When children experience anger, we often turn to books to provide a safe space to explore this emotion. But what if the books we’re choosing are instead promoting shame? Guilt and shame are emotions that can seem similar but are oh so different. They’re also both developing in our young preschoolers. Children who experience stronger emotional states are at increased risk for experiencing the shame-anger cycle.
Read MoreEmotional regulation is the ability to influence and change how we respond to a situation. In the preschool classroom, young children spend their time playing in groups. While building creations in blocks center, children are expected to regulate their emotions so that when upsetting or frustrating things happen, they can problem solve in a safe fashion.
Read MoreYou’ve read the research, you’ve learned the skills, maybe you’ve even been to the classes. You know ‘emotional regulation’ and all the things to do when children experience strong emotions. But when do you do when a child rejects or refuses to take deep breaths or move to the cozy corner? So many of these strategies require a child does something and when a child is emotionally overwhelmed that’s often not possible!
Read MoreWalking down the hallway, I can hear the frantic screams and cries of a child, “I’M CALM, I’M CALM, I’M CALM!!!!!”. I walked in to find Sarah standing in the middle of the classroom, tears streaming down her face and screaming at the top of her lungs. She was anything but calm and yet here she was, declaring to the world that she was the epitome of ‘calm’. Sarah believed she was calm because she had a surface level understanding of emotions. Are you making the same mistakes when you teach emotions? Check out the vital component that might be missing.
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