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Children & Youth
These resources, like our programming, support children and teens with any serious illness in the family.
A collection of familiar voices and guided imagery experiences for children. Imagery recordings are both a mix of visual and audio presentations to help children learn strategies to help promote relaxation, calmness, sleep, stress management, and empowerment.
Handout: Self-Care for Parents
Tips to manage and avoid caregiver burnout.
Video: Taking Care of Yourself
You can’t pour from an empty cup. Taking care of yourself means filling your cup so can be there for your family without running on empty. This session explores stress management strategies.
Video: Role-Modelling to Encourage Positive Behaviour
Children look to parents and caregivers to understand how to respond to stressful situations. Discussion on how to model and encourage the behaviour they would like to see in their children.
Video: Dealing with Sibling Conflict
Tips for parents to help promote cooperation and reduce conflict at home.
Video: Radical Acceptance May Help Families Cope
Discusses the different ways we respond to difficult situations and introduces the idea of radical acceptance as a way of coping with stress.
Handout: Building Resilience
Giving your child tools for a healthy life.
Handout: Why Won’t They Listen?
Tips for talking with your child.
Programs & Resources: NanKind
Programs, therapeutic play, resources and support for children and families.
Talking to Your Anxious Child about COVID-19
Tips from Children’s Mental Health Ontario on having conversations with anxious children about COVID-19.
Self-regulation and coping activities to help children manage and navigate stress and anxiety.
Back-to-School Mental Health Kit
Children’s Mental Health Ontario’s Back-to-School Mental Health Kit is intended to empower families who are concerned about their child’s mental health to help support them in their transition back to school (in-person or remote).
COVID-19 Mental Health Resource Hub for Youth
A hub of online resources, specific for youth to help cope with and manage anxiety and stress. A collaboration between Jack.org, School Mental Health Ontario, and Kids Help Phone.
Virtual courses: YourSpace Hamilton
YourSpace’s in-person workshops are currently paused due to the pandemic, but virtual courses and webinars for youth and parents/caregivers are offered through Lynwood Charlton Centre, at yourspacehamilton.ca. If you’re interested in receiving email updates about upcoming courses, please send your email address to communityeducationse@hhsc.ca.
Video: Anxiety in our Children & Youth
This session for families will help you understand more about anxiety triggers and the effects on your child and teen. Helpful coping strategies and ways you can empower your child or youth are also shared.
Video: Helping your Child Deal with Stress
Is your child or youth having a hard time handling their stress? This session for families will help you find out more about stress triggers, the effects on your child or teen, and ways you can help. Coping strategies and how to empower your child and youth are also discussed.
Video: Good Sleep Hygiene for Every Age
Understand how much sleep infants, children, youth, and adults need each night through discussion of daily exercise, food, sunlight and a relaxing bedtime routine can improve sleep quality and overall wellness.
Video: Daily Activities for Mental and Physical Wellness
A list of daily activities to promote healthy minds and bodies and prevent emotions from becoming too intense.
Video: Practicing Mindfulness to Cope with Stress
Importance of mindful thinking, eating and breathing to cope with stress during the pandemic.
Video: Coping with BIG Emotions
Tools for families coping with big emotions due to the changes and sense of loss associated with the pandemic.
Video: Tips to Avoid the Cycle of Anxiety
Tips on how to cope with anxiety and worry – feelings that may arise due to constant change.
Video: Advice for Coping with Uncertainty
Discussion on how our brains react to stress and uncertainty, and ways to cope and invest energy into what we can control.
COVID-19 Mental Health Resource Hub for Youth
A hub of online resources, specific for youth to help cope with and manage anxiety and stress. A collaboration between Jack.org, School Mental Health Ontario, and Kids Help Phone.
Video: Coping with Body Image
Discusses the ways in which we can avoid unhelpful behaviour that may cause us to think critically about our bodies and, instead, engage in practices that help to improve body image.
Video: Screen Time and Melatonin
How screen-time and melatonin impact the quality of our sleep.
Video: Youth Resiliency
Learn about what it means to be ‘resilient’ as a youth, about what’s going on with our bodies in a challenging situation, reflect on how much resiliency you have now, and think about different ways to build resiliency.
Video: Focus on What’s in Your Control (and leave the rest!)
Controlling outside stimuli and managing your emotions, engaging in ideas that bring balance to our lives, focusing on things that are important to you, providing a feeling of achievement & creating connections!
Video: Building Positive Relationships
What should a positive friendship look and feel like? How do you make things right when things have gone wrong? Explore ways to build and repair friendships that can support your mental health.
Video: Facing School Challenges
Learn skills to help you cope with things that can make school challenging, and understand why advocating for YOU matters.
Video: How to Talk to Your Teen
Learn the basics of teen development and explore tools and strategies that can help family members and caregivers to improve communication, and work towards reducing conflict by establishing collaborative problem-solving strategies.
Jays Care Foundation is uploading new activities and challenges for kids to practice their fundamental movement skills and exercise at home.
Deep breathing exercises using shapes, animals and imagination! Presented by Coping Skills for Kids
Movement and mindfulness videos for children to practice at home.
Teaching or learning at home? TED-Ed offers a wide range of interactive, video-based lessons for kids of all ages.
Simple, easy-to-follow videos to help kids doodle and draw at home. Presented by Mo Willems.
Enjoy a virtual amusement park in the comfort of your own home!
Virtual learning LIVE every Thursday, video hub and parent resources.
Listen and sing-along with talented storytellers from Hamilton Public Library.
Explore the world of wonders.
Celebrate nature’s beauty and dig deeper with virtual activities with Royal Botanical Gardens.
Virtual tours of Hamilton’s historic sites.
Campfire Circle provides camp-inspired programs that empower children affected by serious illness to build friendships and social skills, develop self-confidence and resiliency, and improve their overall well-being. They deliver year-round programs in children’s hospitals across Ontario, at our community-based activities, and at our medically-supported overnight camps. Our programs are fully accessible and offered at no cost to families.
Year-round support for children with cancer (receiving treatment or in remission) and their families.
A Canadian center dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and teens with cancer, and their families.
This website is designed for teens diagnosed with cancer, as well as their parents. Information, resources, chat, and message boards are available for teens coping with issues around treatment, social change, school, and family.
Programs, therapeutic play, resources and support for children and families.
Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario
Pediatric Oncology specialists in Ontario have collaborated closely, since 1983, to deliver the right care at the right time and in the right place for children with cancer and their families
While we have done our best to review the resources above, please know that the contents are intended to support you but are not to be considered prescriptive or an endorsement of particular sites, companies, or individuals.