As the pandemic pushes kids' lives even more online, their mental health depends on parental support -- and a lot less anti-tech talk.

The COVID-19 pandemic is disorienting and scary for all of us. It has been a marvel for me as an occupational therapist to see how well so many of my clients —children, teens, and adults alike — have coped with this surreal disruption of daily routines. As we adjust to the “new normal” many are still learning to take the proactive steps needed to protect the safety of themselves and others: washing hands frequently, physically distancing, and wearing a mask.

One of the biggest challenges of being socially isolated is the inability to socialize in person. For adults, we have our coffee chats or our virtual cocktail parties but what can children do who are missing interactions with friends?

Social-emotional learning is how one processes life skills which include relationships, working with others, recognizing our emotions and managing our feelings. These social-emotional skills are extremely important in how one copes with school, work and life experiences.

Boredom is something today’s children have rarely experienced—because they’ve never had the chance to get bored. Today’s children have had their lives filled with “schooling” and endless activities, all due to the mistaken notion that if they don’t excel in early childhood, they will never reach their potential. That their “resumés” will look inadequate in comparison to those of their peers. Boredom can be a powerful incentive.

When elementary students compare the relative importance of a range of problems, they learn to take charge of their reactions. Teachers at Lister Elementary School, in Tacoma, Washington, help students compare and contrast the sizes of problems by having them fill out a Big vs. Little Problems worksheet with actual examples.

There are many ways to make sure your child has the chance to get in reading time. Here are a few ideas for busy families.

Occupational therapists and trauma-informed teachers weigh in on how to create sensory tools and spaces with what you have at home. The coronavirus pandemic has upended all students’ day-to-day routines, but has created particular disruption for students with special needs, sensory processing disorders, and kids who have experienced trauma who rely on the structure of school to stay grounded. Creating an at-home sensory space and sensory tools that resemble the supports students received in school can help kids during this transition, easing them out of a meltdown or giving them a much-needed break before one starts.

Anxiety thrives on uncertainty. These are uncertain times. We can expect our children to feel more than the usual amount of anxiety during the COVID 19 pandemic. For kids with anxiety disorders, fears and unknowns may become overwhelming. Parents, educators, and other caring adults can help guide children into successful anxiety management strategies.

The Child Mind Institute is publishing daily tips to help support families through the coronavirus crisis. Today’s tip is all about limiting access.

The Child Mind Institute is publishing daily tips to help support families through the coronavirus crisis. Today’s tip is all about staying active!

Every day, the Child Mind Institute publishes a video and social tile with a tip for supporting families through the coronavirus crisis.

As parents and educators, we receive a huge amount of information each day, so we know there can be some confusion about which advice to follow. This article by Asaf Bitton, MD, MPH, executive director of Ariadne Labs in Boston, MA, provides an honest, straightforward assessment of what to do next in the midst of this unprecedented time of a pandemic, school closures, and widespread social disruption.

News of the coronavirus COVID-19 is everywhere, from the front page of all the papers to the playground at school. Many parents are wondering how to bring up the epidemic in a way that will be reassuring and not make kids more worried than they already may be. Here is some advice from the experts at the Child Mind Institute.

The holidays are hectic. And if your child has ADHD, it can create extra challenges. Here are some tips to make the season easier to manage.

Has your child ever had a sensory meltdown in a store or an airport? Do you worry about managing sensory overload while you’re at a school concert or visiting friends or relatives? Even if you’ve found tools and strategies that help your child with self-regulation, sensory overload can be harder to manage when you’re on the go. This is when a sensory travel kit can help.

You know it’s important to praise kids. But it’s even more meaningful for kids to learn to appreciate their own efforts. Self-esteem comes from working hard toward a goal and feeling good about it. So when kids see that their hard work is paying off, it helps them develop the ability to self-praise. What you say—and how you say it—can help kids to recognize things that they should be proud of. Here are some suggestions.

Your child’s backpack is an important link between home and school. But if your child has trouble with organization, keeping it neat can be a challenge. Over time, a backpack can become a mess of junk and crumpled papers. If kids can’t find what they need in there, the link breaks down.

Practical tips for parents of kids with rigid eating habits and problem mealtime behaviors. It is the rare parent who doesn’t at some point have to deal with temper tantrums over food or, at the very least, picky eating habits. But kids on the autism spectrum — and therefore, the parents who feed them — often face significantly greater and more complex issues around food for a variety of reasons.

When children seek attention, they are seeking connection and validation. Connection seeking behaviors can be unwanted or difficult to deal with. When viewed as behaviors that express a child’s need to belong, parents are better equipped to deal with these behaviors positively.