We all know the importance of letting kids express their emotions, especially when they become angry or frustrated. Instead of trying to control their behavior by telling them to “use their words” or “stop yelling/hitting”, we need to provide them with a safe tool to release those feelings.
I am excited to introduce an amazing product that a colleague of mine, Leslie Marnett has created to help children in these heated moments. It’s called The Punch Pillow™.
Leslie created The Punch Pillow™ to answer a resounding plea for children’s honest emotions to be heard. She witnessed children’s fear manifesting in anger and anger leading to outbursts. Leslie understood that in order to ultimately reduce outbursts, we must first offer an outlet. Thus, the idea for The Punch Pillow™, with it’s multipronged approach for expression, communication and learning was conceived.
We had the opportunity to test out The Punch Pillow™ at home and it was a huge success. The boys knew exactly what to do when we opened up the package and were eager to begin. The Punch Pillow™ includes flashcards and a free download to the Punch Pillow song that goes along with it. We used it several times in a row and I caught myself singing parts of the song when we were done. It is a great resource that I now have available for my boys and the kids that I work with. It is perfect for any home, school, hospital or therapy setting.
Meet Leslie Marnett:
Creator of The Punch Pillow™, co-writer of the Punch Pillow song
As a Certified Child Life Specialist, Leslie helps children and families around the world find peace and understanding through life’s most challenging medical experiences. Her compassionate, creative and play-based approach engages children in a way that allows them to discover their strengths and realize their potential. Over the course of her career, Leslie’s passion and dedication to the child life profession has her earned awards and accolades for excellence in pediatric psychosocial care. In addition to creating The Punch Pillow™, Leslie is the founder of Youbism®, a community-based child life practice in Nashville, TN, a critical care specialist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and both a volunteer and guest lecturer at Gilda’s Club Nashville.
Click here to get The Punch Pillow™ today.
Check out their website at ThePunchPillow.com and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
We will be giving away The Punch Pillow™ to one lucky winner!
Choose one or more way to enter:
1. Sign up for email notifications at ChildLifeMommy.com and leave a comment below.
2. Facebook: Follow Child Life Mommy, leave a comment and tag a friend on the post.
3. Twitter: Follow, Like and RT the post to @ChildLifeMommy and @ThePunchPillow
4. Instagram: Follow @ChildLifeMommy and @ThePunchPillow Like and Tag a friend in the post.
Good Luck! Winner will be chosen 8/12/15
I think all playrooms should all have them! Would be wonderful for many ages, and an effective mode of expression for strong feelings–what a great idea!
I couldn’t agree more Shelli!
This looks so cool and would be such a great intervention for kids who are feeling aggressive or just have too much energy… My sister could have used this while growing up 🙂
Ha, I think I could have used this growing up too! Good Luck Kelly!
Great product! I used to bring out my son’s karate shield for him to get out his frustrations or anger. This pillow is a great idea to help release those big emotions.
Absolutely! Good Luck Kathylee
Leslie – Great product! Thanks for sharing info about it Child Life Mommy!!!
Thanks Chris, Good Luck!