With the holiday season upon us there is no question as to will there be more stress. But what you may be ignoring is the fact that holiday stress could be impacting the well-being of your children. A survey by The American Psychological Association found that children’s worry is definitely affecting the quality of their lives. They found that: 42 percent of teens and 30 percent of tweens report headaches; 49 percent of teens and 39 percent of tweens cite difficulty sleeping; 39 percent of teens and 27 percent of tweens say they eat too much or too little.

So how can you help your children?

I found a great article on a site for Psychology Today, they offer great ideas for things that you can do as a family to reduce stress for you and your kids. In reading it I couldn’t help but think of my almost 6 year old nephew. He actually loves when I offer up ideas like this to him where he can visualize positive things and spark that creative part inside of himself. So definitely check out the article, I’m sure that one or more of the ideas will help you to help your children not only learn how to express their emotions better, but allow for your whole family to have a happier holiday season with less stress for everyone!

One of my favorite suggestions they had was: Visualize a heart-filled holiday. You can do this one at the dinner table. Have everyone in the family close their eyes, focus on their heart, and imagine what kind of holiday will bring joy into their heart. Then share your ideas around the table. This helps kids feel listened to, cared for, and included.

To read the full article go to; http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-imagination/200911/7-holiday-stress-busters-kids