Bethany Black, LPC, CPT

10/28/2025

10/28/2025

Emotional regulation isn’t instinctive — it’s taught, modelled, and practised.

Our new visual breaks it down into clear, evidence-based steps that shape every one of our interventions available in our Resource Store.

If you’re supporting a child whose emotions sometimes feel too big to handle, our toolkit MANAGING BIG FEELINGS offers the guidance you need — practical, compassionate, and grounded in neuroscience.

Inside you’ll find calming strategies, visual aids, conversation prompts, and tools for parents and educators — all designed to help children turn big emotions into skills for life.

Link below in comments ⬇️ or via our Linktree Shop in bio to explore the toolkit — and follow along today as we share more examples on modelling and teaching emotional regulation.

10/23/2025

Why Chores Help Build Executive Functioning Skills
1. Planning & Organization
🧺 Figuring out what needs to be done, in what order, and gathering materials builds planning and organization skills.

Example: Cleaning a bathroom requires knowing the steps and having the right supplies.

2. Task Initiation
🛎️ Starting a chore, especially one that isn’t exciting, trains the brain to overcome procrastination and get moving.

Example: Beginning to fold laundry instead of putting it off.

3. Working Memory
🧠 Chores often involve remembering multi-step directions, routines, or sequences of actions.

Example: “Unload the dishwasher, then wipe the counters, then sweep.”

4. Time Management
⏰ Chores help kids estimate how long something will take and manage their time to get it done.

Example: Learning that folding clothes takes 15 minutes and needs to be fit into the day.

5. Attention & Focus
🎯 Staying with a task until it’s finished, especially when it’s boring, trains sustained attention.

Example: Dusting an entire room without getting distracted by every object.

6. Impulse Control
🚫 Chores teach kids to pause the urge to quit or rush through, and instead complete tasks properly.

7. Self-Monitoring & Responsibility
📋 Did I do it well? Did I miss a spot? Chores help kids check their work, take pride, and build independence.

Here is a printable chore list to help with keeping on task, planning, prioritization, working memory, and attention: https://www.theottoolbox.com/free-chores-checklist-for-kids/

10/13/2025

All feelings are important. What’s also important is the story - the ‘why’ - we put to those feelings.

When our children are distressed, anxious, in fight or flight, we’ll feel it. We’re meant to. It’s one of the ways we keep them safe. Our brains tell us they’re in danger and our bodies organise to fight for them or flee with them.

When there is an actual threat, this is a perfect response. But when the anxiety is in response to something important, brave, new, hard, that instinct to fight for them or flee with them might not be so helpful.

When you can, take a moment to be clear about the ‘why’. Are they in danger or

Ask, ‘Do I feel like this because they’re in danger, or because they’re doing something hard, brave, new, important?’

‘Is this a time for me to keep them safe (fight for them or flee with them) or is this a time for me to help them be brave?’

‘What am I protecting them from - danger or an opportunity to show them they can do hard things?’

Then make space for ‘and’, ‘I want to protect them AND they are safe.’

‘I want to protect them from anxiety AND anxiety is unavoidable - I can take care of them through it.’

‘This is so hard AND they can do hard things. So can I.’

Sometimes you’ll need to protect them, and sometimes you need to show them how much you believe in them. Anxiety can make it hard to tell the difference, which is why they need us.♥️

10/13/2025

✨ When worry shows up, kids can talk back with calm, confident thoughts like these. These phrases help kids pause, breathe, and use their toolkit by checking the facts, noticing their needs, and remembering they can handle their feelings. 💛

🧠 Try teaching students to:
• Take deep breaths first
• Ask curious questions (“Am I tired or hungry?”)
• Remind themselves what’s true (“My brain is trying to protect me.”)
• Connect with someone they trust (“I’ll talk about it.”)

Building this inner dialogue helps children turn worried thoughts into coping thoughts one calm phrase at a time. 💬

find lots of tools to help kids with worry develop their toolkit: https://www.counselorkeri.com/worry/

10/13/2025

💡 Secure attachment is a strong, trusting bond between a child and their caregiver that develops when the child’s needs for comfort, safety, and affection are consistently met.

This foundation helps children feel safe to explore the world, knowing they can return to their caregiver for reassurance and support.

Secure attachment is vital for healthy emotional development, fostering confidence, resilience, and positive relationships throughout life.

Kid Approved

10/13/2025

Are you making time for unstructured time?

It may seem odd to plan for unplanned time, but we sometimes need to admit that calendars suck us into the vortex of schedules and structured activities.

We need to make space for lollygagging and free play.

Let's make time for "self-education through play"!

10/13/2025

Good suggestions for attention here:
https://www.thepathway2success.com/interventions-for-executive-functioning-challenges-attention/

10/13/2025

10/13/2025

Our 🎃Pumpkin Deep Breathing Exercise🎃 started a self-regulation phenomenon on our website and across the internet years back!

Hold a small pumpkin in the palm of your hand. Use your pointer finger of your other hand to slowly trace up a ridge and breathe in. Then trace down another ridge and breathe out. Continue tracing the ridges of the pumpkin while deeply breathing in and out.

🎃The weight of the pumpkin on the arches of the palm of the hand= PROPRIOCEPTIVE sensory system.

🎃Engaging the TACTILE sensory system to trace the ridges of a smooth surface.

🎃Deep Breaths combined with a visual focus offers PROPRIOCEPTIVE input through the lungs and diaphragm. Engage belly breathing for more impact.

🎃Using both sides of the body (BILATERAL COORDINATION)- Holding the pumpkin with one hand and tracing with the other hand.

Want the printable poster AND coloring page to use in therapy sessions, in the home, and even during trick-or-treating or Halloween parties?? Get a copy here: https://www.theottoolbox.com/pumpkin-deep-breathing-exercise/

This resource is also inside our Member’s Club. Members can log into their accounts and download the file directly without the need to enter an email address. The printable pages are located on our Pumpkin Therapy Theme page : https://www.theottoolbox.com/pumpkin-therapy-themes/

10/13/2025

Ever noticed how your child can go from calm to chaotic in seconds?
That sudden shift isn’t defiance — it’s the Downstairs Brain taking over.

This part of the brain acts like an alarm system, always scanning for danger.
When it senses a threat — real or imagined — it flips the switch to fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
Logic shuts down. Emotions take the lead.

Understanding the Downstairs Brain helps us see behaviour for what it really is:
a nervous system asking for safety, not discipline.

Remember:
We can’t reach the Upstairs Brain until we’ve calmed the Downstairs one.
Prompt featured is in our toolkit below.

Follow along in our series as we unpack how the brain shapes behaviour — and how we can help children find calm again.

NOW AVAILABLE IN THE RESOURCE STORE - to accompany our series on social media.

The Child Brain Explained: How the Upstairs & Downstairs Brain Shape Behaviour, a Toolkit for Parents & Educators - available for only £3.75 until 3 November 2025

Electronic download available at link in comments ⬇️ or via our Linktree Shop in Bio.