Below is a great blog for parents written by parents www.ChildrenExperts.com 

​Below are blogs written by a therapist for children 


​Below are short teachings and stories
"Every child has a primary language of love, a way in which he or she understands a parent's love best. This book [The five Love Languages of Children] will show you how to recognize and speak your child's primary love language as well as the four common love languages that can help your child know you love him or her. As we will see, your child and mine need to know they are loved to develop into responsible adults. Love is the foundation to a secure child who grows into a giving, loving adult."

Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell, MD
The five Love Languages Of Children
Often children who have faced the trauma of neglect, abandonment and abuse struggle with even basic communication. They struggle to put their emotional pain into words that an adult can understand. Instead of words, children will often express their pain in behaviors that come out in angry outburst, defiance, lying, stealing, drug abuse and even cutting.  These behaviors are easily misinterpreted as rebellion; when in reality, they are just the cry from the soul of a hurting child.
 
Caregivers see it everyday. The challenge is then to look beyond the behaviors, beyond any consequence or punishment and see the root causes of the behavior, which inevitably leads to exposing fear and hurt.  Behaviors are like leaves on a tree. Ultimately, healing must be more than just removing troubling behaviors; which like leaves will only come back. Our care must be more than just dealing with surface issues. We must be willing and able to explore the wound that goes beneath the surface to root causes. Healing at the deepest levels allows for the continued personal and spiritual development.
 
For caregivers, listening is done with our ears, our eyes, our touch and our hearts.  Our expressions of love must be more than mere words, they must see our unconditional love and acceptance. Only then, can traumatized children see past the fog of fear and pain. The challenge is for all who live in this hurting world, are we listening with our ears, our eyes and our hearts to the cry of the hurting?                  

Dr. John  Sweet 
from Heart of Florida Youth Ranch
One day a young boy found a turtle. He started to examine it but the turtle pulled in its head and closed its shell like a vice. The boy was upset and he picked up a stick to try and pry it open. The boy's uncle saw all this and remarked, "No, that's not the way! In fact, you may kill the turtle but you'll not get it to open up with a stick." The uncle took the turtle into the house and set it near the fireplace. It wasn't but a few minutes until it began to get warm. Then the turtle pushed out its head, then stretched out its legs and began to crawl. "Turtles are like that," said the uncle, "and people, too. You can't force them into anything. But if you first warm them up with some real kindness, more than likely, they will open up and do what you want them to do. 

Author Unknown, Warming Up The Turtle, Fish Wrapper
Emma is autistic....she is 14 years old.  She takes little steps to lead up to her big accomplishments. She learns like a toddler with continual and patient consistent teaching and modeling.  Sometimes, though, she comes out with really funny things that make us laugh because they are so typical of a teenager yet so out of character for her and her limited language.  One day in response to being told to do something, she looked at the Home Health Aide and said, "Whatever!"  Another time, when asked repeatedly to clean up after she ate, she said, "This is my house!"   She said them so seriously.  We have learned to laugh with her and many little things can bring joy and smiles to her.  One thing about Emma is that she really loves praise songs and her worship of God is pure and uninhibited.  We are continually amazed that she can sing along to almost any song whether she has heard it before or not.  Every time she sits at her piano, she seems to be composing parts to a symphony she is writing.  Sometimes she plays a part over and over again like she is trying to get it right and other times she includes familiar songs in what she plays.  Her mind is amazing.                                          Mom of Emma ​
One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?" "It depends," I yelled. "What does it say on your shirt?" He yelled back, "University of Auburn." "Brilliance" from Fish Wrapper
So, here is my story.  I have a recently turned 9 year old daughter who struggles with being easily distracted, and wanting to be in control.  She is not one who can be given her daily school work and be expected to get it done without many distractions and in a timely manner.  It can become a struggle that is not fun for either of us and has become quite frustrating. On top of all of this, I do childcare for an income and her gifted area is loving on children.  In the current situation, however, she has at times become more of a bully than a help and is showing signs of disrespect toward me.  What should I do is the question. I have asked many times of the LORD and have tried many different things.  No reward or consequence seemed to work.  Recently, as I was crying out to the LORD, this is the answer the One who knows her better than I do has given me..  I am the type of person who wants to get the school done by a certain hour so we can do fun things together, and the fun things have not been happening and school is dragging out all day and not fun anymore for either of us.   So, this is the plan GOD gave me....switch things around..  After breakfast and the morning chore, we begin the day together reading from a Children's Bible and praying......all of us, including my little babysitting kids.   Then my daughter and I do something fun together like a game, a puzzle, or coloring so we get our “something fun” done early in the day.   After that, we begin our school.  It starts our day off with JESUS, positive attention, and fun which then carries over into getting school done.  ​
​One of our children helped me climb up to where he was pouting yesterday because I told him "I am old and my knees hurt." Out of compassion he came to "rescue me" and pull me up to where he was. But he did not want to come down to talk. So I fake cried. Yea I did that. Learned that skill from my other kids. So he changed his mind. What a heart of compassion this child has! We spent great quality time the past couple days - we are bonded at the hip now, and at any moment he comes to me just looking to connect. Glad to say he wants to go to school today like we talked about. What a great kid. All kids need special attention sometimes - a parent who cares enough to climb to where they are hurting.