Parenting is one of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs you will ever have. Navigating your kid’s vast and varied emotions can seem overwhelming at times. Every single day brings new situations, activities, and changes. Your kid’s emotional response to these changes can quickly turn into a meltdown.
Coping strategies can help prevent these meltdowns as well as help you keep your peace of mind. Are you struggling with what transition strategies to use for different scenarios? Below, we share coping strategies for children using pretend play and show you four different application methods.
These coping strategies are helpful for kids of all stripes. For children with ADHD, anxiety, autism, or sensory processing, these tools may help turn a challenging day into an enjoyable day.
What Do We Mean by Coping Strategies?
You may be wondering what exactly we mean by coping strategies. For most kids, transitions from one activity or location to the next tend to be tricky to navigate. Wait times between activities, moving from preferred activities to one your child doesn’t enjoy as much, or just getting ready for bed are times of transition in the day. There are many coping strategies for kids to help with these transition moments. These strategies help when transitioning between activities or when it’s time to leave from visual cues and visual schedules to imaginative play.
At The Rabbit Hole Theater, we cope with the transition between our activities through creative pretend play. Mastering coping strategies is an excellent tool for those hard days or activities. Using pretend play adds a layer of fun to any upcoming transition, too!
How to Use Coping Strategies to Transition from One Activity to the Next
Whether it’s summer vacation or a typical school day, daily schedules may vary for kids. Even as an adult, transitioning between activities can be challenging, which helps us understand that our children often need help transitioning. Asking kids to stop playing with their favorite toys or even to clean up their toys for dinner can be a challenging transition to cope with.
Many of you likely remember the ways that your parents were able to get you from one activity to the next. Maybe your mom bounced like a kangaroo with you as you left the park, or your dad acted like a horse while you were the next champion rider as you traveled from the pool to the car. Like you, your children will have memories of these moments, and making them as fun and enjoyable as possible will make each transition time easier and more manageable. Getting creative with pretend play to help cope with transitions will help create those enjoyable and memorable experiences.
Next time you ask your children to clean up their toys, grab your toy boxes and act as if they are dump trucks, and have them load the trucks full of all the toys. Finish by letting them know that the dump trucks are full and need to head to the station.
If your kids struggle to transition from one location to the next, think of one of their favorite characters and create a story. For example, “imagine you are a bunny; let’s hop all the way from the pool house to the car. Try keeping your feet together all the way there.” We encourage you to get as intentional as you can to make it more engaging for your kids.
Coping Strategies for an Enjoyable Car Ride
Some children prefer car rides as their time to nap, yet others prefer a very vocal, active ride. We have a few pretend play coping strategies to create a more enjoyable ride for all passengers in either case.
If you know about a particularly long, planned car ride, it’s best to let your child know about it in advance so the transition is more manageable. Talk through the drive with them and allow them to choose what they would like to use to entertain themselves while in the car are ways to include and empower your child. At the Rabbit Hole Theater, we have resources available to help your child make the most of those car rides. We have created our very own audio tales that are interactive and imaginative. From mermaid tales to adventures through the magic clock shop, there are tales your child is sure to love to follow along with. Our audio tales are now easy to listen to on our Spotify.
In addition to our audio tales, we have coloring sheets that include characters mentioned in the Queendom destinations of the audio tales. Download and print them out for your next car ride for your children to color and keep them in their imaginations while listening to an audio tale.
Using Pretend Play as a Coping Strategy to Transition Fighting Siblings
Many siblings enjoy playing together. Even so, most siblings will find themselves in an argument at some point. For a parent, this can be stressful. However, this is where coping strategies come in. Pretend play can help you navigate the situation and provide sensory breaks. Redirection through pretend play acts as a great tool to switch gears and get some much-needed teamwork.
For example, interrupt the tension by saying, “Look what I found! A note from a Unicorn Princess.” Have the character ‘ask’ the siblings to do something together, which could include building a castle from pillows or going outside to ‘find’ a stuffed animal that’s hiding. You could also choose to create a series of ‘break cards’ that your kids can choose from during tense moments. These break cards will empower them to take control of regulating their emotions. You can use a visual timer to give the activity a set amount of time to help as you transition them from arguing to having fun together. Add some magic that can inspire them to work together! Helping them dive into their imagination can quickly change a gloomy day into a magical memory.
How to Use Pretend Play as a Coping Strategy When it’s Time for Bed
Lastly, bedtime is another transition that kids often need help with. Incorporate play into your bedtime routine by including stuffies and toys! Kids can help get their toys ready for bed while you help narrate their toys’ voices. You can ask their toy things about their day, ask them what snack they would like (using play food), and more. Then, narrate the answer making the toy come to life! You may even find that your kids are willing to open up to their toys as well.
Speaking to their toys can give them a place to talk about their day. It is beneficial if your child experienced something hard that day. You can use the dialogue between your kid and their toy to help them express their thoughts. Another option is to help your child use the stuffed animal to role-play a complicated emotion. For example, if your kiddo had his feelings hurt at school, their toy could express what hurt him and how that made him feel. It’s also nice to make up stories and include your kids and the toys they picked into that night’s adventure.
In conclusion, it’s no secret that parenting or caregiving is hard work!
Want to know more about the world of the Rabbit Hole Theater? Feel free to get in touch via our online chat option or check out our FAQs for more information!
