About the Kid Connection Video Series:
In The Kid Connection students learn social emotional skills that support their meaningful participation in the classroom, on the playground, and in their lives outside of school. During the school dismissal period The Kid Connection will be offering a series of brief, 5-minute videos for our students to learn and practice social emotional skills at home.

Parent Tips--Dealing with Anger
To help your child learn to deal with anger:

• Explain to your child that anger is a natural emotion that everyone feels at times.
• Talk with your child about times you have felt angry and ways deal with your anger productively (don’t do this when you ARE feeling angry).
• Help your child to identify times he/she has felt angry. How did his/her body feel?
• Brainstorm strategies your child can use when feeling angry (count to 10, breathe deeply, label his/her emotion, walk away, draw a picture, write in a journal).

Dealing with Boredom

Help your child deal with boredom by working together to create a list of activities to do when bored.  Post the list and when bored, have your child select and do an activity from the list.  You can turn the list into a fun activity, itself, by having your child make a paper chain of the activities.  Or write all the ideas on small, separate pieces of paper and put them in a Boredom Jar. Have your child label and decorate the Boredom Jar.  When your child says “I’m bored,” have them select and do the next idea from the paper chain or an activity from the Boredom Jar.  Provide positive reinforcement to your child for selecting and doing an activity to alleviate boredom. 

Ideas for activities may include: draw a picture, play a board game, do 25 jumping jacks, make a card for an elderly relative or neighbor, build with Legos, write the grocery list, create a recipe and make it, visit a local attraction online (The Oakland Zoo is offering virtual tours and learning opportunities during the school dismissal), listen to music and dance, call or Skype a relative, build a fort out of sheets and blankets, have a Tea Party

Listening

Being a good listener supports our relationships with others, participation in sports and other activities, school success and many other areas of our lives.  To practice this skill at home:

Model good listening behavior for your child (e.g., look at him when he/she is talking, pay attention and be engaged).

When it’s time for your child to listen, remind him/her of the steps involved:

• Look at the person talking 
• Be quiet so you can hear
• Focus and pay attention to what is being said
• Show that you are interested and engaged (nod your head, smile)
• When it’s your turn to talk, ask follow up questions 

Provide positive feedback to your child for being a good listener.