Kits For Kids

In accordance with this article, Motivating Children Without Rewards | Psychology Today, operant conditioning or rewarding certain behavior works, but not always without a reward. An alternative is to foster intrinsic motivation. Rewards have their place. Even adults can lack motivation to do the necessary and mundane without something in exchange. Interestingly, rewards can actually have an adverse effect on intrinsic motivation. This kit is designed to foster it.  

The kit helps students/clients cope with difficult feelings, and it fosters nurturing practices like gratitude and kindness, benefitting the child and others. 

Cultivating kindness, expressing gratitude and releasing troublesome thoughts are not always adverse symptoms of mental health, but are practices that behoove anyone. Each Kit for Kids contains one:

  • It’s Cool to be Kind Activity
  • The Gratitude Tree Activity
  • Calm and Focused Activity

The cost is $57, including shipping and handling, and includes enough supplies to repeat some activities. Furthermore, if you order 10 or more kits, they are discounted to accommodate therapists ordering for session use, or classroom teachers working on social emotional development in students or staff. Ten or more kits sell for $40 each, and 25 or more are $35 each.

The It’s Cool to be Kind Activity

Every year, there is a time set aside for random acts of kindness. In 2024, it’s the week of February 14th. I challenge you to commit random acts of kindness all month, or better still, all year long. When you have time, read this article to understand exactly how you will benefit when you set out to help others. New research shows that helping others may be the key to happiness. – G.O. Community Development Corporation (go-cdc.org)

This kit provides several ideas, including a way to track acts of kindness exercised within a given month. You also get paint, a paintbrush, and decorate cardstock for use in some of the challenges.

The Gratitude Tree

Similar to the gratitude jar, this activity allows users to reduce symptoms of sadness or depression by focusing on being grateful. Learn more about the benefits of gratitude here:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/two-takes-depression/201211/how-gratitude-combats-depression. 

Each kit will come with everything you need to “leave” feelings of sadness behind as you focus on finding the good. The cool thing about this activity is that at the end of the month, you can see at a glance all the many things for which you have to be grateful. 

Calm and Focused

If you are dealing with an attention deficit, it is not that you lack the ability to focus, it’s simply that you probably want to focus on something other than the task at hand! This activity will empower you with tools to increase your ability to focus.