Summers mean kids are home from school, which often means more time together. Summer can be a great time to build joy with your kiddos in all the extra free time they have. On the flip side, all that extra free time also presents many opportunities to recover from the upsets caused by boredom, strain between siblings and the other bumps of day to day life. This video series shares tips for skills parents can utilize to with their kids to help maximize joy and keep our upsets short lived.

These videos were originally recorded in 2020 coming out of covid shutdowns and schooling at home, but all of the elements are still relevant for today!

We’d love to hear how it goes if you practice something new! Email us at: hello@thrivingmamas.org

05:03 – Summer Joy Ideas With Children | Jen Coursey shares ideas to come up with joy lists you can do with your children this summer. Find fun ways to practice relational skills so you and your family grow more joy.

03:56 – A Splash of Appreciation for Your Summer | Jen Coursey shares how to get the most out of appreciation to change the tone of your summer festivities. Packaged joy infuses joy into the interactions with your children so you use appreciation to create a summer to remember!

04:14 – When Children Feel Like a Burden | Any loving parent doesn’t want to admit there are times their children feel like a burden. The reality is, however, every parent has moments when their brain shifts into non-relational mode. When this happens, everything from children to family can feel burdensome! This doesn’t mean you love them any less. It means your brain is running in a diminished state where joy is now out of reach. Learn how to stay relational with your family and keep joy levels high over the summer.

02:48 – Finding Your Rhythm of Quiet | Quiet and rest. It sounds so easy. Yet, this skill is foundation for your mental and emotional health! How do you find time to quiet when your children are home for the summer? Jen Coursey offers practical suggestions to protect your sanity by inserting quiet into your family’s schedule.

03:58 – Keeping Joy high During Upset | Jen Coursey shares the one skill every parent needs: a simple way to recover from BIG feelings. Here is a practical 3-step process to help children return to joy. VCR stands for Validation, Comfort and Recovery (or Repattern). Try this sequence and watch what happens when you use this relational oxygen mask to train your brain to stay relational during big feelings and help your kiddos recover!

05:22 – The Gold in Storytelling with Kids | Jen Coursey shares with us the value and hidden treasures in storytelling with our children. Using stories to teach handling and processing emotions can be a wonderful joy-builder this summer.

04:17 – Enjoying Our Children | Kristy Harrang shares tips for increasing our enjoyment of our children.

05:36 – Helping Children Find Jesus in Hard Times | Jen Coursey shares simple steps to use Skill 13: Seeing What God Sees. “Interactive Gratitude” is one of the gentlest and most efficient ways to notice some of God’s thoughts and presence so children feel safe and find rest where they feel distress. Living with an awareness of Jesus in our lives is one of the best ways to stay anchored and process pain.

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