News

How do kids blow off steam? There are going to be times when other people or things annoy us. Kids don’t naturally know how to respond in a way that doesn’t end up hurting them. To learn new ways to respond kids need to talk about the things that work for them, the things that don’t and also brainstorm new things they can try next time. It may be a strategy to use when a child bugs them.  when a child teases them. when someone asks them to do something they don’t want to do. when someone accuses them of something they haven’t done. Use this weeks NOVEL activity to help you talk with a child about ways to blow off steam, listen to what is working for them and help them find some new things to try.... View Article

This weeks activity is a NOVEL way to get kids talking without the usual ‘How was your day?” Take 5 minutes and choose 3 suitable questions from the 8 ideas provided and ask away while you do the activity together. If you are receiving our NOVEL ways to connect with kids email, this activity is waiting for you. If you would like this weeks activity click the link below. Happy Colouring CLICK HERE Regards Jo Crowley Author and Creator Colour My Story

This weeks NOVEL way to connect with kids. I asked my kids to choose a glass, place it on the bench all week and add water or pour water out depending on how they were feeling. My question was the same as they woke up, after breakfast, before they walked out the door, when they came home, after homework, after dinner and before bed. “How full is your cup?” This was their reflections after 4 days Filling another persons’ cup, fills my cup too. What I say, can change the level of someone’s cup. One thing can empty someone’s cup. Even though I know how to fill another persons’ cup, sometimes it’s hard. This was a cool activity to do with the kids, instead of talking about... View Article

What can you do in 5 minutes? You could make a cup of tea/check your emails, put on a load of washing. OR you could print this cute origami dog and spend 5 minutes creating him with a child. This is activity #2 of our NOVEL ways to connect with a child in 5 minutes. If you are already receiving emails from Colour My Story, this cute little dog will be waiting for you in your email inbox. If you would like this free cute dog, click the blue link below and he will be all yours as well as other novel ways to connect with kids. Send me to the Origami Dog Jo Crowley Author and Creator of Colour My... View Article

Attention Parents/Carers and Teachers!! Do you want a NOVEL activity to do with your kids after conflict at home or school? My eldest children are 10 and 12 and regularly disagree, sometimes it’s about clothes left on the bathroom floor, other times it’s whose turn it is to feed the animals. My way of stopping the argument had been the same for years and as you can probably guess, nothing changed and I felt like each day was Groundhog Day… Until I started using this activity. I’ve called it “What Happened” which I know is a pretty lame name but the results were far from lame. Let me explain After one more of our 10 and 12 year old yelling matches,... View Article