This article from Kidshealth.org will help children dealing with step and blended families. It covers issues like getting used to stepparents, what to do if you can’t get along with your new stepparent and how to make a healthy transition into a step family. This resource offers a good variety of information and useful tips for making your stepfamily work.
Donald Harting is a child of divorce. His parents separated when he was eight years old and divorced when he was 15. He knows what it is like to lose an intact family and deal with the repercussions of divorce. As a way to honor his parents, he has built a living memorial to them in the form of free books to help other children of divorced parents. You can find the program here.
And, the program does not offer just any books. They have researched the best books available for preschool aged, elementary aged, middle school aged and teenaged children of divorce and picked the best book for each category. As a result of their research they offer the following books for each category of children:
Preschool/Kindergarten
Using watercolor illustrations and gentle explanations, Mama and Daddy Bears Divorce discusses changes (like Daddy moving out), but reassures little ones that important things will stay the same. As Dinah learns, “her daddy would always be her daddy, and her mama would always be her mama.” (Description from FSCC).
Changeville is an internet based game released in 2008 by the Justice Education Society of British Columbia, Canada. Changeville is an interactive, virtual world designed “to give children tools and information that will help diminish the fears and anxiety they may feel.” Some of the information contained within the game is targeted directly to residents of Canada (like contact information if kids need to talk to someone), but most of it applies to children from any country.
How it Works
We you enter the world of Changeville, you will be prompted to enter your name. You can also enter a password if you want to keep your information private. From there you customize your avatar (the character who represents you in the game) to look however you would like them to look. A map of Changeville appears, and you are prompted to pick an area of town. Your choices include: Continue reading