10 Simple Reflection & Connection Activities
Hi Friends, Does anyone else enjoy marking the end of one year and the beginning of the next? Maybe it’s because I’ve always loved calendars and planning, but I find it extremely psychologically satisfying to close the book on one year and open up a fresh page to a new one. I always feel there’s…
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Three Good Things
Sharing three good things with each other during daily family sharing is a great way to connect AND grow gratitude. It’s simple. During sharing time, each person shares three good things that happened in their day OR three things they’re grateful for. This gratitude exercise (when written down) has been proven to reduce depression symptoms.…
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Connection Tip #2: Start a Daily Family Sharing Habit
“Just like at camp, connections are the result of intentionally chosen, day-to-day family habits that create feelings of warmth and belonging.” –Happy Campers Secret #1: Connection Comes First One of my favorite connection tips (besides unplugging) is having a daily family sharing habit. I’ve honed my ideas on this topic over many years of practice around…
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Highs, Lows, and Buffaloes
What do kids choose to share about their friendships, camp experiences, time at school, and other life experiences? Sometimes, not much. An activity we do during nightly campfires at camp is an excellent way to get kids to share, and it’s also an easy family sharing habit that leads to better communication and connection. Highs…
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[Encore] Ep. 121: The Power of Showing Up with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
Subscribe for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. DOWNLOAD Tina’s REFRIGERATOR SHEETS, which are summaries of each of Tina’s books The Power of Showing Up The Yes Brain No Drama Discipline The Whole-Brain Child SHOW NOTES Dr. Tina Payne Bryson is one of my favorite people. She’s a psychotherapist, founder and executive director…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 124: Promoting Mental Health with Dr. Jess Shatkin
Show notes & links available here. About Dr. Jess P. Shatkin In this episode, I’m speaking with Dr. Jess Shatkin, about preventing mental illness and promoting health in children and adolescents. As a clinician, researcher and educator, Dr. Shatkin is one of the country’s foremost experts in adolescent mental health, risk and resilience. We talked…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 144: Raising Happy, Durable Kids in the Digital Age
Show Notes This week’s discussion is with Jenifer Joy Madden, author of How to be a Durable Human. We participated in a conversation for Digital Wellness Day, and this episode is a recording of our conversation from that webinar. We discussed concepts from both of our books. Madden is a health and environmental journalist who…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 151: Dealing with Uncertainty & Building Resilience with Dr. Nicole Beurkens
SHOW NOTES My guest this week is Dr. Nicole Beurkens. As a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced degrees in psychology, education, and nutrition, Dr. Nicole Beurkens is the world’s leading holistic child psychologist. She has dedicated her 22+ year career to providing parents with research-based strategies that get to the root of children’s attention, anxiety,…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 159: “The Social Dilemma” with Jean Rogers
SHOW NOTES Join Audrey’s email subscriber community for resources and ideas for happier, more connected families. Jean Rogers is the Director of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, where she leads a coalition of practitioners, educators, advocates, and parents who collaborate on practical methods to reduce children’s time on screens and digital devices, mitigate the…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 128: “America’s Worst Mom” Lenore Skenazy talks about Letting our Kids Grow
In this episode, I’m talking to Lenore Skenazy about how letting her 9-year-old son ride the subway alone in New York City led to her being labeled the “World’s Worst Mom” and sparked the Free-Range Kids movement. Her book, Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow, along with the programs…
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36 Questions to Get Closer to Someone You Love
The art of asking good questions, and listening carefully to the person’s response, is an important skill for forming and maintaining positive, close relationships. Our social connections are the most important predictor of life-long happiness and health. Watch Susan Pinker’s TED Talk if you need convincing! Arthur Aron, a prominent social psychologist, discovered that he…
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[ENCORE] Ep. 85: Grit is Grown Outside the Comfort Zone (PEGtalk)
Today’s show, Episode 85, was recorded live at Pegasus School in Huntington Beach as part of their PEGtalks parent education series. I’m with my frequent guest, Sara Kuljis, the owner and director of Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp and Emerald Cove Day Camp. We talked about my book, Happy Campers and we discussed Camp Secret…
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