Blogs & Media

Halloween, like most celebrations and events in 2020, will be different this year. As families reconsider Halloween traditions, children, youth, and parents will need to adapt, and change can be difficult to navigate. Other aspects of Halloween, like spooky costumes, haunting stories, socially distanced trick-or-treating and the sugar crash can also stir a big cauldron of emotions for chi...

What if we go beyond "surviving” these stressful times and instead, plan to come out stronger than ever?- Dr. Shimi Kang We're in this together! We wanted to provide you with resources that will help make your transition back to school a bit easier. Please feel free to forward these resources to your friends, family, and colleagues. Thank you for joining our mission to raise smart,...

When it comes to children, we're always guiding them to develop healthy life skills. Technology is no exception.  Teaching healthy tech usage to children is easier said than done. For many parents, their kids have a more intuitive understanding of devices than they do. In fact, 40% of parents are learning about technology from their children! If this is the case, how can parents and educa...

Empathy is one of the most vital Emotional Intelligence (EI) skills you can learn. It's the ability to put yourself in another person's shoes to understand their motivations, responses, and struggles.  Why is empathy important, you may wonder? Through empathy, we can connect with others to build strong and healthy relationships in our communities, careers, and personal lives.  Unf...

As we head into the summer months, children may be feeling the anxiety and pressure that social isolation and being cooped up this winter has caused. Helping your child to develop the skills to manage stress and anxiety in unfavourable conditions is essential for their mental and physical health.  Every year, children have to adjust to winter months and limits on their activities. With th...

Enjoy this FREE mindset tool to enjoy at-home!Download Working from home is difficult for adults — so how can children expect to fare? When children suddenly have to complete classwork from their living room, they have to ignore distractions, self-motivate, and learn new technology — all while doing it on their own. Unlike a school atmosphere, there's no teacher supervision or help from fr...

In our Dolphin Kids classes, we often talk about the power of gratitude and the importance of expressing gratitude to people we care about. One activity I always love guiding children through is writing a letter of gratitude to someone they appreciate. We brainstorm all of the ways this special person has made a positive impact in our lives. We take a mindful moment to think about all of the acti...

COVID-19 and being cooped up with your kids at home have created some unique challenges for parents. With school closures, many parents are wondering how to help their kids get through this time with positivity. What about their education? How do you keep your kids engaged and excited about learning when they could be watching movies on the couch?  Keeping your kids healthy, active, and e...

Social media has become a part of the daily routine for many. Because it’s such a big part of our lives as a society, it’s unsurprising that people have started to ask how much is too much and how young is too young for social media. Statistics Canada has reported that 93% of youth between the age of 15 and 30 use social media. And 24% of teenagers claim they’re going online “almost const...

As parents, we talk with our children every single day — but the question is are we truly communicating with them? Studies show that communicating with our children right from birth is critical for development. And most of us find that as our children get older, communication becomes more strained. Asking your teenager how their day was and hearing “fine” in return is not a conversation —...

Teaching is a profession that can be extremely rewarding — but also very stressful. Studies show that 91% of US teachers report excess workload being a major contributing factor to their stress and that 15% of US teachers leave the profession every single year due to stress and burnout. Other countries show similar statistics.  Fortunately, there are some proven ways to cope with st...

As a parent, you hold many responsibilities and likely feel a lot of anxiety about what’s on your to-do list. Parenting is a full-time job, and like any job, it can be stressful — very stressful. In fact, one study we discovered shows that parents feel stressed about six different times per day because of their kids! With all this stress, it’s essential that you take care of yourself...

We’ve talked before about the importance of gratitude when it comes to helping children with their emotional wellness. Expressing gratitude teaches all of us to concentrate on the positive and, as a result, feel happier and more fulfilled. And it’s so important to teach these life skills to our children as early in life as we can. One great way to express gratitude is through gratitude journa...

A growing body of research suggests that helping children to develop good social and emotional skills early in life makes a big difference in their long-term health and well-being. According to Daniel Goleman, author of “Emotional Intelligence”, he says that through family life, “we learn how to feel about ourselves and how others will react to our feelings; how to think about these f...

Mindfulness – I’m sure you’ve heard the word before and the many number of benefits this practice has tied to it. But, do you practice mindfulness on a regular basis? You might be thinking, “Life is so busy, who has time to be mindful?” And, this is true for a lot of us. It can be hard to stay present, be self-aware, and not think about your next move at work, home, or school. But,...

As a society, we have been spending more time than ever watching videos, browsing social media and swiping our lives away on our tablets and smartphones. According to a new study by market research group Nielsen, an average adult spend more than 11 hours per day on consuming media. Unsurprisingly, teens and tweens are on their screens for 6 to 9 hours too. And if you are a parent, you a...

Dr. Shimi Kang shares her thoughts on competitive parents with CTV Vancouver. Watch on CTV Vancouver. ...

Research suggests student voice begins at-home and at-school. So, how can we provide more opportunities for children and youth to discover and speak their voice? Think back to a time you had to make a decision that would impact your household or classroom. Who was involved in the decision-making process? How did you make the decision? And, did your children or students have a voice ...

Time flies when we have fun and we’re already at the end of summer! At this time, many students may feel a sense of dread or anxiety, knowing that they are returning to school. Parents may also feel the same way following a relaxed summer period. With increased structure, academic demands and peer influence, sometimes the transition back to school can get stressful. With a little prep...

In today’s world, much emphasis is placed on success. Because of the focus on high performance, many students often feel like they don’t have enough strengths. We often hear about how we ought to “play to our strengths” in order to succeed. However, what does it really mean? Defining strengths According to Australian Psychologist Lea Waters, strengths have three components:He or...

With only a few more weeks of summer holidays, what are some important areas that parents can focus on before their kids head back to school? Dr. Shimi Kang explains the importance of life skills and how to teach them. Watch on BT Vancouver. ...

Having a positive mindset has a bigger impact on performance than what researchers have expected. A recent study by Stanford University found something surprising. Researchers observed the brains of students to understand how attitude influence achievement, and it turns out that having a positive outlook on learning, plays an equally important role as IQ. When children do well in tests, t...

Prior to the late 1970s, the role of fathers was more defined as the family’s main breadwinner, disciplinarian, and would take time to play when he could. However, times have changed and fathers are seen to be more involved in raising their children. In fact, majority of studies have affirmed that fathers play an important role in the health and well-being of their children. In celebratio...

The “P” in Dolphin Kids’ P.O.D.  stands for PLAY! Why is play important? From learning problem-solving skills, to creative thinking, processing emotions and building resilience, play offers great opportunities for growth and parent-child bonding. Children love to play and have an endless capacity for play. However, parents’ ability or willingness for play may not be as consist...

Mothers are most often the primary caregiver who support their children’s physical, emotional, mental and social development. As such, it is no surprise that mothers play a significant role in every aspect of their children’s growth. In celebration of Mother’s Day, we want to recognise and strengthen the maternal role and relationship that contribute to social-emotional-cognitive ...

By teaching children the true meaning of gratitude, we can enhance their emotional wellness. “What are you grateful for today?” This question was difficult for 14-year-old “Claire” – a patient of mine whose real name I’m not using to protect her privacy – to answer when she first started coming to see me at the clinic. Diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder&n...

“Adam” was a 14-year-old boy who I was asked to see for symptoms of anxiety and depression. His parents were concerned about him and asked if he needed vitamin supplements or an antidepressant. During my assessment, I discovered that Adam, whose real name I’m not using to protect his privacy, was having trouble sleeping, had low energy and poor focus,...

When “Tyler” was a child, he was anxious.  He may have inherited his tendency to worry from his mom, who was obsessed with “what ifs” and what others thought. Or maybe it was his father, who pushed him hard in school and extracurricular activities. Whatever the case, his parents often tried to solve his problems for him, which greatly diminished his ability to c...

In the light of the recent incident, where a Deputy of Kentucky Sheriff handcuffed an eight-year old boy diagnosed with ADHD, let us talk about children with ADHD. The incident occurred whereby Deputy Kevin Sumner, working as a school resource officer at Latonia Elementary School in Covington, is been sued by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for allegedly handcuffing an eight-year...

Who killed summer vacation? That's the million dollar question -- literally. Long gone are the days of casually taking a few weeks off with the family to go on a road trip, or jetting off to a remote destination where the real world ceases to exist. This is the problem recently addressed by Jack Dickey in a June issue of TIME Magazine, where he talks about the raising concerns and ...

In May 2016, I was invited by CBC Radio to speak about a rather controversial topic brewing amongst parents and their teens regarding teenage clothing choices. This subject was recently spotlighted after a 17-year-old high school senior in Moncton, New Brunswick, made a statement by wearing a full-length halter dress against school policy, exposing her shoulders (including both bra s...

94% of employers agree that collaboration is an imperative skill for 21st century job success for new graduates. Even though social bonding is in our human nature, we often forget this truth. I see it all the time -- highly intelligent university and college students who minimize their social connection with others because they deem their peers as opponents rather than teammates. This s...

What are you grateful for today? This is the question I try to ask my three children before I tuck them into bed at night. When I was younger, my mother established the same bedtime routine. Some nights I was more grateful than others, but the question always challenged me to think deeply about the positive aspects of my life. As the youngest of five children in a "non-privileged" immigran...