Our Seattle, Washington-based 4-H faculty and staff have put together a webpage with activities that parents or school-age care providers can use. It is a dynamic website, and we will continue to add curricula and activities (and some activities that are PDF’s not just links) that are research-based and from trusted sources. Click below to explore.
https://extension.wsu.edu/king/4-h/learning-links-4-h-and-more/
Seven Tips for Connecting with Your Teen, from Power of Parents – MADD
1. Communicate Before a Problem Starts
- Have important discussions now, before there is blaming, anger or punishments.
- Agree on a time to start talking together about the dangers of alcohol.
2. Discuss Rules and Consequences
- Explain how you expect your son or daughter to act, and why.
- Tell your teen plainly that you don’t want them drinking.
- Agree on consequences of broken rules.
3. Show You Care
- Gently touch your teen on the arm or back to show affection.
- Tell your teen you love them and want them to be healthy and safe. Explain that’s why you need to talk together about the dangers of underage drinking.
4. Pay Attention
- Even when life gets hectic, take time out to listen to your teen.
- Monitor where your teen is and what your teen is doing, constantly.
5. Share Family Activities
- Have dinner together at least three times a week.
6. Give and Get Respect
- When your teen talks to you, listen and reply respectfully.
- Insist that your teen treat you with respect, too.
7. Enforce Consequences Consistently
- If your teen breaks the rules, stay calm and enforce the consequences.
CHILDREN WHO FEEL CLOSE TO THEIR PARENTS ARE LESS LIKELY TO USE MARIJUANA.
BE A KEY INFLUENCER
INCREASE FAMILY BOUNDING
- Give kids at least 15 minutes of one-on-one time every day.
- Give positive feedback about the healthy choices your child makes.
- Tell your child what makes them special.
- Help you child develop skills and hobbies.
WSU Extension’s Dr. Elizabeth Weybright, Adolescent Development Extension Specialist, whose research focuses on leisure and boredom, has insights for parents dealing with bored kids at home during this unprecedented pandemic. Click Here to Read More
Tools for supporting emotional wellbeing in youth are now available from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has developed tools to support emotional well-being in children and youth. The tools on the webpage were created to teach skills that can help children and youth cope with some of the challenges associated with the pandemic, such as:
- Changes in their routines
- Breaks in continuity of learning
- Breaks in continuity of health care
- Missed significant life events
- Lost security and safety
The tools can be accessed by clicking the following link: https://nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/other/dbasse/wellbeing-tools/interactive/?ct=t(wellbeing-tools-announcement)
