Skip to Content

Surviving the Crazy Beautiful

Making Sense of Your Child’s Emotional World

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • The Crazy Beautiful Emotional Toolkit
Child laughing while building with colorful Lego bricks illustrating why play is important for children

Why Play Matters Way More Than You Think

Understanding your child’s behavior: sad little girl sitting quietly by a garden fence

What Is Your Child’s Behavior Really Trying To Tell You?

Child looking out of a window appearing sad, showing how kids can't tell you how they're feeling as they struggle to express emotions with words

Why Kids Can’t Tell You What They’re Feeling — And How They Show You Instead

The Feelings Hotel - a creative emotional check-in for kids – a playful, printable emotions tool showing a hotel where children can ‘check in’ feelings using illustrated emotion suitcases.

How To Do The Feelings Hotel: A Creative Emotional Check-In for Kids

Mum and child playing with building blocks illustrating one of many play therapy techniques parents can use

21 Powerful Play Therapy Techniques Parents Can Use to Support Their Child

Smiling young girl gently blowing colorful confetti from her hands, symbolizing calm, joy, and the lightness of mindful breathing—a visual metaphor for stress relief and breathing strategies for kids.

7 Best Breathing Strategies For Kids: How to Calm Stress

The printable tools and worksheets included in the free Crazy Beautiful Emotional Toolkit to help parents better understand their child's emotional world
The Crazy Beautiful Emotional Toolkit
Young girl in a pretty party dress during an emotional outburst of the type that makes parents question "why does my child get so angry?"

Why Does My Child Get So Angry?

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on July 27, 2026July 27, 2026 Leave a Comment on Why Does My Child Get So Angry?

If your child seems to explode over the smallest things, you’re probably wondering,“Why does my child get so angry?” It’s a great question because anger …

Young girl smiling with her arms raised on a summer day, representing confidence and emotional skills for children.

Emotional Skills for Children: Building Confidence, Resilience and Emotional Intelligence

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on June 21, 2026June 20, 2026

Emotional skills for children aren’t just important for managing feelings—they help children understand themselves, build confidence, develop healthy relationships, and cope with life’s challenges. In …

Young girl blowing dandelion seeds in the sunlight, illustrating emotional regulation in children

Emotional Regulation in Children: Why It Matters and How to Help

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on July 27, 2026June 15, 2026

Have you ever watched your child go from calm to chaos in a matter of seconds and wondered what on earth is really going on? …

Young boy playing with toy dinosaurs during imaginative play, illustrating how understanding you child's play can give us clues about their emotions and inner world.

What Your Child’s Play Might Be Trying To Tell You

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on July 22, 2026June 1, 2026

Children’s play can often look like simple fun. But when we slow down and watch with curiosity we discover that understanding your child’s play can …

Young girl with holding her head in her hands like a child bottling up emotions

When Your Child Bottles Up Emotions: How To Gently Help Them Open Up

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on May 2, 2026April 20, 2026

Worried about a child bottling up emotions? Learn the signs your child is holding everything in, why it happens, and how to help them open …

Silhouette graphic of child's head with string and wool surrounding it representing tangled thoughts - illustrating the ADHD brain and How to Help Kids with ADHD Build Emotional Regulation Skills

How to Help Kids with ADHD Build Emotional Regulation Skills

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on May 2, 2026January 31, 2026

Learn how to build emotional regulation skills in kids with ADHD and support their emotional whirlwinds in a compassionate, brain-friendly way. If you’re parenting a …

Child drawing faces showing different emotions with crayons to learn about feelings — teaching kids about emotions activity

21 Fascinating Facts About Emotions for Kids

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on June 20, 2026December 9, 2025

When we focus on teaching kids about emotions, we give them tools they’ll use for the rest of their lives. Wondering where to start? These …

Emotion card hidden in a pencil pot as part of the Hide and Seek Emotions Game for kids, showing how this emotional literacy activity works.

How to Play The Hide and Seek Emotions Game: A Fun Feelings Activity for Kids

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on May 2, 2026November 24, 2025

If you’re looking for a playful emotional intelligence activity for kids, the Hide and Seek Emotions Game might just become your new favorite. It’s easy …

Child holding emoji faces showing happy, sad, and neutral emotions illustrating how to teach kids emotional intelligence

How To Teach Kids Emotional Intelligence: 6 Play Therapy-Inspired Techniques

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on July 27, 2026November 18, 2025

If you’ve been wondering how to teach kids emotional intelligence in a way that actually sticks, you’re in the right place. Emotional intelligence isn’t just …

Child wearing a shirt and tie with pretend rocket wings, blasting off into a starry sky — symbolising the growth mindset for kids and the confidence to reach their full potential.

5 Simple Ways To Help Your Child Develop a Growth Mindset

by Debbie McKelveyupdated on May 2, 2026October 13, 2025

Want to help your child build confidence, resilience, and self-belief? The growth mindset for kids is a powerful way to do it. Here are 5 …

Posts pagination

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

About Debbie

Welcome
Welcome

My name is Debbie and I'm the play therapist and writer behind 'Surviving the Crazy Beautiful.'

This space is here to help you make sense of your child's emotional world - especially when behavior feels confusing or overwhelming.

Here you'll find play therapy-inspired insights and gentle, practical ways to support children through big feelings and emotional development...

Because sometimes parenting really does feel like surviving the crazy beautiful!

About Debbie
Read more about the 'Surviving the Crazy Beautiful' story here...

Categories

  • Building Emotional Skills & Resilience
  • Supporting Emotional Regulation
  • Supporting Your Child Through Play
  • Understanding Your Child
  • Understanding Your Child's Behavior
  • Visuals
2024 Copyright Surviving the Crazy Beautiful. Surviving the Crazy Beautiful is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Blossom Beauty | Developed By Blossom Themes. Powered by WordPress.

Copyright and content share guidelines - Disclaimer - Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy