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OT Activity Ideas search engine for parents, teachers, and pediatric Occupational Therapists. Products and activity search by skills and materials.

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It happens to every child in one form or another - anxiety. As parents, we would like to shield our children from life's anxious moments, but navigating anxiety is an essential life skill that will serve them in the years to come. In the heat of the moment, try these simple phrases to help your children identify, accept, and work through their anxious moments.
1. "Can you draw it?"
Drawing, painting or doodling about an anxiety provides kids with an outlet for their feelings when they can't use their words.
2. "I love you. You are safe."
Being told that you will be kept safe by the person you love the most is a powerful affirmation. Remember, anxiety makes your children feel as if their minds and bodies are in danger. Repeating they are safe can soothe the nervous system.
3. "Let's pretend we're blowing up a giant balloon. We'll take a deep breath and blow it up to the count of 5."
If you tell a child to take a deep breath in the middle of a panic attack, chances are you'll hear, "I CAN'T!" Instead, make it a game. Pretend to blow up a balloon, making funny noises in the process. Taking three deep breaths and blowing them out will actually reverse the stress response in the body and may even get you a few giggles in the process.
4. "I will say something and I want you to say it exactly as I do: 'I can do this.'" Do this 10 times at variable volume.
Marathon runners use this trick all of the time to get past "the wall."
5. "Why do you think that is?"
This is especially helpful for older kids who can better articulate the "Why" in what they are feeling.
6. "What will happen next?"
If your children are anxious about an event, help them think through the event and identify what will come after it. Anxiety causes myopic vision, which makes life after the event seem to disappear.
7. "We are an unstoppable team."
Separation is a powerful anxiety trigger for young children. Reassure them that you will work together, even if they can't see you.
8. Have a battle cry: "I am a warrior!"; "I am unstoppable!"; or "Look out World, here I come!"
There is a reason why movies show people yelling before they go into battle. The physical act of yelling replaces fear with endorphins. It can also be fun.
9. "If how you feel was a monster, what would it look like?"
Giving anxiety a characterization means you take a confusing feeling and make it concrete and palpable. Once kids have a worry character, they can talk to their worry.
10. "I can't wait until _____."
Excitement about a future moment is contagious.
11. "Let's put your worry on the shelf while we _____ (listen to your favorite song, run around the block, read this story). Then we'll pick it back up again."
Those who are anxiety-prone often feel as though they have to carry their anxiety until whatever they are anxious about is over. This is especially difficult when your children are anxious about something they cannot change in the future. Setting it aside to do something fun can help put their worries into perspective.
12. "This feeling will go away. Let's get comfortable until it does."
The act of getting comfortable calms the mind as well as the body. Weightier blankets have even been shown to reduce anxiety by increasing mild physical stimuli.
13. "Let's learn more about it."
Let your children explore their fears by asking as many questions as they need. After all, knowledge is power.
14. "Let's count _____."
This distraction technique requires no advance preparation. Counting the number of people wearing boots, the number of watches, the number of kids, or the number of hats in the room requires observation and thought, both of which detract from the anxiety your child is feeling.
15. "I need you to tell me when 2 minutes have gone by."
Time is a powerful tool when children are anxious. By watching a clock or a watch for movement, a child has a focus point other than what is happening.
16. "Close your eyes. Picture this..."
Visualization is a powerful technique used to ease pain and anxiety. Guide your child through imagining a safe, warm, happy place where they feel comfortable. If they are listening intently, the physical symptoms of anxiety will dissipate.
17. "I get scared/nervous/anxious sometimes too. It's no fun."
Empathy wins in many, many situations. It may even strike up a conversation with your older child about how you overcame anxiety.
18. "Let's pull out our calm-down checklist."
Anxiety can hijack the logical brain; carry a checklist with coping skills your child has practiced. When the need presents itself, operate off of this checklist.
19. "You are not alone in how you feel."
Pointing out all of the people who may share their fears and anxieties helps your child understand that overcoming anxiety is universal.
20. "Tell me the worst thing that could possibly happen."
Once you've imagined the worst possible outcome of the worry, talk about the likelihood of that worst possible situation happening. Next, ask your child about the best possible outcome. Finally, ask them about the most likely outcome. The goal of this exercise is to help a child think more accurately during their anxious experience.
21. "Worrying is helpful, sometimes."
This seems completely counter-intuitive to tell a child that is already anxious, but pointing out why anxiety is helpful reassures your children that there isn't something wrong with them.
22. "What does your thought bubble say?"
If your children read comics, they are familiar with thought bubbles and how they move the story along. By talking about their thoughts as third-party observers, they can gain perspective on them.
23. "Let's find some evidence."
Collecting evidence to support or refute your child's reasons for anxiety helps your children see if their worries are based on fact.
24. "Let's have a debate."
Older children especially love this exercise because they have permission to debate their parent. Have a point, counter-point style debate about the reasons for their anxiety. You may learn a lot about their reasoning in the process.
25. "What is the first piece we need to worry about?"
Anxiety often makes mountains out of molehills. One of the most important strategies for overcoming anxiety is to break the mountain back down into manageable chunks. In doing this, we realize the entire experience isn't causing anxiety, just one or two parts.
26. "Let's list all of the people you love."
Anais Nin is credited with the quote, "Anxiety is love's greatest killer." If that statement is true, then love is anxiety's greatest killer as well. By recalling all of the people that your child loves and why, love will replace anxiety.
27. "Remember when..."
Competence breeds confidence. Confidence quells anxiety. Helping your children recall a time when they overcame anxiety gives them feelings of competence and thereby confidence in their abilities.
28. "I am proud of you already."
Knowing you are pleased with their efforts, regardless of the outcome, alleviates the need to do something perfectly - a source of stress for a lot of kids.
29. "We're going for a walk."
Exercise relieves anxiety for up to several hours as it burns excess energy, loosens tense muscles and boosts mood. If your children can't take a walk right now, have them run in place, bounce on a yoga ball, jump rope or stretch.
30. "Let's watch your thought pass by."
Ask your children to pretend the anxious thought is a train that has stopped at the station above their head. In a few minutes, like all trains, the thought will move on to its next destination.
31. "I'm taking a deep breath."
Model a calming strategy and encourage your child to mirror you. If your children allow you, hold them to your chest so they can feel your rhythmic breathing and regulate theirs.
32. "How can I help?"
Let your children guide the situation and tell you what calming strategy or tool they prefer in this situation.
33. "This feeling will pass."
Often, children will feel like their anxiety is never-ending. Instead of shutting down, avoiding, or squashing the worry, remind them that relief is on the way.
34. "Let's squeeze this stress ball together."
When your children direct their anxiety to a stress ball, they feel emotional relief. Buy a ball, keep a handful of play dough nearby or make your own homemade stress ball by filling a balloon with flour or rice.
35. "I see Widdle is worried again. Let's teach Widdle not to worry."
Create a character to represent the worry, such as Widdle the Worrier. Tell your child that Widdle is worried and you need to teach him some coping skills.
36. "I know this is hard."
Acknowledge that the situation is difficult. Your validation shows your children that you respect them.
37. "I have your smell buddy right here."
A smell buddy, fragrance necklace or diffuser can calm anxiety, especially when you fill it with lavender, sage, chamomile, sandalwood or jasmine.
38. "Tell me about it."
Without interrupting, listen to your children talk about what's bothering them. Talking it out can give your children time to process their thoughts and come up with a solution that works for them.
39. "You are so brave!"
Affirm your children's ability to handle the situation, and you empower them to succeed this time.
40. "Which calming strategy do you want to use right now?"
Because each anxious situation is different, give your children the opportunity to choose the calming strategy they want to use.
41. "We'll get through this together."
Supporting your children with your presence and commitment can empower them to persevere until the scary situation is over.
42. "What else do you know about (scary thing)?"
When your children face a consistent anxiety, research it when they are calm. Read books about the scary thing and learn as much as possible about it. When the anxiety surfaces again, ask your children to recall what they've learned. This step removes power from the scary thing and empowers your child.
43. "Let's go to your happy place."
Visualization is an effective tool against anxiety. When your children are calm, practice this calming strategy until they are able to use it successfully during anxious moments.
44. "What do you need from me?"
Ask your children to tell you what they need. It could be a hug, space or a solution.
45. "If you gave your feeling a color, what would it be?"
Asking another person to identify what they're feeling in the midst of anxiety is nearly impossible. But asking your children to give how they feel with a color, gives them a chance to think about how they feel relative to something simple. Follow up by asking why their feeling is that color.
46. "Let me hold you."
Give your children a front hug, a hug from behind, or let them sit on your lap. The physical contact provides a chance for your child to relax and feel safe.
47. "Remember when you made it through XYZ?"
Reminding your child of a past success will encourage them to persevere in this situation.
48. "Help me move this wall."
Hard work, like pushing on a wall, relieves tension and emotions. Resistance bands also work.
49. "Let's write a new story."
Your children have written a story in their mind about how the future is going to turn out. This future makes them feel anxious. Accept their story and then ask them to come up with a few more plot lines where the story's ending is different.

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49 Phrases to Calm an Anxious Child | GoZen!

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It happens to every child in one form or another - anxiety. As parents, we would like to shield our children from life's anxious moments, but navigating anxiety is an essential life skill that will serve them in the years to come.

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Your child's IEP includes annual goals. And while her school will keep you updated on progress, you may want to keep track on your own, too.

This IEP goal tracker can help you stay on top of your child's IEP goals, her present level of performance and the progress she's making. It can also help you keep track of questions or observations you might want to raise with the IEP team.

A goal chart doesn't have to be complicated. Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know to fill out this downloadable IEP goal tracker. (Most of it can be found right on your child's IEP.)

The goals on your child's current IEP

Her present level of performance

The smaller steps (sometimes called benchmarks or short-term objectives) it will take to meet the goal. If you don't know what they are, you can ask the IEP team, "What skills should I expect my child to be learning to make progress toward this goal?"

The downloadable goal tracker includes an example you can follow as you fill out the chart.

It's important to gather information to help you keep track of questions you want to ask the school about your child's progress. Collect work samples and progress reports. And take note of any difficulty your child is having with homework.

Often, the goals on an IEP will be numbered. If that's not the case with your child's IEP, you may want to number them yourself. Then you can match the goal numbers to the work samples you've gathered. That can help you be more organized when you show the team examples that relate to a specific goal.

You're an important part of the IEP team, and the more you know about annual goals, the better. Learn how to tell if your child's goals are SMART. And know what to consider when the team is developing goals.

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Your child's IEP includes annual goals. And while her school will keep you updated on progress, you may want to keep track on your own, too. This IEP goal tracker can help you stay on top of your child's IEP goals, her present level of performance and the progress she's making.

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Multiple resources including games

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Supplementary Zones Emotion Visuals
These Zones visuals feature characters from The Zones of Regulation Storybook Set. They can be used when teaching Lesson 1 in The Zones of Regulation curriculum to supplement Reproducible C: Zones Emotions and Reproducible E: The Zones of Regulation Visual and at any point in the learning process.
Our most popular resources are available in Spanish, French, and English.
We are pleased to provide digital versions of three widely used "Reproducibles" from the curriculum book translated into Spanish and French. In addition, you will find the English version in the digital format which is already included with The Zones book.
Information About The Zones Of Regulation (Reproducible A) French/Francais Spanish/Espanol The Zones Of Regulation Glossary (Reproducible B) French/Francais Spanish/Espanol The Zones Of Regulation Visual (Reproducible E) French/Francais Spanish/Espanol New Emotion Imagery (Zones Reproducibles C, E, BB)
We are pleased to announce that we have included a broader representation of characters within our Zones emotions illustrations throughout the book. While eight characters can't possibly embody all the spectrum of humanity, we hope that learners see glimpses of themselves and those that they know among this new cast. Updated versions of select Reproducibles are available for download to all Zones of Regulation curriculum users
Adolescent Zones Logo Visual
This Zones of Regulation visual, featuring our updated Zones logo design, is helpful for learners who have access to a broad emotional vocabulary.

Print and use this Zones check-in on staff lanyards, or even as a tabletop check-in for learners.
All the Zones Are Okay Coloring Page
Use this coloring page to reinforce the key concepts that all our feelings and Zones are Okay!

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Browse our collection of free resources for parents and educators to support a social-emotional learning curriculum.

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1 hour webinar on helping students with self-regulation - by the author of Zones of Self-Regulation

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What is emotional self regulation?

Emotional self regulation is the ability to monitor and manage our own behavior. With self regulation, we can calm ourselves down when we're distressed, and pick ourselves up when we're low. Self-regulation is developmental in nature, just like learning to walk, talk, and read.

How do you teach a student who hasn't learned emotional self regulation?
Teaching academics is far from easy when a student hasn't learned how to manage stressors or emotions.

In this interview, I talk with occupational therapist Leah Kuypers about the program she created to teach kids self-regulation skills.

Why Leah teaches self regulation strategies

When Leah started working with students in public schools, she felt driven to provide kids with more support. A trained occupational therapist, she had no shortage of skills to address students' sensory regulation challenges, but she felt something was missing when it came to addressing students' behavioral challenges.

Whether students were struggling with anxiety, ADHD, ASD, or another condition, they often couldn't focus on learning because they had little ability to manage their emotions.

"I was watching a student explode because they missed the first five minutes of math," Leah says, "and the teacher's looking at me like, 'Well now what do we do?' and I'm looking at the teacher thinking the same thing, and I realized that there were a lot of us looking at each other really unsure how to support these kids when they had these big emotional experiences that often manifested themselves with disruptive behavior."

What often resulted from these outbursts was not uncommon, but ultimately unproductive. Students were given negative consequences such as no recess or being removed from the classroom.

The expectation was that the students would learn a lesson.

But as many educators do, Leah saw time and time again that punishment does not often teach.

It usually just hurts.

It perpetuates.

And then crises repeat.

So Leah felt impassioned to help students develop more adaptive, prosocial behavior. Ideas started flowing as she began graduate classes and explored social learning, executive functioning, and emotional regulation in children.

As she began putting practices into place with students, her colleagues started getting excited by what they were seeing. Students were engaged in learning. Leah kept pursuing as much continuing ed as she could and applied what she learned to her caseload.

When she got her master's in education, her culminating capstone became The Zones of Regulation curriculum.

What many people don't know about self-regulation and emotional control
Just like learning to walk and learning to read, self-regulation is developmental in nature, Leah says.

"All too often, our approach for a child with lagging skills in self-regulation is a more disciplinary model-where we would never take that approach with a kid who has a motor impairment or a reading delay."

So to support a child who has self-regulation delays, we need to meet them with an empathetic mindset and skill-building so they can be more adaptive and functional.

The Zones of Regulation
The Zones of Regulation is a systematic framework that gives kids ways to categorize how they're feeling. The colors blue, green, yellow, and red represent four zones that students can identify with.

Blue zone
Sad, sick, tired, bored. "Down" emotions.

Green zone
Neutral emotions, organized states. Calm, focused, happy, OK.

Yellow zone
Intensified emotions with cognitive control. Frustrated, silly, excited, wiggly, agitated, sensory overwhelmed, nervous, embarrassed.

Red zone
Intense emotions that overwhelm. Panicked, enraged, elated, crying, screaming.

"We're taking a rather abstract-this emotional world we live in-[concept] and putting it into four categories or zones that allow students to cognitively be able to conceptualize easier, 'How am I feeling? '" Leah says.
"And once they get that general zone, they have a bank of emotions that fall into each of the four zones, so they're building that awareness of where they're at, we're giving them a very visual structure to use to support that, as well as a very easy way to communicate it-with the caregiver, with the teacher, which will assist in that co-regulation between student and caregiver."

And as students build awareness of their emotions, Leah's system gives them matching tools for each of the four-colored zones. Similar to CPI's Crisis Development Model℠, which helps staff identify four behavior levels and corresponding responses, the Zones system helps students identify how they feel and what to do.

Teaching self-regulation in the classroom and beyond
The first step is teaching students that it's OK to feel the way they feel.

"It's natural to experience emotions," Leah says. "But we don't have to be at their mercy."

Leah advocates teaching students to read their bodies' signals, asking themselves:

What are the cues my body gives me?

Are my muscles tighter?

What's going through my mind?

Has my voice volume or rate of speech changed?

Once a student can identify physiological cues, they can start to identify their triggers, and apply tools for managing each zone.
Collaborating across disciplines
It's important for everyone to work together to teach self-regulation, Leah emphasizes. This includes all the key players in a student's life, including:

Teachers

Caregivers

Administrators

OTs

SLPs

Social workers

Guidance counselors

Aides and paraprofessionals

Mental health professionals

And others.
"Working in collaboration," Leah explains, "It's profound for the student to be able to move between contexts and environments and amongst different people supporting them, and hear the same language, that the visuals are there, that the environment is embracing them and setting them up for success as they travel between the cafeteria and the classroom and their specialist and their resource rooms."

Blending the Zones with core curriculum
If you're a classroom teacher, you might wonder how to teach the Zones when you have so much else to focus on.

Formal instruction in the Zones can be pretty light, Leah indicates-and most importantly, it can be wrapped together with other academic lessons and other teaching tools.

Try formally teaching the Zones in a morning meeting or for 20 minutes every couple weeks. And build the framework into your daily classroom by:

Using visual supports

Weaving the terms into everyday conversation ("I'm feeling in the yellow zone.")

Modeling the language as the adult to set the tone ("Sometimes my teacher is tired in the blue zone or stressed in the yellow zone.")

Infusing the Zones into core curriculum classroom work. For instance, during read-aloud time, have kids identify what zone a character is in. What tools could help the character manage their zones?

Leah also has strategies for incorporating the Zones into science, math, writing, and other lessons for different age groups, in both regular and special ed.
Learn more
Guest biography
Leah Kuypers earned a bachelor of science in occupational therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a graduate certificate in autism, and a master of arts in education from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. She has practiced as an OT/autism specialist in school and clinical settings, specializing in self-regulation and social learning, and has worked with students of all ages and challenges, including anxiety, ADHD, and ASD.

Leah created The Zones of Regulation®, a framework designed to teach self-regulation, and is author of the book and two apps by same name (2011, Social Thinking Publishing; 2013, 2016 Selosoft, Inc). In addition to working with students, she provides trainings and consultation to parents and professionals on self-regulation and challenging behavior, as well as conducts workshops on the Zones to groups across North America. Leah lives in Minneapolis with her husband, son, daughter, and dog. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and most anything outdoors.

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Emotional Self Regulation: Techniques for Teaching

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Emotional self regulation is the ability to monitor and manage our own behavior. With self regulation, we can calm ourselves down when we're distressed, and pick ourselves up when we're low. Self-regulation is developmental in nature, just like learning to walk, talk, and read. How do you teach a student who hasn't learned emotional self regulation?

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Helping students with anxiety

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If you or your child gets entangled in anxiety and need help, check out GoZen! Kids engage with animations and games to learn tried and true anxiety relief skills - I personally think this works wonders for parents. What an amazing, innovative, creative resource!!!

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Online Programs for Children with Anxiety | Kids Anxiety Relief

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If you or your child gets entangled in anxiety and need help, check out GoZen! Kids engage with animations and games to learn tried and true anxiety relief skills - I personally think this works wonders for parents. What an amazing, innovative, creative resource!!!

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Evidenced Based Practices in Autism

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Are you looking for ways to help a parent deal with a child's difficult behaviors? If your professional experience is like mine, you know it can be tough for parents to deal with behaviors and still maintain meaningful relationships with their kids. Here's what I've learned from 14 years in the mental health field. Parents I've worked with have found these tips helpful. I hope they help you and your clients and their children too.

First, parents, you are not alone!

Remember:

There are other parents dealing with similar issues.

There is help out there.

Things can get better!

It's important to know that there is a lot of support out there for families that are dealing with difficult behavior. There are lots of great online and in-person support networks for parents who deal with a range of issues such as ASD or mental illness.
Many communities have neighborhood collaboratives that offer parent mentoring, support groups, and other resources to help parents cope with problem behaviors and other issues. Try a Google search for "parenting support and [your city]." It's also helpful to talk to friends, family, and other adults who can recommend supports.

For some families, having professionals in their lives can be uncomfortable and embarrassing. In some circumstances, you might feel like you don't have control over the situation. I urge you to think of professionals as people who can support you as a parent. Look for community resources and professionals who are skilled at reinforcing positive parenting styles and techniques to empower you to improve your family's communication and functioning.

More tips to help:

Spend one-on-one time.

One of the things I recommend is spending one-on-one time to help you understand your child's triggers and what may help the situation. Identifying what makes a situation better (and what makes it worse) can help you and your child cope in a stressful moment. You can also share your ideas and observations with your child's support team at school or in any environment.

Plan ahead.

You may be able to create an "emergency kit" of sorts, filled with items that can help calm your child down when they get upset. You can include a favorite book, a small photo album with family photos, sensory items such as Play-Doh, or a CD or playlist with your child's favorite music. The kit should be something you can easily grab and take along for car rides, shopping trips, waiting rooms, etc.

Taking the time to relax and recharge is especially important when you're dealing with your child's difficult behaviors. If you don't take time to relax, you won't have the energy to tackle the problem. As busy as you are, there are simple things you can incorporate into your day that will help.

Eat well-balanced meals. This will not only fuel you with the right energy. It will model good eating habits for your child.

Get enough sleep. Build your energy reserves so you can handle stress when it blows up.

Use your own coping skills. What helps you when you're stressed out? Practice it so that it's second nature in the heat of the moment. This will also model resilience for your child.

Do something just for you. It's OK! Making time for yourself will help you ward off stress, depression, anger, and resentment in the long run.

I know it's not easy. Dealing with difficult behavior can be exhausting and upsetting. But try these simple strategies, because they may help. Use your resources, plan ahead, and take care of yourself.

About the author

Jennifer Loreman is a licensed professional counselor and program manager at a secure treatment center for adolescent girls in northeast Ohio.

Instructor resource

If you're a Certified Instructor, have you tried the Sharing Strategies workbook? Log in to access this resource for giving parents and caregivers an overview of the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention strategies you teach-and for showing parents how to reinforce the care strategies at home.

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Strategies for Parents to Cope With Difficult Behavior

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Are you looking for ways to help a parent deal with a child's difficult behaviors? If your professional experience is like mine, you know it can be tough for parents to deal with behaviors and still maintain meaningful relationships with their kids. Here's what I've learned from 14 years in the mental health field.

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What is Parenting Partners™? In a word - engagement.

Parenting Partners™ workshops combine parenting and leadership skills that empower parents to become vital contributors to their children's academic success. The eight comprehensive workshops are presented by each school's own trained facilitator team multiple times year-round, in multiple languages, creating a sustainable source of parent leaders.

How is our program for parent engagement different?

We build parenting skills that produce effective parents.

We show parents how to successfully partner with the school.

We create a sustainable team of positive parent leaders.

Leverage our experience for your needs!

More than 160,000 parents have benefited from the comprehensive leadership training they've received from Parenting Partners™. No wonder it's the most widely used and popular parent leadership system in North America!

Parenting Partners™ becomes a locally-owned resource to involve parents in academic improvement and positive leadership. It extends the reach of teachers and administrators challenged by limited budgets and resources.

We bring parents the latest frameworks and research from Harvard, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and the U.S. Department of Education.

We bring your parents the Parent Roles in Student Achievement from the 2013 Partners in Education-A Dual Capacity Building Framework from the U.S. Department of Education.

Parents become experts in these Parent Roles developed by Dr. Karen Mapp from the Harvard Family Research Project and her colleagues.

Parents grow in their Roles in Encouraging, Supporting, Creating Structure, Communicating, Leadership, Modeling, Collaborating, and Partnering.

Parents will put in practice Dr. Joyce Epstein's Six Types of Parent Involvement from the National Network of Partnership Schools at Johns Hopkins University.

Parents apply the practical research showing that grades increase along with teen drug resistance when Family Meals increase. Research is from CASA-The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

We incorporate the PTA's National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.

We focus on all 3 critical outcomes.

School districts now, more than ever, must be certain they will see results from a parenting skill-building program they select. There is no room to experiment.
Parenting Partners™ focuses on three key outcomes-

Positive parent engagement.

Improved student academics.

Strong home learning environment.

We have a verifiable track record of success. We measure what we do and can provide excellent references from districts nationally.

Affordable, complete programs that exceed expectations.

Teams receive a complete package of training materials. They are ready to start leading the workshops for parents right after the two-day training for trainers. All materials, books, multilingual training, and certification for up to six team members are included.

Facilitator manuals in English and Spanish guide the process.

Teams become well organized with recruitment resources, certificates, checklists, presentation tools, and more.

Posters, PowerPoint, Fliers, USBs, props-everything you need to run your program is included.

Every resource is easy to understand and easy to use!

Our staff supports your teams year-round

Principals love Parenting Partners because we support your teams! Nothing falls back onto the principals' desk.

During the 2-day training each team creates a detailed implementation plan that supports the key academic goals of the principal, school, and district. During training your teams begin working with our Team Support staff, and the relationship continues year round.

Our bilingual staff then supports your team through every phase: Inviting parents, leading the workshops, evaluation, and planning for the next series of workshops.

The school and district receives high quality data from pre and post questionnaires. We compile data into practical, highly illustrated reports that will encourage your teams and boost your compliance and reporting work.

Multilingual materials to reach your parents.

All the curriculum, materials, and training are in English and Spanish. Teams are also leading parents in Hmong, Vietnamese, Korean, Creole, Burmese, Arabic, and other languages.

This is comprehensive, sustainable engagement.

Shared responsibility for student learning cannot be accomplished in a couple of disconnected training sessions. Through an ongoing and systematic inclusion of parents as partners, graduates of Parenting Partners™ training enhance the district's capacity for powerful family engagement.

We manage the administrative and backend duties, freeing districts and parents from hassle and unnecessary stress.

Our methods produce evidence-based positive outcomes that deliver results year after year.

Local teams are credible and sustainable.

Parenting Partners™ trains and completely resources presentation teams from your school site to facilitate the program. These are your teams!

The process appeals to parents because they trust local presenters (your staff and parents) and they love to participate in the interactive workshop sessions! Strong parent graduates then join the leadership team, making the program sustainable year after year.

Strength-based training is the key.

Our parents feel valuable and confident because the interactive workshops build on their strengths. Each week parents gain more manageable, effective parenting skills-including positive discipline. The workshop format is experience-oriented and discussion-driven so that parents feel respected and engaged.

Practical tools you'll use everyday.

Parents are equipped with practical tools to make changes in their family:

More effective home structure and discipline.

Ending the cycles of useless arguments with their children.

Replacing patterns of yelling and conflict with positive communication.

Parents learn how to create a strong home learning environment, empowering their children to more successfully do their studies at home.

What books are included in the Parenting Partners™ curriculum?

Parenting Partners™ Parent Workbook (64 pages) in English and Spanish.

Parenting Partners™ Facilitator's Manual (252 pages) in English and Spanish.

Parent Marketing & Organizing book - How to run Successful Parent Leadership classes: Recruiting Parents, Promoting and Organizing (105 pages) in English and Spanish.

It's easy to get started!

To receive more information, contact our Director of Parent Engagement:

Patty Bunker or phone 800-747-1780 or 559-240-7881.

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Parenting Partners™ - Success Starts at Home

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Parenting Partners™ workshops combine parenting and leadership skills that empower parents to become vital contributors to their children's academic success. The eight comprehensive workshops are presented by each school's own trained facilitator team multiple times year-round, in multiple languages, creating a sustainable source of parent leaders. How is our program for parent engagement different?