciting and scary, and unwanted changes can be particularly stressful. Figuring out how to cope…
MoreGrieving with Cape
The loss of a loved one can be devastating for a child. They may feel anxious and overwhelmed, as well as confused by…
MoreWhen Love Hurts
Stores filled with candy hearts, cutesy cards, and cuddly stuffed animals proclaim Valentine’s Day is fast…
MoreDog Man Spirituality
Dog Man and his arch-nemesis Petey the Cat are stuck in a cycle of fighting with each other until Petey creates a…
MoreWhen Children Shoot Children
A 14-year-old Georgia teen brought a gun to school yesterday, killing two other students and two teachers. Eleven other…
MoreLearning about Self & Others with The Garfield Movie
We often wonder what pets are thinking and feeling, especially when they do something that seems odd or silly. A cat…
MoreKids, Ramadan & Food Insecurity
As the war between Israel and Palestine continues, many Palestinian parents struggle to feed their families. Violence…
MoreTelling Your Child You’re Seriously Ill
After weeks of endless (and often unkind) speculation, we now know: Princess Kate has cancer. She explains that she and…
MoreWhen Kids See Life as a Quest
My son jumped excitedly from foot to foot as he waited impatiently for the clock to strike midnight. Our local…
MoreSpiritual Care with Seriously Ill Children
When a friend’s daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, everyone around them was shocked and dismayed. We wondered how…
MoreTalking with Kids about the Chiefs Parade Shooting
Nearly a million people were celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs and their Super Bowl win when shots rang out, killing…
MoreHanukkah Story Activities
Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, is an eight day celebration that recalls how a small band of ancient Jews…
MoreExploring The Coquíes Still Sing
I grew up in Oklahoma, where tornadoes are a common summer occurrence. My family would huddle in the basement as sirens…
MoreUsing Movement to Reduce Trauma Responses
Numerous studies show that stress is on the rise among children. Some experts suggest that school closures and pandemic…
MoreExploring Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with Kids
Marvel’s newest release, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3, focuses on Rocket’s origin story as Groot, Mantis, Drax,…
MoreTalking about Lockdown Drills with One Thursday Afternoon
Lockdown (Active Shooter) Drills have become a staple of children’s lives. Schools and organizations build them into…
MoreTalking about the Nashville School Shooting
Another school shooting, this time in Nashville. Seven people dead (including the shooter) and many more traumatized…
MoreBoosting Resilience with a ‘Helping Hand’
My kindergartener woke in the middle of the night sobbing. We had just learned earlier that her friend’s mom had been…
MoreSpiritual Themes in The Door of No Return
Lessons about slavery in the United States typically begin with life on a plantation in the American South. This…
MoreTalking with Kids about the Uvalde School Shooting
A school terrorized by an active shooter. A classroom of children injured and dead. Teachers killed trying to protect…
MoreMindful Art
Self-awareness and emotional regulation are spiritual skills that every child needs. Research shows that art activities…
MoreTalking about the War in Ukraine
A refugee toddler’s body washed up face down on a beach. A police officer kneeling on a handcuffed Black man’s…
MoreGuiding Questions for Pandemic Programming
Just when we thought it was safe to relax a little, the Omicron variant has swooped in and put pandemic debates in the…
MoreCreating a Sacred Healing Space
The last two years have been incredibly difficult. Children, as well as adults, have struggled to find spiritual…
MoreTeaching Tough Topics
Ruth Wills doesn’t believe in shying away from tough topics with children. A few years ago, she developed a method…
MoreChapter Books about Refugees & Asylum Seekers
Older children often wonder about the reasons refugees and asylum seekers have left their homelands. They are able to…
MoreBack to the ‘Kinda’ Familiar
As a new school year begins, many organizations are planning to welcome children back to in-person programs. But…
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