What to Do When You Grumble Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Negativity (What-to-Do Guides for Kids) - Softcover

Dawn Huebner

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1591474507 ISBN 13: 9781591474500

Publisher: Magination Press ® ― American Psychological Association, 2022

Synopsis

Can kids learn to turn grumbles into gratitude? Yes―and this workbook shows them how!

Life can feel like an obstacle course―full of fun but also packed with tricky spots. When frustration takes over, it’s easy for kids to get stuck in a cycle of complaining and negativity. But with the right tools, they can learn to shift their mindset and find the good in every day.

What to Do When You Grumble Too Much is an empowering guide that helps kids understand negative thinking and discover how to turn it around. Through engaging activities, lively illustrations, and expert strategies, this interactive workbook teaches kids how to challenge grumpy thoughts and build a more positive outlook.

Whether your child feels stuck in a grumpy mood or overwhelmed by life’s challenges, this book offers a creative and compassionate path toward feeling better―and seeing the bright side.

Key Features:

• Perfect for kids ages 6–12 who struggle with frustration, negativity, or frequent complaining
• Uses proven cognitive-behavioral techniques to help kids reframe thoughts and develop emotional resilience
• Encourages gratitude, optimism, and problem-solving through fun, hands-on exercises
• Includes a supportive note for parents and caregivers to help kids build healthier thinking habits
• Part of the trusted What-to-Do Guides for Kids series―used by parents, educators, and therapists for more than 20 years
• Created by Magination Press, the children’s imprint of the American Psychological Association―leaders in children’s mental health and well-being

About this title

About the Author

Dawn Huebner, PhD, is a psychologist, parent coach, and the author of numerous self-help books for children. Her books have been translated into twenty-three languages, touching the lives of millions of children around the world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Some children seem to have radar tuned in to what is wrong in any given situation. No matter how much is right, they have a way of noticing and commenting on every little problem, no matter how small or inconsequential.

Parenting a child who zooms in on problems, a child who often has a negative view, is hard work. If you are the parent of a child who "grumbles too much," you are probably nodding your head in agreement. You want your child to be happy, and you have probably worn yourself out trying to make that happen. You have bought the latest toys, waited in amusement park lines, laughed at marginally funny jokes. You have hosted play dates, lost at Go Fish, cooked endless bowls of macaroni and cheese, and repeatedly gone above and beyond the call of duty for the sake of your child. And your child probably has been happy. Children who tend toward the negative are actually often happy, as long as everything is going well. And therein lies the catch, because in real life, there are glitches. One of the rides at the amusement park is out of commission, you forget to pick up the blueberry yogurt, a school friend chooses to sit with someone else. And that's when the grumbling (and worse) begins. In the life of a child whose thinking quickly turns negative, a small mishap can shatter an afternoon. Children who tend toward negativity are masters at noticing problems. It's as if deviations, imperfections, and injustices jump out at them, magnified a hundred fold. They feel compelled to point out what is wrong or unfair. These children are experts at making mountains out of molehills, and typically grow increasingly angry when attempts are made to talk them out of their point of view. ... Now the goal, as you know, is not simply to end the grumbling. Children whose thinking quickly turns negative are good at fuming in silence, too. The goal is to teach these children about negativity and to motivate them to do something about it. The goal is also to help them become more resilient in the face of disappointment and to provide them with the skills they need to focus on the positive rather than staying mired in the negative.

Edition details

• Publisher: Magination Press ® ― American Psychological Association
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1591474507
• ISBN 13: 9781591474500
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Bonnie Matthews
• Number of pages: 88