
Kids at Heart: coaching toolkit for parents, teachers and others who care (online, with Anna B)
24 April @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Are you a parent, teacher or adult who cares about children and their well-being? Do you long to have more tools to create the kind of relationships that nurture children’s mental health? Do you want to know how to shift misunderstandings, hurts and outbursts of anger into connection?
In this ten-week online course, you will come together with other parents, teachers and adults who care to explore insights based on coaching, child development and Nonviolent Communication and how to apply them in your daily lives. You’ll learn practical ways of improving communication, reducing conflicts and fostering emotional resilience at home or in the classroom.
You will also explore how to use coaching insights and tools to move through those big, puzzling behaviors or understand why your child refuses to engage. By the end of this course, you can expect to feel more confident in navigating challenges and better equipped to create a safe, supportive environment that encourages children’s mental and emotional well-being.
This course is for you if you are a parent, teacher or adult who spends time with children and you care about:
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equipping yourself with relevant options for showing care, boundaries, and guidance
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creating a relationship children can rely on
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understanding why your child is behaving in puzzling ways – and how to support them without getting stuck
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figuring out how to ask so children answer – and knowing when to stay silent;
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building your capacity to remain present with children’s big feelings – even when they seem overwhelming;
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finding ways to be a bit more playful, a bit lighter, inviting a bit more fun
In this course, you will:
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Gain practical coaching skills to strengthen your connection with children at home or in the classroom.
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Discover questions that cultivate deeper connections and help you engage authentically with children.
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Explore the role of the nervous system in shaping interactions and learn how this understanding can improve your responses.
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Learn the core principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and how to apply them in everyday situations with children.
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Practice various ways of listening that allow you to hear beyond children’s words and behaviors.
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Gain insights into your own reactions and behaviors, helping you become more self-aware and effective in your interactions.
Topics covered in the sessions include:
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Coaching: Meeting the child at eye level.
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Discovering their needs: Making sense of annoying and worrisome behaviors
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Understanding feelings as messages, we must decode
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The logic of the nervous system
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Listening beyond words and behaviors
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Deepening our understanding of feelings: The motivation they bring
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Recognizing attachment styles – yours and your child’s
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Inviting play
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Consent and moving through “yes” and “no”
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Repair and coming back to connection
Course Structure
We meet for two hours every week for ten weeks. We will present new theories, applicable tools, and practice every week. This rhythm enables you to apply the approaches at home or school, begin integrating your new skills – and observe the effects. There will be opportunities for asking questions and discussing implementation with the instructor and your peers.
We will provide handouts that support understanding and integrating the core concepts. We suggest you practice and do simple exercises with a peer every week to further your learning process. This is voluntary and we will organize it for those interested.
Dates & Times
24th April – 26th June 2025 on Zoom
7-9 PM NZT (Thursday evenings) / 9-11 AM CET (Thursday mornings)
Pricing: please chose the “Lower” amount if you live in a country with lower purchasing power, and “Higher” if you live in a country with higher purchasing power.
To register please go here
This course is led by Anna Banas with Pernille Plantener as assisting facilitator.
Anna Banas has been running workshops for teachers and parents for nearly two decades. She has worked as a lecturer and researcher in Early Childhood Education, and designs PLD trainings for ECE and primary school teachers in NZ and Australia. She also works with parents as a coach. Anna’s passion is supporting adults to tend to themselves and children around them in connected, honest and open ways. She is a mother of three.
Pernille Plantener holds a PCC credential with ICF and has educated hundreds of coaches worldwide since 2013. She co-founded the Needs-Based Coaching Institute. She’s served as a primary school teacher and is a grandmother of seven with whom she enjoys making up for her regrets about her parenting. She is passionate about understanding children on their own terms while setting firm frames and offering clear guidance.