This Side UP Family

01/24/2021

We realize some of you missed this closing update, so posting again here. Along with a few of the wonderful notes received after our announcement.
To continue deepening the impact of our mission we urge you all to live out the wonderful words of Mother Teresa.... "IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.... GO HOME AND LOVE YOUR FAMILY!" Thank you for 10 incredible years!

11/25/2020

Thank you for 10 years. We've loved every minute.

11/25/2020

Good tips here to help your kids prep for the upcoming holidays!

PREPARING KIDS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Holidays are a pretty special time of year. They're special for so many reasons, and young children don't always understand those reasons. What they do understand is that things are quite out of the ordinary, and that can cause feelings of anxiousness, excitement, apprehension, and curiosity.

Setting our little ones up for a great holiday experience means that we need to prepare them for what to expect. Here are a few strategies to help prepare little ones fo the holidays. (You can also check out the Holidays highlight on our Instagram page: )

1. Let them know the plan and what the day will look like. "Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day! We're going to wake up and eat a special breakfast, then we're going to go meet Grandma and Grandpa at the park and have a picnic. You'll get to play and I bet Grandpa is going to want to swing you. After lunch we'll come home for quiet time, and then tomorrow we're going to go look at Christmas lights!

2. Empathize ahead of time. "You're going to see some family members we don't see very often. It's okay if you don't know what to say or if you don't feel like talking to them. Lots of people feel nervous to talk to new people."

3. Remember to use visual clues, not time-bound clues throughout the day. "We're going to eat cheesecake and then we're going to pick up toys, say goodbye, and go home."

4. Have a plan for common issues. "There might be food you're not used to eating. It will be on your plate, and you can eat what you want. Your body will tell you what you need."

5. Invite them to help plan and collaborate. "We're going to have a family Zoom call after lunch! Where do you think we should sit for our call? What toys or books do you want to share with Auntie?"

6. Make all plans equal. Have multiple plans for a peaceful, successful day, keep your expectations age-appropriate, be flexible, and know that if your little one winds up not getting a nap, it will still work out.

7. Help your child learn to pay attention to non-verbal cues (body language) when someone is wearing a mask. If they're going to be around family members wearing a mask, give them a head's up, and practice recognizing non-verbal cues (furrowed eyebrows, slumped shoulders, standing tall, eyebrows raised, etc.) so they can gauge how someone is feeling even when they can't see their mouth.

8. Keep perspective. Holidays are wonderful, but stressful! There's a good chance even the adults in your family don't fully know what to expect! Cultivate compassion, empathy, and understanding for your little one, yourself, and your family.

What would you add to the list? How are you prepping your kiddos for the holidays this year?

11/17/2020

FEELINGS ARE LIKE BLOCKS

Teaching young children to identify, feel, and process their emotions is so important! But sometimes it seems too complicated to teach someone so small! Here are a few tips for teaching emotional intelligence to young children:

1. Name your emotions. And don't just stick with the big ones like happy, sad, mad, or angry. Take time to evaluate why you feel angry and teach the underlying emotions too. "I feel angry because I'm disappointed that things didn't go the way I planned."

2. Guess their emotions and ask, "Is that right?" While it's important to teach children to identify their emotions, it's also important not to label how they're feeling when we don't know. You can use broad feelings (frustrated is a good one), and use phrases like "I think you're feeling frustrated, is that right?" or "You seem upset, I think you feel lonely because I was out of sight, is that right?"

3. Use "Feelings are like blocks" when playing with blocks. Teach them that just like blocks will topple over when stacked too high, our feelings stack up inside us and come crashing down when there's just too many stacked up. The way to keep them from stacking up too tall is to talk about them. (Very young children, or non-verbal children, may do better acting out feelings through play or coloring their feelings.)

4. Describe how feelings feel for you. "When I feel sad sometimes I feel a lump in my throat and my shoulders feel heavy."

5. Empathize with, and normalize their emotions. "You seem scared right now, is that right? I understand, sometimes I'm scared when I see a strange animal too."

What tips do YOU have for teaching emotional intelligence to little ones?

11/13/2020

We’re going to ignore the fact that it’s Friday the 13th in 2020 😬😬 and choose to focus on celebrating World Kindness Day! What are you doing to celebrate?

11/11/2020

We're looking ahead to 2021 and could use your help! Will you do us a big favor and complete the survey that is linked in the comments of this post? Each family that completes a survey by Friday, November 13th at 10:00 pm will be entered in a drawing for free admission to City of Plano's Parking Lot Pictures showing of Black Panther on Saturday, November 14th and a family 4 pack of tickets to Scrooge: The Musical on December 9th! You'll also be helping TSUF! Link to survey in comments!

11/11/2020

Thank you, Veterans!

11/11/2020

For the 10th year in a row North Texas Performing Arts Repertory Theatre is presenting Scrooge: The Musical from December 9th-20th. Each year, they generously provide two performances free of charge as gifts to the community. NTPA has generously provided TSUF with 16 tickets to the December 9th performance at the Willow Bend Performing Arts Center at 7:00 pm. If your family would like to attend and would not be able to do so without the use of complimentary tickets, please email [email protected] with the subject line: Scrooge Tickets. Please include in the body of your email the number of tickets requested and the names and ages of each person you are requesting a ticket for. Please only request tickets for your immediate family. Tickets are first-come first serve. All attendees must comply with the NTPA safety protocols. If you’d like to purchase tickets for in person or virtual viewing, visit https://ntpa.thundertix.com/events/173691

11/09/2020

A new issue of Quarantine Quality Time is out now! It includes an idea to help kids focus on gratitude this month, some resources for talking about the election news, and a chance to claim some free tickets to Scrooge: The Musical generously provided by North Texas Performing Arts!

Staying Connected and Staying Sane with This Side UP! Family

11/05/2020

November is the perfect time to help your kids focus on gratitude! We got the idea for a “Thankful Turkey” from Just make a Turkey with construction paper and a grocery bag or old amazon box and cut out one construction paper feather for each day of the month. Every day, have your child think about what they’re thankful for, write it on a feather, and add a feather to your turkey. This is the one in our house on day 5 and it’s a good glimpse of the things that are top priority for an almost three year old 😂!

11/05/2020

We love this wonderful FREE resource from Capturing Joy with Kristen Duke on helping teens safely navigate social media! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom, Kristen!

Teens and Social Media are always a hot topic! Here are some best practices on how to help teens navigate social media appropriately.