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Managing Emotions
Regulation is something everyone continually works on whether or not we are cognizant of it. We all encounter trying circumstances that test our limits from time to time. If we can recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place. This comes more naturally for some, but for others, it is a skill that needs more attention and practice.
We want to teach our students how to build awareness of their feelings and utilize a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness. This includes exploring tools and strategies for mindfulness, sensory integration, movement, thinking strategies, wellness, and healthy connection with others.
We also want to provide a common language and a compassionate framework to support positive mental health and skill development for all, while serving as an inclusion strategy for neurodiverse learners, those who have experienced trauma, and/or have specific needs in terms of social, emotional, and behavioral development.
Here are my favorite strategies & tools for teaching students to manage their emotions throughout the day:
Identify How You Feel
Recognizing how we are feeling is vital to how we can best work through emotions.
How are You Feeling Today? Anchor Chart
Talking about feelings can sometimes feel like we're opening up a can of worms, but starting with a visual can help us as educators and our students better identify with what we're feeling and how to support those emotions.
Have students identify their level of energy and pleasantness, identify how they are feeling with a feeling word, and then have them turn to their toolbox and choose what strategy can best support them!
Choose a Strategy
Choose a strategy to best support the identified emotions from your feelings check-in!
What's Inside Your Toolbox? Anchor Chart
Creating a toolbox along with your students, and setting goals, front-loading, and then reflecting afterward is the key to making this social and emotional learning stick!
Reflect
Did the strategy support you?
Are Your Tools REALLY Supporting You? Anchor Chart
Having your students reflect and evaluate if their tools actually supported their emotional regulation is a great way to promote self-awareness as well as narrow down what strategies work for each individual!
The goal is to help move students towards more independent regulation while also honoring and respecting each student and their unique self, and creating an environment where all students, and adults, can use these skills in order to CO-REGULATE with one another. Because that is when true learning can begin in the classroom.
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Disclaimer: The resources and ideas found on this website are all research-based and vetted with a parent and educator lens. The tools listed have worked for students and children that I work with; however, each child is different. This list is not exhaustive and is a compilation of ideas and strategies to try in schools or at home. No information on this website should be used as medical advice. I am not a clinical psychologist, but I do work alongside them as thought partners in this journey.
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