Coping Tools – What Helps Me?

What you will need: 

Paper
Pencil or Pen
Markers, Colored Pencils, or Crayons 

Instructions: 

*If you do not have a printer to print the picture in the download, draw the fingerprint on a piece of paper. 

Think of unique qualities and strengths about yourself. Write these qualities and strengths in the spaces of the fingerprint. You can just write one word for each quality or strength, or write the word and explain why. You can use the markers, colored pencils or crayons to make each line exactly how you want it. Feel free to color, draw, and create this fingerprint uniquely, just like you! 

Sometime’s it may be difficult to think about your own personal qualities and strengths, but I encourage you to dig deep and think about what you love about yourself, or what others have said positive about you. 

As you’re writing different qualities and strengths, think about how you’ve developed these strengths. Your hard work and growth has made you who you are today! 

Some examples of qualities and strengths: 

Caring, creative, dedicated, enthusiastic, flexible, honest, motivated, optimistic, open minded, responsible, trustworthy, team player, great communicator, leader, great at math (or any other subject), great basketball player, dancer, organized, problem solver, good listener, happy, always smiles, great planner, makes people laugh, always kind to others, etc. 

Grab two jars and scrap paper. Write positive activities on scrap paper for the “Filling Up” jar.

Label each jar Letting Go and Filling Up.

As a negative emotion arises…

  • Write it on a piece of scrap paper and place it in the “LettingGo” jar.
  • The act of writing the emotion and physically letting it go can help aid in de-escalating and taking the power out of that emotion.

Next pull something positive from the “Filling Up” jar. Perform whatever task is on the paper.

Spend time working with your child on the activity they pick out of the jar. Spend time talking them through their emotional reactions.