Tag Archives forcommunication

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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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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Ep. 112: Helping Teens Exposed to Trauma

In this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Ruth Gerson, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at NYU’s Langone Medical Center, about helping teens who have been exposed to trauma. Trauma is, by definition, when an experience feels so threatening to one’s safety and well-being that it overwhelms one’s ability to cope. Human beings, especially children, are…

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How to get Closer to your Kid in 5 Minutes a Day

One-on-Ones On our counselor job description, one of their duties is to “check in with each camper, every day.” We call these check-in meetings “One-on-Ones.” Counselors ask campers specific, open-ended questions to elicit how campers are feeling. The counselors ask about their friendships, activities, how much they’re missing home, what’s going well, and if they…

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Connection Through Questions

If you were to ask me the most important thing parents can provide their children, camp counselors can provide campers, and teachers can provide students, I can sum it up with one word. Connection. Building a relationship and connecting with kids—while also helping them learn to connect with each other and form friendships—is the most…

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