Al's Pal's is a social emotional learning curriculum that is used in many preschool settings. Many of our EC teachers were trained and used to use this program in our classrooms too!
They have created some wonderful videos for children including:
Watch all the videos here
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Imagine Neighborhood is a podcast for kids that has been developed to help kids learn about social and emotional skills. It aligns with the Second Step curriculum that is used in some of the AHSD25 elementary schools.
Learn more and listen here: www.imagineneighborhood.org/podcast-1/ If parenting during shelter-in-place feels challenging and isolating, you only have to scroll through a few social media memes to realize that you are not alone. Preschool aged children have intense feelings, no matter the setting. Throw in some stressed out parents, new routines, uncertainty, and a global pandemic and you have a recipe for disaster. So, how can you help the little ones in your life sort through all these feelings (and maybe help yourself in the meantime too)? Talk about those feelings! ALL THE FEELINGS! Here is a link to a feelings chart that you can print and use at home. It has a lot of feelings. Feelings can be nuanced. According to Yale's RULER approach, emotions range in pleasantness and intensity levels. Understanding that can actually make taming them a little bit more manageable. It can also help young children appreciate the wide spectrum of emotions even if they are not yet developmentally ready to name them all. But too many options can be overwhelming for some people. If you're going to use a feelings chart at home, do so in a way that is going to be truly useful for your kids. With my 2 and 4 year old, this meant cutting out pictures and arranging them in a way that made more sense to us (we used the RULER approach and arranged them by "energy level" and "pleasantness"). We pick out how we are feeling based on the picture we most relate to and then talk about the different ways to label that feeling. We talk about whether or not we like the way we are feeling. If we don't like it, we talk about things we can do to change how we are feeling. Which brings me to the next challenge: calming strong feelings. Here is a social story you can use to begin talking about ways to calm strong feelings. Another useful approach is to come up with strategies that can be easily used to calm strong feelings in the moment (like this generic one). My 4-year-old helped me brainstorm a more personalized calming strategy menu for our house last week because we needed it (please excuse the art, time was of the essence)! Personalized menus or choice boards can come in handy for everyone - especially when they are practiced proactively ahead of time. We earned "stars" for each calming strategy we did (grown ups too! Modeling is so important and, honestly, we all benefitted). At the end of the day, the person with the most stars won! The prize? Picking the song we danced to before bed. Practicing strategies when we are calm makes it easier to remember to use these strategies when we are not calm. If we talk about how we feel both before and after we use the strategies, we become aware of which strategies are most helpful. Plus, when parents are stressed, it's way easier to grab a pre-made list of ways to help your kid calm down then try and come up with a creative list off the top of your head.
The menu we made probably won't last that long. Hopefully we will back into a better routine and we won't need to practice it daily anymore. Or, more likely, we will need to make a new one to spice things up or as the weather gets nicer (please-oh-please let the weather get nicer!). We might find that we need a totally different type of choice board - perhaps a problem solving board for when two kids want the same toy. We might need something different each week. And that's okay. The creation of each menu or choice board is a collaborative effort and invites everyone to think of solutions. Even young children can feel empowered when they are genuinely asked to help solve big problems. And each new board is a chance to talk about feelings and ways to regulate those feelings and that's a win for everyone. Well, for three minutes at least. How are you supposed to explain coronavirus/COVID-19 and the closure of schools, libraries, and everything else to young children?
First, breathe. This is new and rapidly changing territory. That can be scary for grown ups and kids. Make sure you can appear calm and collected when talking with your child about the current state. Take a break if you need to. Avoid having the news on and avoid talking about it around children. Need help breathing? Sesame Street has you and your kids covered with a video! Need a social story about COVID-19 that is simple and to the point? It was created for children with Autism but the direct approach paired with visuals makes it ideal for Preschool-aged and young elementary children as well. Does your child need more? NPR has an article/comic for explaining coronavirus to children. It's geared toward children older than preschool-aged but might give parents some good ideas and visuals they can use. It does not talk about school closure but could be followed up with a conversation about how another way to keep everyone safe is to stay home to stop the spread of germs: And finally, here is NASP article with advice for parents. The sun is shining, your young child is actually listening, and their favorite cereal is on sale. A perfect grocery store trip. Until your child loudly asks "why does that person look different?"
As adults, we might feel embarrassment or guilt when children ask these questions - especially when we are in public! But young children are naturally curious. They are constantly observing and learning about the world around them. They are learning to notice similarities and differences as their shape their own identity. When we shush them or refuse to talk about differences in social identity, sometimes they walk away with the implied understanding that differences are wrong. And that is NOT the message we want to send. Parents are more likely to talk with their children about identity when others have made negative comments about their hair, skin, religion, gender, etc. But it's important for adults to have factual conversations with children to prevent those comments being made in the first place. Or to help the comments turn into a conversation instead of a negative interaction. For more information on the importance of talking with your kids, read: https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/767205198/the-things-parents-dont-talk-about-with-their-kids-but-should It seems like we are seeing more and more w-sitters in the classroom. And while this type of sitting can be fine every once in awhile, it can be problematic if it is your child's default position. Read more below to find out why. For more resources, visit theinspiredtreehouse.com/?s=w+sitting
Toddlers and preschoolers are famous for tantrums and meltdowns. There are memes, hashtags, and even late-night segments dedicated to laughing about these moments. And, as parents and guardians, sometimes we have find humor in these intense moments to stay sane. But we also need to remember that when little people have big feelings, they are no less real or valid than our grown-up big feelings.
Young children do not have the life experience to differentiate a "small problem" from a "big problem." Not being able to go to the park or have ice cream can feel truly devastating. When adults try to minimize these feelings or brush them off ("don't cry," or "that's silly,") children are getting the message that their feelings don't matter. And that can be a heart-breaking and isolating message. So, what do you do when your child flails about on the ground because they wanted the blue bowl for breakfast ("no, not that blue bowl!")?
Maybe it's your child's first day of school ever, maybe they have a new teacher this year, or maybe it's just a big transition from their summer routine. No matter the circumstances, the first day of school can feel intimidating for both children and parents. Here are some tips to ease first day of school jitters:
Sometimes, during meetings, parents are surprised by how well their child shared, listened, or followed directions at school. Sometimes parents feel guilty or feel they aren't doing a good job if their child has a hard time with these same skills at home.
But, children behave differently at home and at school. Often, children behave better at school. At school, the schedule and expectations feel like they are set in stone (or at least, kid-friendly visuals) and consistency can be upheld by staff who are there to engage and support kids with their full attention. At home, the schedule often adjusts based on the needs of the family - and those can change in an instant. Parents are not around simply to engage and support their children but must also cook, clean, grocery shop, do the laundry, pay the bills, and on and on and on. In preschool, children have their first exposure to peer pressure. In our classrooms, this often winds up being positive pressure to participate in group or share toys in order to elicit smiles or praise from others. Children might share more easily at school where toys are seen as common resources. At home, children can feel territorial about their toys and may have a power hierarchy established with siblings. Children are more likely to melt down at home where they know their parents will love and support them and help them through their biggest emotions without holding a grudge. We often see more emotionality out of children when they are tired and ill and parents usually keep children home when they don't seem like themselves. If your child's teacher is describing a child who you wish you saw at home but rarely do, you can take pride in knowing that you helped instill those positive behaviors and characteristics that seem to magically come out at school. And know that you are not the first, nor will you be the last, to say "I wish they did that at home." If you still feel lost, check out some of the book recommendations listed on this website to try and cut back on stress while parenting. A healthy sense of self-esteem or self-confidence can carry you a long way. If you are confident, you are less likely to give up when things are hard or when you make a mistake. If you like yourself, you're more likely to assume others will like you too and it's easier to reach out and connect with others. Here are some simple ways to help your children boost their self-esteem at home:
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AuthorMiss Nicole is the Social Worker for the Early Childhood Program in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Categories
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