Articles
Healing from Trauma/Neglect/Abuse
Do You Need Help with Your Relative Child’s Tantrums, Rages, and Meltdowns?
Does this sound familiar? Your grandchild starts yelling, crying, or storming off in the middle of the grocery store. Your heart starts racing, and you feel like all eyes are on you! Do you need better tools to handle your grandchild's or other relative child’s...
Fun Ways to Create a Secure Attachment with Young Relative Children
While raising this young toddler or school-aged child in your home, you have a special opportunity to help them feel safe, loved, and strong. One of the best gifts you can give them is a secure attachment. This bond tells your grandchild (or nephew or cousin): “You...
When Siblings Harm Each Other
In this community, we value “family” as much bigger than just parents and children. This is one of the most common reasons that grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives step in to help raise a child when the parents can’t. The strength of kinship care helps...
Impacts of Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Drugs
Tips for Helping a Baby Cope with Withdrawal from Opiates
Your new grandbaby is here, and they are beautiful. But the doctors just informed you that this baby will have a rough few weeks ahead. Their little body is going through withdrawal from exposure to opiates during pregnancy. It's normal to feel scared for this baby's...
Quick Tips to Help Save Your Sanity When Raising Kids with Prenatal Exposure
Is your grandchild (or other relative) showing signs of exposure to drugs or alcohol during pregnancy? Are their homework and school projects disorganized and always late? Do they need directions repeated frequently and slowly? Are their emotions and physical activity...
5 Practical Tips to Help a Child Learn Organizational Skills
A child who had prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol or struggles with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often struggles to get and stay organized. You probably feel like there is too much chaos getting them out the door to school every morning. That...
Challenging Behaviors
How to Respond When a Child or Teen is Having a Meltdown
What do you do when your grandchild pitches a fit in Aisle 2 of the local grocery store? Or when your teenage niece screams at her sibling, slams doors, or kicks walls? It's a stressful moment for everyone, and your nerves are frayed while you figure out what to do....
Helping Your Tween or Teen Develop Their Whole Person
Does your tween or teen grandchild (nephew or cousin) act sullen, angry, illogical, and overly emotional? Do they engage in risky behaviors you never dealt with when raising your kids? You may struggle to understand this young person or feel connected to them because...
Encouraging Curiosity in Children
“Why does the plant need water, Grandma?” “How does that plane stay up in the air?” “What do birds think about when they sleep?” Does your grandchild (nephew, niece, or cousin) ask these questions? Do you feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or stumped by the many questions...
ADHD
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Disrupting Birth Order
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Helping A Child Heal from Sexual Abuse
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
School Issues for Foster & Kinship Kids
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Technology/Internet and Our Kids
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Self-Care for Kinship and Foster Parents
7 Signs of Caregiver Burnout and What to Do About It
Are you helping or supporting your extended family? Are you raising a grandchild, niece, or family friend while the child's parents get help? If so, you might be at risk for caregiver burnout. Caring for a child with significant learning challenges, problematic...
Considering Respite Care When Caring for Your Relative’s Child
Raising a child who has experienced trauma is demanding, intensive work. You are thankful to offer your home as a safe landing place for this child. However, they have challenging behaviors, sleep disruptions, or other struggles. You know you need a break but aren't...
Healthy Habits of Self-Care to Build Resilience
When raising a loved one's child, it's easy to lose yourself in this child's needs and forget to care well for yourself. You get focused on helping your grandchild succeed in school. You move things around your calendar to ensure they continue with sports or therapy....
Relationship with Child’s Parent
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Working Together For the Good of the Child In Your Care
The Benefits of Raising a Grandchild or Other Young Loved One
When you first took in your grandkids (or other loved one), you may have done it because it was “the right thing to do.” The kids didn’t do anything to deserve this, and family cares for family. But it still feels hard. It might help to focus on the significant...
Practical Ways to Set Your Grandchild Up for Success
It's challenging to raise your grandchild (or other loved one) in today's world. Your grandchild’s early life experiences can make your role in their life feel overwhelming. The impacts of their trauma or prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol can create many obstacles...
Welcoming a Relative Child When You Have Children Already in the Home
Adding a child to your family changes how you function in your home. Frequently, the kids already living in your home feel these changes most profoundly. This article will refer to them as "resident children." Tips to Prepare Resident Children Whether you are offering...
Raising Adolescents (tweens/teens)
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Supporting Healthy Relationships/Attachment
Why Friendships Matter: Part 2 — A Practical Tipsheet
As a continuation of the previous article, this practical tipsheet offers simple, hands-on ways for children of all ages to practice friendship skills at home. These activities are especially helpful for kids who struggle with social cues, emotional regulation, or...
Why Friendships Matter – Part 1
Friendships are more than just fun — they help children learn essential skills that last a lifetime. Through friendships, children learn how to share, show kindness, understand other people’s feelings, solve problems together, and feel accepted and cared for. As a...
Tips for Welcoming a Tween or Teen Relative to Your Home
When your tween or teen relative can no longer live safely with their parents, moving to a relative’s home can bring many mixed feelings. They may feel relief, fear, anger, or guilt. The feelings are mixed for you, too: uncertainty, hope, or even overwhelm. All of...
Therapy for Children in Foster/Kinship Care
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Phone
This website was supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families’ Children’s Bureau through the Improving Child Welfare Through Investing in Family grant #HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-CW-1921. The purpose of this grant is to provide an array of kinship preparation services and ongoing kinship supports, and provide shared parenting to build trusting relationships between all out-of-home caregivers and parents of children/youth in foster care to ensure parents and families remain actively involved in normal child-rearing activities.
This website is supported by Grant Number 90CW1149 (HHS-2021-ACF-ACYF-CW-1921) from the Children’s Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Children’s Bureau.