Workshops – Life Skills Learning Made Fun

Why Life Skills Matter

What happens when a child hasn’t been taught the social skills many of us picked up in our earliest years?

If you’ve cared for a child from hard places, you’ve probably seen the effects—meltdowns at the drop of a hat, difficulty making friends, and behaviors that feel too big for their little bodies.

Here’s the truth: skills like respecting personal space, showing empathy, and communicating clearly aren’t automatic. They’re learned—and they’re practiced, over time. Without that foundation, kids can feel lost in everyday situations like sharing toys or handling disappointment.

That’s where Workshops come in.

What Makes Workshops Different

Workshops are a space where you and your child can learn together—through play. The goal is to practice practical life skills while strengthening your connection.

Each session is grounded in TBRI^® (Trust-Based Relational Intervention^®), a trauma-informed parenting model developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross. It’s designed specifically for kids from hard places—those who’ve experienced abuse, neglect, or trauma.

TBRI^® centers around three key principles: Connecting. Empowering. Correcting. We weave all three into simple, hands-on activities that can easily be repeated at home.

What to Expect in a Session

We follow a consistent flow to promote safety, fun and connection.

Start with Connection

Every Workshop begins with an intentional activity that helps your child feel safe and connected to you. That’s why we ask for a one-parent-per-child ratio—so you both can fully focus on each other.

One of the first things you’ll do is use band-aids (yes, really) to gently care for each other’s hurts—physical or emotional. It’s a simple but powerful way to practice empathy and offer safe, nurturing touch.

You’ll also learn how to use Life Value Terms—short phrases like “Are you asking or telling?” or “Use kind words.” These aren’t scolding; they’re playful cues that help kids learn what’s expected of them in a way that feels safe.

Then Empower

Next, we help your child learn how to calm themselves by themselves. This starts by gently dysregulating their nervous system through safe physical movement—what we call our “bump and crash” course.

Once their energy is up, we introduce calming techniques—deep breaths, pressure holds, or other tools they can start to internalize over time. It won’t always be smooth (meltdowns happen, from them or you), and that’s okay. This is a judgment-free space.

Practice a Social Skill

After everyone’s calmed, we’ll practice a new skill of the week—things like asking permission, understanding personal space, or using kind words. If a skill needs to be repeated at future Workshops, we’ll revisit it. That’s how learning works.

End with Connection

Before dismissal, we always close with a simple activity to bring you and your child back together. The goal is to leave with a sense of closeness and success—even if the session had a few bumps along the way.

The Ground Rules

We keep it simple, with three big expectations:

1. Have fun. Kids learn best when they’re laughing, moving, and playing.

2. Stick together. This means staying with your group, participating, and being mentally present.

3. No hurts. No physical hurts, no hurtful words and no ignoring emotional hurts. We name them so we can heal them.

What to Bring (and What’s Provided)

You don’t need to bring much—we’ve got the essentials covered:

• Water, snacks, and weighted items for regulation

• A printed handout to reinforce what you learned

• A structured, supportive environment

We ask that you:

• Arrive on time and well-fed

• Stay off your phone

• Be ready to participate and play

• Practice what you learn at home

Want More Support?

Looking for more ways to apply TBRI^® at home? Check out our TBRI^® Crash Course Blog for helpful tips and tools.