STRESS AWARENESS MONTH

April is Stress Awareness Month

How To Prevent Your Kids From Becoming Stressed

By Tanni Haas, Ph.D.

April is Stress Awareness Month, a great occasion to consider what you can do to prevent your kids from becoming stressed. While low levels of stress are normal, stress can be damaging to your kids’ physical, mental, and emotional health if it comes in high doses and persists over time. If that’s the case, what can you do to prevent your kids from becoming overwhelmed by high levels of stress? Experts agree on the following points:

Take Good Care of Yourself – and Model Stress-Free Behaviors

It might sound counter-intuitive, but the first and most important thing is to take good care of yourself and try not to get stressed. ”Stress is really contagious,” says child psychotherapist Lynn Lyons, the author of Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents. “When parents are stressed out, kids are stressed out.” Try to stay calm at all times and model stress-free behaviors to your kids. “Just like flight attendants advise adult passengers to put on their own oxygen masks before assisting others,” says child psychologist Dr. Jamie Howard, “parents need to attend to their own physical and emotional needs to be able to best support their children.” This means that you should avoid being tired or hungry for prolonged periods of time, and that you should seek emotional support from other adults when needed. “If you take care of yourself and schedule time for your own needs,” says professor of child psychology Dr. Amy Przeworski, “your child will learn that self-care is an important part of life. Children learn behaviors from watching their parents. So when you think about your child’s psychological well-being think about your own as well.” Educate Your Kids about Stress: What It Is and How to Recognize It Educate your kids about stress – what it is and how to recognize it. Mrs. Lyons says it’s important that you teach your kids “to understand their own bodies and the physiology of stress.” Specifically, kids need to learn to tell the difference between normal and stressed reactions to what’s happening to them. “While it’s normal for a child’s stomach to feel jumpy on the first day of school,” says Mrs. Lyons, “leaving class because their stomach hurts or waking up repeatedly with a headache is a sign there’s too much going on.” Child psychotherapist Katie Hurley, the author of The Happy Kids Handbook, agrees: “To help your child connect the dots, draw the outline of a body and pinpoint different places where stress can cause problems.” Explain to your kids all the common physical symptoms of stress, including backaches, headaches, neck aches, and stomachaches, and help them see where and how they react when they are stressed. As Mrs. Hurley puts it, “the more kids

understand the connection between symptoms and stress, the better able they will be to seek help.”

Help Your Kids Become More Resilient

Besides teaching your kids how to recognize stress, also try to make them more resilient towards it. One useful technique is to teach your kids to take a couple of deep breaths when they are in a stressful situation. “Taking deep breaths can actually have a physiological effect on the body,” says licensed mental health counselor Janice Halloran, the author of The Coping Skills for Kids Workbook. “When you’re stressed, your body goes into fight, flight or freeze mode and your breathing automatically gets more shallow. To trick your body into getting back to a more restful state, take deep breaths.” It’s also useful to practice relaxation techniques with your kids. Dr. Przeworski recommends teaching your kids to imagine themselves somewhere relaxing, like the beach or in a backyard hammock, and then imagining all “the sounds, smells, and sensations associated with the image.”

You can help make your kids more stress-resilient by encouraging them to confront their fears head on instead of shying away from them. Licensed psychotherapist Amy Morin, the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don’t Do, makes this important point with the example of elevators. If your kid is afraid of elevators and you always suggest taking the stairs instead, you are essentially teaching your kid that s/he must be too fragile to take the elevator: “They grow up thinking, ‘I’m not a capable person. If I’m afraid of something, I shouldn’t do it. My parents don’t believe in me, why should I believe in myself’”? Once again, kids model what their parents do. “If children are surrounded by adults who model resilience,” says child psychologist Dr. Lyn O’Grady, “through their own behaviours as well as by explicitly teaching and practicing the social and emotional skills, they will be more likely to develop resilience themselves.”

Cultivate Stress-Free Activities

Finally, cultivate stress-free activities for your kids to do whenever they feel like they are about to get stressed. Mrs. Hurley suggests that parents create “stress-free zones” or “relaxation centers” in the home where kids can engage in their favorite activities. Similarly, Mrs. Lyons recommends that parents encourage their kids to engage in activities that are characterized by “pure play” - with no winners or losers, no particular end goal, and therefore no pressure to perform or reason to get stressed, such as outdoor sports like bike riding, hiking, and running.

Tanni Haas is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences & Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.

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A Hoppy Easter Cake

Easter Bunny Butt Cake Servings: 10-12 Nonstick cooking spray 2 eggs, plus 4 egg whites, at room temperature 3/4 cup cream of coconut 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained 2 teaspoons coconut extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups flour 1 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Warmer days at the start of spring mean Easter is almost here, and the big bunny himself will be hopping around in no time delivering goodies. This Easter, celebrate with your loved ones with a delicious and colorful Easter Bunny Butt Cake. It can bring smiles and laughter while putting everyone in a light, joyful mood. This cake is fun and bright with a fluffy, moist interior. Complete with chocolate candy eggs, shredded coconut and chocolate chips for little bunny toes, this recipe goes all out to paint a picture of the Easter bunny. Find more creative and scrumptious holiday recipes at Culinary.net ■ Heat oven to 325 F. ■ Line muffin pan with four paper liners. Spray ovensafe glass bowl with nonstick cooking spray. ■ In large bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, cream of coconut, pineapple, coconut extract and vanilla extract until combined. ■ In food processor, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt until combined. Add 6 tablespoons butter.

Pulse until combined. Add remaining butter. Pulse until coarse meal forms. ■ In large mixing bowl, add coarse flour butter meal.

Add half of egg mixture. Beat 1-2 minutes. Add remaining egg mixture; beat until combined. ■ Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until done. Cool completely. ■ Pour remaining batter into prepared oven-safe bowl. Bake 1 hour, 40 minutes, or until done. Cool completely. ■ To make buttercream frosting: In large bowl, add powdered sugar and butter; beat until fluffy. Add milk, vanilla extract and coconut extract; beat until creamy. ■ Turn bowl upside-down on cake stand until cake removes from bowl. If cake needs leveled, turn cake over and trim to flatten. Frost cake. ■ Remove wrappers from cupcakes. Using two pretzel sticks, press into base of cupcakes ■ and anchor to bottom rim of bowl cake to create bunny feet. Frost feet. ■ Take third cupcake and cut muffin top off. Cut muffin top in half. Using one pretzel stick, anchor one muffin top half at bottom of full cupcake to form toes. Repeat with second muffin top half for other foot. Frost toes. ■ Attach final cupcake with remaining pretzel stick to butt area of cake to make tail. Frost tail. ■ Apply 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut all over cake.

Press chocolate candy melts into bottoms of bunny feet to resemble foot pads. Add chocolate chips to resemble pads for toes. ■ Place remaining coconut in plastic bag. Add green food coloring. Toss in bag until coconut is colored.

Spread around base of cake for grass. Decorate grass with chocolate eggs.

4Fun Wicket Kick: Giant Kick Croquet

Kids will have a ball with this fun, outdoor, GIANT kick croquet game! Kick Croquet combines the fun of running and kicking a ball with the extra added attraction of guiding it through a course of wickets. You can make the course as hard or easy as you wish just by the way you space the six wickets. $29.99 Age: 3+

BUILDZI by TENZI

A fast building block game that rewards creativity and quick problem-solving skills. 7 different ways to play including Together BUILDZI where you use your STEM skills to work as a team building a tower that includes 32 BUILDZI Blocks, 32 double-sided Tower Cards, 32 Block Cards and instructions for 7 different faststacking, nerve-racking, building block games for kids that is easily adaptable for all ages. 2 to 4 players with party games for up to 8 players. Ages 6 to 96

Wicked Big Sports Kickball

Classic Kickball but BIGGER and BETTER! Wicked Big Sports Kickball takes traditional kickball to the next level! Each kickball inflates to 20” in diameter – over 2X the size of a traditional kickball! Everything you need to play a game comes in the set: 1 oversized kickball, 3 bases, 1 home plate, 1 pump, 3 ball plugs, and 1 plug remover. $19.99 Age: 8+

HABA Terra Kids Connectors Starter Set

Forage, saw, drill, join. With Terra Kids Connectors you can construct lots of fascinating animals, vehicles and figures. The principle is simple and at the same time ingenious: drill holes in bits of wood, join them together using the connectors provided. The figures gradually take shape. The starter kit includes prefabricated wooden twigs (with bark) which can be pieced together to make a crab. The instructions contain many suggestions for other iPlay iLearn Flynoculars projects. $34.99 Ages: 8+ Get out and start exploring with Flynoculars! Take them camping, to the zoo, on vacation, bird watching, or any other trip you can imagine. Encourage observation skills and curiosity in the natural world. Flynoculars are 3 in 1: One unique toy with multiple uses! Pretend to fly with an airplane, explore with binoculars, and cool down with a fan! No complicated adjustment function, a child can easily and safely use these binoculars. Magnification of 4X allows your child a wide field of vision for distinguishing objects easily. (2 AAA batteries required) $14.99 Age: 3+

HABA TerraKids Glider

This glider flies through the air with ease. Made from premium foam and plastic, it will handle the rugged outdoors. Endless aviation fun! Simply hold the aircraft’s shaft between thumb and pointer, take a running start and toss it into the air and watch it fly elegantly and speedily through the air! $14.99 Age: 6+

Crep Protect Cleaning Kit

About the brand: The Crep Protect Cleaning Kit is the ultimate when it comes to a shoe cleaning kit, and like everything we create, we did it with the sneakerhead in mind. We created our own cleaning solution, as well as creating our own brush that is suitable for any and all shoe materials. It is designed to clean deeply without affecting the look, feel, and shape of your shoe in any way.

By Elena Epstein, Director of the National Parenting Product Awards

Loop Lab STEM

Subscription We know

Mad Science from fun after-school enrichment programs and now you can bring home the hands-on experiments with their new STEM subscription boxes. Different theme for each box include Gross Science, Spy Science and Sense-ational Science. $32.99/box, ages 8-12, https://shop.madscience.com

MindLabs Energy and Circuits

A magical STEM learning tool combining a digital app, physical cards, and augmented reality in a fun and exciting approach to learning core science concepts. $24.95, ages 8-11, https:// exploremindlabs.com/

In KidZ AMERICA BOX, BLACK HISTORY

EDITIONIn KidZ AMERICA BOX, BLACK HISTORY EDITION Expand children’s knowledge of different countries and customs through with a box-full of engaging activities and games. Kids will be able to share details about a country without having to get on a plane. $50/monthly OR $49/per box, ages 2-11, http://www.inkidzco.com

GROOVY WUBBLE

It looks like a bubble and plays like a ball. Kick it, whack it, throw it, bounce it – even sit on it! Made from squishy, squashy, super soft and lightweight XpandiumTM, Groovy Wubble can be inflated to gnarly proportions (24-30 inches is best). Inflates in just minutes with the enclosed pump. $19.99 with pump, $12.99 without pump, ages 6+, https://www.wubbleball.com/

Just Add Fruits & Veggies

This STEAM kit will deliver hours of exploration, creativity, learning and enjoyment using items already in your kitchen. More than 20 science and art activities allow kids to explore chemical reactions, osmosis, germination and study of electricity. $22.95, ages 8+, https://www.griddlygames. com/product/just-add-fruits-veggies/

Froggy’s Lair BioSphere

Each one-gallon tank comes with bioactive sand, colored gravel, two African Dwarf Frogs and a piece of living bamboo, so it’s a miniature ecosystem that is practically self-sustaining. Just need to change the water every three months and feed these swimming, hopping frogs two times per week. $69.95, ages 5+, https://froggyslair.com/

Babily UV Sterilizer

Harnesses the power of ultraviolet light to kill germs in less than 11 minutes without chemicals. The built-in viewing window gives your family confidence that the powerful UV-C bulb is at work, sterilizing bottles, pacifiers, cell phones, keys and more. $159, https:// www.mybabily.com

LASER X REVOLUTION

A laser tag arena in your own backyard! Blast opponents up to 300’ away – inside or out, in darkness or bright sunlight. Blaster beams go through windows and strategically bounce off walls and mirrors. $39.99, ages 6+, https://getlaserx.com/