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Developing and Implementing Activity Schedules

Activity schedules (also referred to as visual schedules) are often used to help individuals understand daily events in their lives. Activity schedules are made up of a series of pictures (photographs, line drawings) or words to communicate a sequence of activities/events/transitions or the steps of a specific activity. The choice to use pictures or words will depend on the communication skills of the individual. 

Label pictures with the exact words that you and others will use to refer to the activity.  For example, it can be confusing to the individual if one person uses the term washroom and another person says toilet.

How to Use A Schedule

  1. Identify which visuals are available for the day (e.g., activities and outings).
  2. Build your schedule according to the routines the individual will be engaging in for the day. 
  3. If there is flexibility in the schedule such as offering choices be sure to have those picture options available (attached to the board or nearby).
  4. Review the schedule with the individual. 
  5. Use a first /then approach to transition throughout the schedule (e.g., “first shower, then breakfast”).
  6. Once the activity is completed, remove the visual from the board saying for example, “breakfast is finished”.
  7. Continue these steps (4-6) until the end of the schedule.

Tips & Tricks for Creating Your Own Schedule

There are some important elements that should be included when creating an activity schedule:

  • Use consistent language to name the activity or event
  • Point to the picture when naming the activity or event
  • Each picture should be removed or turned over to represent it being “finished”

Independent Activity Schedules

Independent activity schedules are a set of pictures or words that prompts an individual to engage in a specific sequence of activities. Depending on the individual’s capabilities, the activity can be detailed and broken down into its specific parts, or it can be general, using one picture to cue the individual to engage in the activity. Decrease the use of graduated guidance (physical prompts) as the individual becomes more independent in the task. 

The purpose of using independent activity schedules is to teach individuals to perform a set of activities or tasks eventually without the need for guidance or prompting from others. The use of these schedules increases independence and autonomy in the individuals we support, as well as creating structure throughout their day.

Tips for Teaching An Individual to Use An Independent Schedule

  1. The schedule should be set up with the pictures or words necessary and ensure that all of the components of the activity are accessible. For example, if the individual is learning to make toast, provide the bread, butter, toaster and utensils. 
  2. Have the individual pick an activity or an item to “work for” once they have completed their schedule.
  3. When prompting the individual through the schedule, make sure to stand behind the individual (graduated guidance).
  4. The individual should point to each activity and complete them in sequence. It is important to indicate when one activity has been completed before moving on to the next one.
  5. As the individual develops independence, you can fade out prompting. Try not to use any verbal prompts, as they are the hardest to fade out.

Visit ConnectABILITY’s visual engine to create your own activity schedule or visual guide.

This article was written by the Clinical Supports Team at Community Living Toronto.

Emotional Wellbeing

Mindfulness for Children

Practicing mindfulness with children can provide them with the strategies they need to help control their emotions, slow down, calm themselves and focus. Through mindfulness, children may develop greater awareness of their emotional, body and sensory experiences.  Mindfulness for Children

Emotional well-being in childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones and learning skills to help children cope when they are experiencing challenges.

What is Child Anxiety

Children use a variety of ways to communicate how they feel.  Feelings of stress or anxiety could present through their body language, facial expressions, refusal, attention seeking, or physical symptoms. What is Child Anxiety

Anxiety in Childhood

All children experience some form of anxiety; this is to be expected and can be a response to something positive or negative happening in a child’s life. Feeling anxious can be associated with changes in routines, family dynamics, new experiences or exposure to a traumatic event. Anxiety in Childhood

Separation Anxiety in Children

It is natural for children to experience anxiety when introduced to new places and people that may disrupt a child’s normal routines and activities, like going to an early learning program, making friends or sleeping. Separation Anxiety in Children

Children’s Grief and Loss

Feelings of grief may be caused by a traumatic event such as death, illness, or divorce. Experiences of discrimination due to racism, ableism, classism, and other stereotypes or biases can also create grief and loss responses in children.
Children’s Grief and Loss

Emotional Literacy

unhappy child

Emotional Literacy is one’s ability to recognize, understand, label and express feelings. This also includes the ability to identify others emotions expressed through spoken language, body language and facial expressions. Emotional Literacy

Looking Through a Trauma Informed Lens

Understanding Stress and Trauma

Stress and trauma can significantly impact the emotional wellbeing of children and influence the way they interact with others, form relationships, and engage in different environments.

Signs of Stress and Trauma in Children

Long-lasting or recurring stressful experiences may prevent a child from regulating their emotions appropriately and they may fall behind in their learning and development.

Steps to Supporting a Child Experiencing Stress and Trauma

Recognizing and responding to a child’s behaviour through a trauma-informed lens can change how we, as adults interact; what we say, and what we do.

Setting Up for Success

By adapting our environments, approaches, and planned activities using a trauma-informed lens, we can help support children to form positive relationships and have a greater sense of safety and security.

The Importance of Staying Physically Active

Our theme for today is all about the importance of physical activity but also acknowledging that becoming physically active can be challenging to initiate across all different abilities.

Dan is the owner of Level Up Fitness, a gym located in Etobicoke providing personal training and specialized fitness programs to individuals with developmental disabilities.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Rapport Building – building a positive relationship with an individual

Modelling – Demonstrating the desired behaviour

Shaping – Behaviour or skill is gradually taught by differentially reinforcing successive approximations to the target behaviour

Repertoire – the complete array of behaviours that a person has emitted in the past

Token Reinforcement System – a method used to try and reinforce (increase) the frequency of a target behaviour. Tokens can then be exchanged by the child for other types of reinforcement (bubbles, treats, coffee, etc.)

Visual Schedule – communicates the sequence of upcoming activities or events through the use of objects, photographs, icons, or words. 

Reinforcing – occurs when a behaviour increases because of a consequence of either adding or subtracting something from the environment

Interval Ratio – An intermittent schedule of reinforcement can be described as either being a ratio or interval schedule Ratio schedules are when a certain number of responses are emitted before reinforcement. An interval schedule is when a response is reinforced after a certain amount of time since the last reinforcement. 

Evaluating Decision Making Rights for Persons Labelled with Intellectual Disability in Ontario

Join members of the Respecting Rights team to learn about the My Voice My Choice project – a rights education project in Ontario.

Respecting Rights is a project at ARCH led by people with disabilities. Working in a “triple scoop” way, the team delivers accessible legal rights education across Ontario. The triple scoops are: self-advocates, ARCH rights lawyers, advocacy-focused social work.

ARCH received funding for the Respecting Rights project through the Special Projects Initiative, which was established as a result of the institutional abuse class action case against the Government of Ontario regarding the Huronia Regional Centre.

“My Voice, My Choice” (MVMC) is a project of Respecting Rights legal rights education work that has just completed evaluation. This presentation will share the results of this evaluation and introduce the next phase of this exciting legal rights education work.

This presentation is to provide an overview of this work on supported decision making for developmental services staff and networks.

PRESENTERS:

  • Hina Ghaus is a Staff Lawyer at ARCH Disability Law Centre. She practices primarily in the area of human rights for persons with disabilities.
  • Sue Hutton, Social Worker with ARCH. Sue has been working with Respecting Rights at ARCH Disability Law Centre since 2011, delivering public legal education with self-advocates and ARCH lawyers.
  • Krystal Nausbaum, Shineeca McLeod, Paul Cochrane, members of the Respecting Rights self-advocate team.

Download a copy of the presentation

Recorded September 25, 2020 by the Shared Learning Forum

Tips for Picky Eating

We all have preferences about the types of food we like to eat and children do too. It is normal for children to prefer certain foods and to be hesitant about trying new foods.

When does picky eating become a problem?

Picky eating becomes a concern when it impacts health or social interaction. For example, not eating enough food to maintain a healthy body weight, not eating foods that provide necessary nutrients, or not being able to eat in unfamiliar settings. Picky eaters may become very anxious when presented with new foods. They might cry or have a tantrum.

What causes picky eating?

  • At around 2 years old children start to eat less because growth starts to slow down.
  • Toddlers are learning to be independent and one way of demonstrating this is choosing the foods they will eat.
  • A child may have difficulty with chewing and swallowing.
  • Some children are naturally more sensitive to taste, smell, and texture.
  • Young children are still developing their food preferences. It can take up to 10 separate attempts at eating a new food for a child to decide if they like it or not.
  • Children may develop picky eating habits by watching their parents’ or family members’ selective eating habits.
  • Refusing food may be a way for the child to get attention from a parent or caregiver.

Having a child who is a picky eater can be stressful for the whole family. Below are some strategies that parents and caregivers can use to help children eat a wider variety of foods.

Strategies to support healthy eating

Involve children in meal planning and preparation

Involve your child in making decisions about what meals the family will have. Include your child in grocery shopping and preparing the meal. For example, they can mix or measure ingredients, wash fruits or vegetables, or serve food onto plates.

Limit drinks close to meals

Too much milk or juice could reduce your child’s appetite. Wait until after meals to serve these types of drinks.

Honour your child’s choices

Respect that your child can choose what they eat and how much they eat. If your child chooses not to eat, allow them to make that choice. As a parent or caregiver, your role is to ensure that a variety of healthy foods are offered. Do not force your child to eat. Sometimes it can be beneficial to provide choices. For example, asking your child if they would rather have broccoli or carrot with their meal.

Avoid distractions

Try to remove distractions such as TV, tablets, and toys during mealtimes.

Allow your child to play with food

Allow children to interact with their food by smelling, touching or playing with it. If a child learns to be comfortable touching a food, they may be more comfortable tasting it. Cutting food into shapes or making designs with food can make food more appealing to children.

Be a role model

Children learn through observation. Set an example by eating a variety of healthy foods yourself.

Develop a mealtime routine

  • Schedule 3 meals and 2-3 snacks at around the same time every day. Try to avoid giving your child snacks in between these scheduled times.
  • Before a meal give your child a 10-15 minute warning so they can transition into mealtime.
  • Set up a routine around meals. For example, before every meal have your child wash their hands and set the table.

Use passive language

Avoid pressuring your child to eat using scolding, punishments, or bribes and don’t use food as a reward. Instead use positive feedback, praise, and encouragement to promote healthy eating habits.

Make mealtime a positive experience

Creating a positive atmosphere at mealtime can help children develop healthy attitudes towards eating. Try to eat together as a family when possible. Keep mealtimes enjoyable and relaxed by limiting strict rules around table behaviours and embracing that learning to eat can be messy.

Talk about food

Talk to your child about food. Some children may be unable to guess what a new food will taste like just by looking at it. Talking about a new food’s taste, texture, and sound can help children feel more comfortable trying it. Focus on using objective words to describe the food (e.g., sweet, crunchy) rather than words like yummy or good.

Most children will eat to meet their nutritional needs. If your child is healthy and is maintaining a healthy body weight it is okay to let them eat more of their preferred foods. It is okay if your child does not eat all 3 food groups at every meal, as long as there is variety in their diet over time. If you are worried that your child’s picky eating is impacting their health, you can contact your family physician.

SOURCES & RESOURCES

Strategies for Picky Eating

Develop a mealtime routine

Schedule 3 meals daily and have 2-3 snack breaks. Give your child a 10-15 minute warning that mealtime is approaching. Include your child in the mealtime routine by asking them to set the table and wash their hands.

Involve them in meal preparation

Allow your child to help make decisions about the meal. Bring them along to the grocery shop and let them help prepare the meal.

Be a role model

Children learn through observation. Set an example by eating new, healthy foods yourself!

Honour their choices

Respect that your child can choose what they want to eat and how much they want to eat. Do not force your child to eat. Think about providing your child with different food options.

Make it a positive experience

Try and eat together as a family when possible. Keep mealtimes fun and relaxed by limiting strict rules and embracing that learning can be messy.

Avoid distractions

Try to remove distractions such as TV, tablet or toys during mealtime.

Limit drinks close to mealtime

Too many drinks can reduce your child’s appetite. Wait until after the meals to serve milk or juice.

Allow them to play

Let your child interact with their food by smelling, touching or playing with it. Try cutting food into shapes or make designs to make food more appealing and fun.

Remember to be patient, stay positive and make it fun!

Sources

Canadian Pediatric Society (2019). Caring for Kids: When your child is a picky eater. https://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/when_your_child_is_a_picky_eater

City of Toronto (n.d.) Picky Eating. https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/childrenparenting/pregnancy-and-parenting/parenting/feeding-your-child/feeding-yourtoddlerpreschooler/picky-eating/

Community Living Toronto (n.d.) Children with ASD who are picky eaters.

Schwarz, J., (n.d.) Picking apart picky eating. http://www.boomeranghealth.com/picking-apart-picky-eating/

Tips for Picky Eating & Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

What is picky eating?

Picky eaters can be referred to as children who only eat certain foods, avoid other foods, and are often unwilling to try new foods.

What can cause picky eating?

Genetic, sensory, physical and/or environmental factors can cause picky eating.

Picky eating and ASD

  • Autism is often associated with food aversions, food sensitivities and ritualistic eating.
  • A child may be responding to sensory aspects of food. i.e: strong flavours, smells, textures or colours.
  • Eating is a social skill which children with ASD may have more difficulty understanding, so the child may not know mealtime expectations.

Supporting healthy eating habits for children with ASD

  1. Rule out physical problems: Make sure your child’s doctor screens for and addresses any issues
  2. Ease into mealtime: Many children with ASD may experience anxiety when it comes to mealtime so it is important to promote relaxation. Providing a verbal warning that indicates to your child that mealtime is coming up shortly can also help them shift their focus and prepare mentally for the upcoming mealtime.
  3. Have mealtime together at the table: Consider using the same table for all meals and have family members sit in the same chairs.
  4. Support your child’s posture: Poor posture which can lead to discomfort. If you see your child is slouching, leaning or wriggling, try placing a rolled up towel around their back and hips to provide support. For foot support, place a stool under their feet to provide extra stability.
  5. Concentrate on the food, not the behaviour: Try to ignore challenging behaviours and divert attention from the negative behaviour with a conversation about the food. This can involve questions to get the whole family involved in “food learning”:
    • What sound does this food make when you chew it?
    • What other foods do we eat that are the same colour?

Calming Strategies for Children & Youth

Learning to regulate our emotional responses, especially during times of stress, can be difficult. Most children have some natural ways of self-regulating but may also need to learn appropriate ways to respond when experiencing anxiety. Calming strategies can help a child to work through strong emotions. When calming strategies are practiced regularly throughout the day, the possibility for use at times of anxiety is increased.

Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises can help to remind your child to stop and count out deep breaths when they are upset.

You can also use visuals as a non-verbal reminder, posting them in a quiet area or where the exercise is most likely to be practiced.

Blowing Out Birthday Candles – Have your child hold up one hand; their fingers are the “candles”. Count out the five “candles” together. Then blow out each “candle” with a long breath. Curl your finger down slowly while you are blowing.

Blowing up Balloons – Pretend to pull a balloon out of your pocket and encourage your child to do the same. Cup your hands together and hold them in front of your mouth. Take a deep breath and as you exhale slowly expand your hands as if inflating a balloon. When you are finished take a deep breath and slowly close your hands back together as you exhale to “deflate the balloon”. Repeat this five times.

Grounding Techniques

Grounding techniques can help kids identify negative thought patterns in order to self-regulate during stressful situations.

ABC Around the Room: Look for things starting with each letter of the alphabet, can go as long as they want.

Favourite Colour: Have your child pick a colour and name everything in the room that is that colour.

5-4-3-2-1 Senses:
5 things you see
4 things you hear
3 things you smell
2 things you can touch
1 thing you taste

5-4-3-2-1 Sights
5 colours I see
4 shapes I see
3 soft things I see
2 people I see
1 book I see

Visualization & Imagery

Visualization and imagery are
techniques that focus on encouraging a child to focus on a happy thought, memory, or story to take their mind off worrying as they breathe.

Let your child use their imagination to go to a place that makes them feel calm and secure!

Have them sit or stand in a position that is comfortable for them, close their eyes and imagine whatever they would like!

If your child finds this challenging, or you would like to use guided visualization, there are full scripts for multiple visualization options can be found at: https://connectability.ca/category/kids/

You can read through the script to your child as they have their eyes closed and imagine they are in a new, more calming space!

Physical Activities

Having your child move their bodies in different ways may help relieve stress and tension to achieve a feeling of calmness.

Sticky Hands – Pretend to have “sticky” hands and then press them together. Now push hard for 20 seconds. Now tell your child to slowly allow their hands to come apart and see if they can feel the stickiness. Repeat this sequence two or three times.

Stretching – Have your child do simple stretches such as touching their toes and reaching up to the sky on their tip toes. Have your child lie on their backs and make letters with their bodies. Try “X” (spread out their legs and arms) and “T”, (put their legs together while keeping their arms stretched out). Be creative and add your own! Remember to move slowly from stretch to stretch.

Tense and Relax – Have your child form their hands into fists and bring their shoulders to their ears. Count to five and then relax. Repeat five times. Try using props such as “squeeze balls” to help exaggerate the motion. If comfortable, have your child tense up into a small ball and squeeze for the count of 5 and then relax.

Copy a Friend – Have one child be the leader and one child be the follower, acting as a mirror to their friend.

Changing their Environment

A soothing environment can be good for both the child and the caregiver! Consider how your surroundings may increase or decrease stress.

Noise level – is your area particularly noisy, or are there any unpleasant sounds? Consider using headphones, or moving locations.

Brightness – is your area particularly bright or colourful? Does your child have any challenges with particularly harsh visual information?

Position – is your child in a comfortable position that supports their access to the activity?

Other sensory considerations – any smells or cues that may be adding stress to your child’s experience in that moment? How you can modify the environment to reduce the exposure?

Positioning

Trying out different ways to hold or carry your infant may help to find a position that is most comforting or soothing for them during development.

How positioning can help:

  • Increases the child’s awareness of their body
  • Encourages the child to learn how to calm themselves down
  • Helps with the development of vision and hearing

The basic principles of positioning:
Try to use slow, gentle movements whenever positioning the baby.

  1. Try to keep the baby’s arms and legs close to their body. This will help them feel stable and in control.
  2. Try to use positions that encourage: bringing their arms and legs closer to their body, hands near their mouth, both sides of their body in the same position, and have them looking downwards.
  3. Encourage the baby to lie on their tummy or side.

Imaginative or Creative Thinking

Creative or imaginative thinking can help your child better understand stressful situations and practice solutions.

Personal Stories – Describe a situation in detail with a focus on important social information such as what others might think, feel or do to show how to cope with it. They are effective teaching tools as they can be personalized to a child or group.

Story Books – Story books that highlight social situations can be used to promote conversation, understanding of emotions and empathy. It’s a great way for the child to identify with characters in stressful situations and to understand how they cope.

Role Play – Gives children an opportunity to explore a situation, concept or social skill through play and to find different ways to handle stressful situations. The experience can be enhanced by using puppets, dress-up, or toys.

Problem Solving/Brainstorming – Talking about concerns in a group of peers can provide opportunities for a child to express ideas, ask questions and arrive at possible solutions in a safe environment. It’s a great way for a child to learn from and to build positive relationships with their peers. The caregiver’s role is to establish a warm and supportive environment for this process and to emphasize the importance of listening.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness encourages a child to guide their attention to the present moment using various strategies.

Walking Meditation – Using the feelings in the feet and legs as meditation objects while walking. This is a good strategy if a child is restless or anxious to sit still.

Mindful of Sound – Focusing your attention on different sounds as they happen. This is a good strategy if a child is easily distracted by their inner thoughts and feelings.

Body Scan – Explore feelings in different parts of the body. This is a good strategy for children who need an alternative to focusing on their breath.

Mindfulness Apps
Calm, Headspace, ReachOut WorryTime, Stop Breath & Think

Positive Self-Talk

Positive self-talk may help to increase your child’s self esteem and, therefore, the ability to manage their anxiety.

“I Can” Flower – Start by handing out paper flower petals to the child. In the center of the circle put the core of the flower with the words “I Can” on it. Have the child say something they can do, write it on their petal and then have them add it to the flower. You can adapt this activity by using photos or providing examples. To expand the activity, try using different themes, such as “I can” to help at home, “I can” with my friends.

“I Can” Project – Give the child a personal box and allow them to identify a goal they would like to work on. If needed, goals can be broken down into smaller steps. As the child practices the steps, help acknowledge their achievement by writing it down on a small piece of paper and then put the paper into their box. For example, a child is working on snipping with scissors. At each step of learning the task write down the success, such as “I can cut on the line,” and help them put it into their box.

Tips on Setting up a Calming Routine

Setting up a calming routine is a shared process involving the child and caregivers!

Here are the first things to consider:

  1. Take an inventory of the calming strategies your child is already using and together select the ones that work well.
  2. Start with strategies that are familiar to your child and are appropriate for their developmental level. This may help build on their existing resources and increase the likelihood of success.
  3. Once your child is familiar with practicing the strategies, together you can introduce new ones.
  4. Collectively choose the best times for your children to practice these activities. Calming strategies are best introduced during the least stressful times.
  5. Try to make the activities fun by including props and visuals, such as pillows, squeeze balls, and pictures or other objects that the child enjoys.

Remember to practice self-compassion! These calming strategies will take some time to fit into your daily life.

Children and Sleep

Overview

Sleep is essential to a child’s overall wellness and development and plays an important role in supporting their functioning in everyday activities. Well-rested children are better able to focus at school, manage their emotions, regulate their behaviour, and make healthier food choices. Inadequate sleep is associated with many negative consequences including challenges with their mental health, school performance, increased risk-taking behaviour, and may impact their self-esteem. 

2-3% of school aged children and 80% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience sleep difficulties. Some of these difficulties include early awakenings followed by difficulty falling back asleep, trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, sleeping alone and having nightmares. 

Below are some strategies that may help to improve a child’s sleep!

Monitoring a child’s sleeping patterns:

  • Children or parents can record the child’s sleep habits over a 24-hour period for at least 2 continuous weeks to try and identify day-to-day challenges with sleep and the variability of their sleep schedule. This will help target strategies to better improve their sleep.
  • This can be done using a chart, checklist, journal or another method that works well for you and the child!
  • Things that you may consider tracking include what time they go to bed/get up in the morning, hours of sleep, how many times they got up in the night etc. 

Behavioural strategies

The aim of behavioural strategies is to help develop good sleep habits and avoid, replace or extinguish behaviours that prevent the child from sleeping well at night.

Below are some tips you can implement to help your child sleep better at night:

  1. This point is extremely important! Children should be engaging in activities during the day, in their bedroom and before bedtime that help to promote sound sleep. For example, being active during the day outside of the bedroom may help children sleep better at night and reading a book or taking a bath before bed may be more calming closer to bedtime. Developing proper habits such as having a consistent bedtime routine will also help to regulate sleep. 
  2. Limit activities in the child’s bedroom that are incompatible with sleep. For example, overly stimulating activities such as hide-and-go-seek, to prevent conditioning that associates their bedroom with these stimulating activities.
  3. Limit the time in bed to match desired sleep duration. Try and avoid performing other activities other than ones that promote sleep or sleep itself in the child’s bed. This way, they are only in bed for the amount of time they should be sleeping. 

Example strategies

  1. Self-soothing strategies: relates to the emotional regulation process of a child and provides them strategies to learn to calm themselves down independently
    • Bedtime basket: activities to do before bed while the child becomes drowsy enough to fall asleep
      • Activities should be calming 
      • Activities should focus on decreasing bothersome stimuli (e.g., lights, sounds)
      • Examples: colouring, jigsaw puzzles, cards, stuffed animals
    • Bedtime buddy: security object included in the child’s bedtime routine (e.g. special doll, stuffed animal, blanket)
  2. 5 B’s Bedtime Routine: collaborate with the child to create a visual schedule to prepare them before bedtime.
    • Bedtime bite: provide a healthy snack before bed only to be eaten in the kitchen
    • Bath: washing up and getting the child into pajamas for bedtime preparation
    • Brush teeth
    • Bathroom: provide one last opportunity to go to the washroom to avoid extra bathroom requests later
    • Books: reading time before bed; choose a specific number of books or set a timer to mark the end of reading time – this can also be included in their bedtime basket to eventually promote independent reading before bedtime 
  3. Create a sleep-conductive space
    • This may include keeping the child’s sleep space dark, quiet, comfortable, and cool – Try to limit interruptions, you may need to consider using blackout curtains, eyeshades, earplugs or devices that create white noise. 

Relaxation & Mindfulness Strategies

Relaxation and mindfulness techniques help children bring their attention to the present moment, enter a deep relaxation and help them regulate their bodies before bedtime. These strategies work well for all children especially those who worry about bedtime or who experience anxiety.

  1. Deep breathing exercises
    • 4-7-8 breathing: get the child to lie down, inhale through their nose for 4 seconds, hold their breath for 7 seconds, exhale through their mouth for 8 seconds and repeat this 4 times. https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing#1
    • Box breathing: Breath in for 4 seconds, “breathe in like you are smelling a flower,” breathe out for 4 seconds, “breathe out like you are blowing out birthday candles.” Repeat this 4-5 times until the child begins to feel calm.
  2. Progressive muscles relaxation
  3. Grounding
    • Focusing on Your Five Senses: When feeling anxious at the moment, there are some techniques that exist to help kids focus on the present moment. 
      • Help guide the child to list: 5 things they can see, 4 things they can hear, 3 things they can touch, 2 things they can smell, 1 thing they can taste
  4. Guided meditation

Additional Resources

Apps

Books 

  • Become your Child’s Sleep Coach by Lynelle Schneeberg
  • What Do You Do When You Dread Your Bed: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Sleep by Dawn Hubner & Bonnie Matthews
  • What Do You Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety by Dawn Hubner & Bonnie Matthews

Sources

  • Mendoza, J. (2020). A good sleep. Retrieved from http://www.agoodsleep.ca
  • Scheeberg, L. (2019). Becoming Your Child’s Sleep Coach (1st ed.). New York, NY: Lifelong Books.
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