Challenged by your child’s behavior? Tired of meltdowns, bedtime battles, challenging morning routines, or occasional aggressive behavior? What is it that our children really need from us to move away from these kinds of behaviors and toward something more productive?
BETTER BRAINS FOR TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS
a 6-week class for parents/caregivers
5:30 - 7:00pm on Wednesdays: 10/16, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 12/4, 12/11
Class Agenda:
Class 1: The Emotional World of Parenting
As parents we can be extremely triggered by our children’s normal but challenging behaviors. Yet our strong reactions do not help our children move out of these behaviors. In this class we will explore the emotional world of parenting, where our strong emotions come from, and what we can do to calm our strong emotions so that we can help our children do the same.
Class 2: Child Development: Understanding your children and speaking their language
Children are wired differently from adults. Their social, emotional, and physical capabilities are different from ours. In this class we will learn about our children’s brain development and how it impacts their behavior. We will also discuss the developmental abilities of your children so you can match your expectations of your child’s understanding and capabilities to reality. We will also talk about what builds “better brains”.
Class 3: Challenging Behavior - Where does it come from?
While our children’s behaviors can be infuriating, their behaviors are often normal and are conveying some kind of need that is going unmet. What are these needs and how do we meet them proactively in order to diminish the behaviors we find so challenging? Understanding our children, especially in times of challenge, and treating them with kindness, empathy, and respect is one of the ways our children feel accepted for who they are. Over time this can also help our children move through their challenges with more ease. Teaching our children emotional literacy and emotional regulation can also help decrease the frequency of their challenging behaviors.
Class 4: Discipline - It means to teach!
We tend to equate discipline with punishment, but the word discipline actually means to teach. If we are punishing our children, we are teaching them what not to do, but we aren’t teaching them the skills for what they can do when they feel challenged. When we are punished, we often go to places of anger, blaming others, or feeling badly about ourselves or the person who punished us. Strong mental health comes in part from feeling good about oneself. In this class we will discuss how to discipline, or teach, our children while also helping them maintain a strong sense of self.
Class 5: Rules, Routines, & Responsibilities
While we are living with toddlers and preschoolers, we are also raising future adults. This class will focus on the “how tos” of teaching our kids the skills they need as they grow into adults. Establishing co-created agreements, or rules, and routines for how to move through certain parts of the day are proactive and intentional ways of teaching our children skills. During this class, we will discuss how to create rules that work and routines that stick. Once in place, the rules and routines can be the teacher so parents no longer have to nag, scold, or boss. We will also discuss age appropriate responsibilities you can give your children that help them feel important, capable, and that they matter!
Class 6: Parenting in Practice
Using real life challenges parents experience in their homes with their children, Rachel will walk parents through a step by step process of how to work with their children’s strong emotions and challenging behaviors while also managing their own strong reactions and teaching their children skills for how to manage challenging situations in the future.
BETTER BRAINS FOR TODDLERS & PRESCHOOLERS
a 6-week class for parents/caregivers
5:30 - 7:00pm on Wednesdays: 10/16, 11/6, 11/13, 11/20, 12/4, 12/11
- $100/person or $125/couple – register by calling 307-739-4818
- Classes will meet in the Moose/Wapiti classroom at St. John's Medical Center.
- Contact Rachel for questions about the classes: [email protected]
- Register with Lauren Sullivan at St. John's Medical Center: 307-739-4818 or [email protected]
- Offered in partnership with St. John's Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Dr. Kathleen Logan, MD. More at: https://www.tetonhospital.org/services/child-psychiatry/.
- Sponsored by St. John's Hospital Foundation https://growinggreatfamilieswy.weebly.com/
Class Agenda:
Class 1: The Emotional World of Parenting
As parents we can be extremely triggered by our children’s normal but challenging behaviors. Yet our strong reactions do not help our children move out of these behaviors. In this class we will explore the emotional world of parenting, where our strong emotions come from, and what we can do to calm our strong emotions so that we can help our children do the same.
Class 2: Child Development: Understanding your children and speaking their language
Children are wired differently from adults. Their social, emotional, and physical capabilities are different from ours. In this class we will learn about our children’s brain development and how it impacts their behavior. We will also discuss the developmental abilities of your children so you can match your expectations of your child’s understanding and capabilities to reality. We will also talk about what builds “better brains”.
Class 3: Challenging Behavior - Where does it come from?
While our children’s behaviors can be infuriating, their behaviors are often normal and are conveying some kind of need that is going unmet. What are these needs and how do we meet them proactively in order to diminish the behaviors we find so challenging? Understanding our children, especially in times of challenge, and treating them with kindness, empathy, and respect is one of the ways our children feel accepted for who they are. Over time this can also help our children move through their challenges with more ease. Teaching our children emotional literacy and emotional regulation can also help decrease the frequency of their challenging behaviors.
Class 4: Discipline - It means to teach!
We tend to equate discipline with punishment, but the word discipline actually means to teach. If we are punishing our children, we are teaching them what not to do, but we aren’t teaching them the skills for what they can do when they feel challenged. When we are punished, we often go to places of anger, blaming others, or feeling badly about ourselves or the person who punished us. Strong mental health comes in part from feeling good about oneself. In this class we will discuss how to discipline, or teach, our children while also helping them maintain a strong sense of self.
Class 5: Rules, Routines, & Responsibilities
While we are living with toddlers and preschoolers, we are also raising future adults. This class will focus on the “how tos” of teaching our kids the skills they need as they grow into adults. Establishing co-created agreements, or rules, and routines for how to move through certain parts of the day are proactive and intentional ways of teaching our children skills. During this class, we will discuss how to create rules that work and routines that stick. Once in place, the rules and routines can be the teacher so parents no longer have to nag, scold, or boss. We will also discuss age appropriate responsibilities you can give your children that help them feel important, capable, and that they matter!
Class 6: Parenting in Practice
Using real life challenges parents experience in their homes with their children, Rachel will walk parents through a step by step process of how to work with their children’s strong emotions and challenging behaviors while also managing their own strong reactions and teaching their children skills for how to manage challenging situations in the future.
