Helping & Healing
Find support and guidance during challenging times with Helping & Healing. Explore articles and content aimed at helping families navigate difficult situations and find healing and resilience along the way.
For Our Australian Friends: A Story About Fire and Loss
For our Australian friends or anyone else affected by fire — we’d like to take this post to share with you a free story.
Helping Children with Fear at Halloween
We have found that stories are the most effective and enduring way to help children process — and then release — these images so they can enjoy all the magic and fun the season has to offer. Here are two stories that we think might help.
Managing Anxiety with Renee Jain, SparkleCast Episode 3
In this episode of SparkleCast, Renee, David, and Rebecca discuss how storytelling can not only change perspectives but also help children face fears, dismantle panic and undo patterns of anxiety.
Libby & Dish "Feel Guide" Printable
Here's a simple printable for families who want to create a "Feel Guide" just like Libby does in "Libby & Dish: The Feel Guide" collection.
Support for Children in a Time of Fear & Crisis (Eight Free Stories)
We've created a playlist of our best stories to help children through trauma or crisis, including stories about managing fear, worry, and trauma.
A Libby & Dish Story for Conservation Week!
This week at Sparkle, we're looking at one thing each of us can do to help our beautiful planet. There are so many small things we can change to help the earth be healthier and cleaner and happier.
Mother's Day Love from Sparkle
We're sharing a few fun things to support you in having a delightful Mother's Day experience!
For Our Californian Friends: a Story about Fire and Loss
The images are all over the news, and stories of the blaze are surely being talked about at school — so we encourage you all to meet your child's natural anxiety and fear with empathy, reassurance and then, if appropriate, some agency.
The Power of Story: Free Story & New Short Film
Here in Sparkle Land, we value stories for their entertainment value, but also (and more importantly) for their ability to teach and influence powerfully.
The Magic of "Mindset"
Have you ever had a moment when you thought you've finally found the best parenting tool ever? I'm having that moment right now. The parenting tool? Fostering a growth mindset.
New Collection! "Loving Our Grands: Stories for Appreciation and Understanding of our Elders"
This collection of three stories support children in understanding, relating to, and honoring the elders in their lives. The narratives create space for families to value the unique wisdom that our elders possess. These stories are a part of the Helping & Healing series and address topics ranging from changing abilities to dementia.
How to Be Super on the First Day of School
Back to School is upon us and that means lots of new things! This requires our children to be brave, flexible, industrious, and improvisational. Here are some helpful tips and resources to help them tap into those superpowers!
Community: What We Are Learning from the Austin Bombings
Over the past 3 weeks, Austin has been on edge as bomb after bomb has killed or injured people around the city. People have been afraid and confused and not sure what to do.
"All Hands" a Veterans Day Free Story
We want to celebrate our military families with an original story, and so we created “All Hands.”
Building Resilience After Sudden Tragedy
It will take a long time for the people of Texas to recover from the church shooting in Sutherland Springs. There will be strong emotions and a flood of support (as was the case after the Houston flood) — but there will also be a deep desire to find meaning. How did this happen? What do we need to do to make sure this never happens again?
Teal Pumpkin Project
As a mom of kids with food allergies who struggles with food sensitivities herself, Halloween is always a mixed bag.
“Helpers”: How to Support Children in the Wake of Natural Disasters
We live on this planet, and this planet is alive.
A Sparkle Supply List for Back-to-School
What are your child’s fears? Her hopes? His questions? You have the honor of preparing your children for their first, and their second, and their fifth, and their twenty-fifth day of school.
Difference, Violence, and the Events of Charlottesville
Two years ago we posted the three stories below from our "Diversity" collection. After the events of this past weekend, we feel they are relevant and will offer talking points for families.
Four Free Stories to Help your Family Process the Bombing in Manchester
We have posted these stories before — and the sad truth is that we will likely need to post them again — but our hope is that you and your children can listen to them together and absorb a series of images and words to use when processing the news.