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In this illuminating video, 7-year-old Giuliana Margolis invites you to take her hand and walk through a day of ADHD challenges at home, on the playground, and in the classroom. From impulsivity to distractibility to extreme emotions, "Take My Hand" offers a child's-eye view of typical attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) symptoms - all explained via a touching poem by Andrea Chesterman-Smith.

"Its hard to explain, but I need you to know, I can't help letting my feelings show." Feelings of anger, jealousy, sadness, and frustration can easily overwhelm children with ADHD. Spend a few minutes walking in Giuliana's shoes, and you'll see that although her brain is different from yours, ADHD doesn't (and shouldn't) define her.

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"I Think With My Feelings and See With My Heart:" A Child's-Eye View of ADHD

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In this illuminating video, 7-year-old Giuliana Margolis invites you to take her hand and walk through a day of ADHD challenges at home, on the playground, and in the classroom. From impulsivity to distractibility to extreme emotions, "Take My Hand" offers a child's-eye view of typical attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) symptoms - all explained via a touching poem by Andrea Chesterman-Smith.

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Assorted webinars and links to resources

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Assorted webinars and links to resources

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ADHD Expert Webinars from ADDitude Magazine

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CLICK HERE for a list of past webinars available for replay with downloadable slide presentations. Click below to register a...

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Explaining Oppositional Behavior to Kids

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Explaining Oppositional Behavior to Kids

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TO END PUNITIVE, EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE, WE'RE GOING TO NEEDNEW LENSES, PRACTICES, AND POLICIES. YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

We are in the midst of a societal and public health crisis. We are losing our most vulnerable kids, largely due to perspectives that are outdated and counterproductive, and disciplinary practices that are punitive and exclusionary.

With each time-out, detention, suspension, expulsion, paddling, restraint, seclusion, and arrest at school, there are children who aren't getting the help they need and are being pushed away from caregivers who could instead be helping them.

The cost to all of us is profound. Overwhelmed, discouraged educators. Frustrated, desperate parents. Expensive placements. Disenfranchised, marginalized, alienated kids. A pipeline to prison.

It doesn't have to be this way.

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We are in the midst of a societal and public health crisis. We are losing our most vulnerable kids, largely due to perspectives that are outdated and counterproductive, and disciplinary practices that are punitive and exclusionary.

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Video: A Better Parenting Strategy for Teens with ADHD/ODD

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Video: A Better Parenting Strategy for Teens with ADHD/ODD

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Beyond Rewards and Consequences: A Better Parenting Strategy for Teens with ADHD with Ross Greene

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[Self-Test] Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in Children

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What is oppositional defiant disorder in children? ODD is more than occasional aggressive or irritating behavior. It’s a pattern of angry, uncooperative, and mean conduct that negatively impacts a child’s life at home and at school. Use this self-test to find out if your defiant child is showing sig…

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What Does Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Look Like in Children?

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Symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) include regular temper tantrums, excessive arguments with adults, and uncooperative, deliberately annoying, or mean and spiteful behavior. If you recognize these extreme symptoms in your child, consider seeking an ODD diagnosis and behavioral parent training.

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Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children by Leah Davies, M.Ed.

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Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in children is a psychiatric disorder that can persist into adulthood. Students with ODD have an underdeveloped conscience and poor relationship skills. They display a great deal of aggression and purposefully annoy others. The actions of these children seriously interfere with their functioning at home and at school. Being defiant and argumentative are typical ways children ages two to three and young adolescents behave; however, students with ODD exhibit a pattern of these behaviors beyond age three and throughout their school years. Childhood actions associated with ODD are:

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Strategies for supporting students with ADHD and learning differences

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Strategies for supporting students with ADHD and learning differences

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An educator with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shares simple strategies for supporting students with this learning difference.

monkeybusinessimages / iStock

When I was growing up, I often heard family members, teachers, relatives, and even friends imply or say outright that I was lazy. Many said things teasingly, but others would admonish in frustration or judgment. As a child and teenager, I worked hard to hide what I considered failures. I was ashamed that I couldn't keep up or get my work done on time and embarrassed when I lost homework or accidentally left things at home.

Now I know what I didn't then. I have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-ADHD. I was not, and still am not, lazy. I have a disorder that is very often overlooked or undiagnosed in children (and especially girls) that causes me to struggle with executive functioning and self-regulation skills such as self-motivation, time management, forgetfulness, difficulty sustaining attention and completing tasks, and difficulty planning.

Luckily, I tended to score high enough on tests that my ADHD didn't derail my academics. Unfortunately, fixing the damage to my self-esteem and self-image is still a work in progress.

As an educator, I've seen many students with diagnosed or suspected ADHD struggle academically due to the consequences of the disorder. What makes the struggle even harder is when teachers and other educators fail to intervene in positive, research-based ways to help.

Labels like "lazy" don't help anyone. These kinds of labels are, instead, character judgments that don't explain why students exhibit behaviors. What can help, instead, is getting to the root of the problem and building up the student's belief and confidence in themselves.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

Before applying a potentially harmful label to a student, analyze the specific behavior(s) the student displays. Do they avoid starting tasks? Is it mostly in one subject ( writing is a struggle for more than half of students with ADHD)? Do they start tasks but get easily frustrated and give up, or begin causing distractions? How long has the behavior been going on-weeks? months? years? Ask a lot of questions, and leave the emotion out of it. Be open to the possibility that there is more going on than you might think.

Another option is to do a 20-to-30-minute observation of the student when the behaviors usually occur. Using any observation form, such as this one from the Iris Center, or even a blank piece of paper, note the beginning time as well as the setting of the observation. Then, describe what the student does and says factually without making any assumptions about why.

If it's too hard to keep your emotions or opinions out of this process, try bringing in a colleague who doesn't know the student to give an unbiased observation. This is very similar to what many schools use for a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in their Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This kind of observation can also be beneficial for teachers trying to support students with behaviors that are preventing them from learning even if they don't qualify for their school's MTSS program.

Once you've clearly defined the behaviors, explore possible causes. Maslow theorized that all human behavior begins with a motivation to meet certain needs. Students, even neurodivergent students, are no different. However, the needs they're seeking to fulfill may be different than those of neurotypical students. Are there gaps in knowledge and skills that may be causing the student to avoid the unpleasant or embarrassing experience of admitting they don't know how to do something? Could they be acting out due to frustration or anxiety over their academic struggles?

ADHD, along with other learning differences, can often cause students to avoid nonpreferred tasks at all costs, leading to sometimes severe behaviors. The student's historical data can be very helpful at this point. Look for clues and trends in the student's scores in a variety of areas, starting with overall scores, and then dig deeper into individual domains, skills, and benchmarks. If you can identify specific areas of weakness, you can create a plan to address them.

Building Up Student Self-Esteem

One example of a behavior that teachers might mistake for laziness is students starting tasks but failing to sustain the attention needed to complete them. They also often misplace their work or forget to turn it in. Sometimes, the work may even be complete but just never left the backpack. If the root issue is ADHD, no amount of telling the student, "Remember to turn your work in" or "Don't forget to complete your homework," is going to fix the problem.

Dr. Russell Barkley advises that anyone wanting to help change the behavior of someone with ADHD must intervene at the point of performance-the immediate time when the behavior would typically be triggered. He lists clear steps to take to put guardrails in place for certain ADHD behaviors. For many students already struggling with low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression due to their ADHD or academic deficits stemming from their ADHD, however, it will take more than tips and strategies to overcome the issue. It will take building the student's belief in themselves as well as helping them develop an understanding of how their brain works (metacognition).

The first step to helping struggling students develop self-esteem is eliminating negative talk and questioning about why they forgot something or didn't do some task. Believe me, ADHD students don't know why, so continuing to ask only makes them feel worse about themselves than they already do.

Second, use sincere, positive praise to reinforce to students that you believe in them. Encouragement, not flattery, works wonders when sincere. Phrases such as "I know this is hard, but I also know you can do it" or "I know how hard it is for you to get started writing, but you have such wonderful ideas. Tell me your ideas out loud first" acknowledge the student's challenges while instilling in them the amazing belief that someone is on their side and just gets it. For some ADHD students, it might be the first time a teacher has talked to them with empathy rather than exasperation or frustration.

When moving on to completing larger projects or tasks that span multiple days or weeks, work with the students to break down the task into steps with specific due dates and check-ins. To build motivation to complete each step, have them think of a way to reward themselves after completing each step. Teachers can start these conversations like this: "This is a big project that will take a lot of time to complete. I know I can get overwhelmed when I have something big to do. What helps me is to make a plan to do little parts, one at a time. We could make a checklist too."

The key to overcoming any challenge with ADHD students is to be sincere in your empathy as well as in your belief that the student can succeed. Communicate this belief to the student, and then make the student your partner in crafting a solution, showing them that you truly value their input.

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Positive, Intentional Supports for Students With ADHD

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An educator with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder shares simple strategies for supporting students with this learning difference.

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How to collect behavior data on a student

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How to collect behavior data on a student

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Page 7: Collect Data: Direct Observations

In addition to the information gathered from interviews and rating scales, data from direct observations can offer insight into when, where, and how often a behavior occurs, as well as how long it lasts. A direct observation occurs when someone actually sees the student in the classroom setting and gathers data on the problem behavior. Ideally, an objective observer (e.g., a behavior analyst, a member of the S-Team, another teacher) will collect the data. Direct observations can be used to:

Conduct an ABC analysis

Collect baseline data about the problem or target behavior

Conducting an ABC Analysis

Recall that the ABC model is used to identify the antecedents (A) that set the stage for the problem behavior (B) to occur and the consequences (C) that appear to be maintaining the problem behavior. An observer might collect data over several sessions before obtaining enough information for a clear ABC pattern to emerge. This usually requires eight to ten occurrences of the problem behavior (except in cases of extreme behaviors, such as fighting or self-injurious actions). In addition to recording the ABC events, the observer should note the setting and the time of day in which the behavior took place, as well as the persons involved. Once an ABC analysis has been completed, the team can develop a hypothesis about the function of the behavior. Click here to see David's A-B-C analysis results.

The video below depicts an interaction between a teacher and a student who refuses to do his work. During the video, Kathleen Lane conducts an ABC analysis, explaining each step and demonstrating how to fill out the recording form (time: 5:08).

View Transcript | View Transcript with Images | Click to view Cameron's ABC analysis form

Activity

This video depicts a scene from Ms. Rollison's classroom. Use the form below to conduct an ABC analysis of Joseph's behavior.

Collecting Baseline Data

Once a clear ABC pattern of behavior has been identified, further observation can provide baseline data about the problem or target behavior. It is important to select a direct observation method that fits the behavior and is feasible in the classroom. Observers should consider one of four direct observation methods when collecting this type of data:

if length of time is a measurable factor in the problem behavior

if the teacher needs to determine how often a behavior occurs

Before implementing the intervention, baseline data should be collected over three to five observational periods to ensure a representative sampling of the behavior. The same data collection procedures should be repeated once the intervention is implemented. This allows the teacher to compare the intervention data to the baseline data to determine whether the intervention is effective. In David's case, the team wanted to know how much time he spent off-task, so they selected duration recording.

David's teacher schedules ten minutes at the end of language arts class for students to work on independent writing assignments. Because the information gathered thus far indicate that this is when David is the most off-task (i.e., out-of-seat behavior), an observer-in this case, a member of the S-Team-takes this opportunity to collect duration data. Whenever David leaves his seat without permission, the observer starts his stopwatch. When David returns to his seat, he stops the stopwatch. He maintains this data collection procedure for the entire 10-minute period. At the end of the period, his stopwatch indicates that David was off-task for 7 minutes and 29 seconds. He divides the 7 minutes and 29 seconds by the entire 10-minute independent work period and determines that David was off-task 75% of the time.

The baseline data indicate that David is out of his seat an average of 63% of the independent seatwork time, confirming the teacher's initial concern that David's off-task behavior is a problem.
View Description
For Your Information

Data need not be collected throughout the entire day. If, for example, a behavior occurs primarily during independent reading time, data need only be gathered for a portion of that period.

Data may also be collected on replacement behaviors. It may be necessary to have one recording system for the problem behavior and a different system for the replacement behavior.

Activity

Ms. Rollison has identified the following problem behaviors for Joseph:

Joseph makes sarcastic and teasing comments after other students answer questions in class.

Joseph makes rude comments when called on or spoken to by the teacher.

Which data collection method could she use for his problem behaviors? (check all that apply)

Duration recording: Try again. Duration recording is not appropriate because Joseph's problem behaviors are brief comments that do not last for any length of time.

Latency recording: Try again. Latency recording is not appropriate because Joseph does not delay doing something that Ms. Rollison has asked him to do.

Event recording: Good work! Event recording is appropriate, as each of Joseph's problem behaviors (i.e., comments) can be counted.

Interval recording: Good work! Interval recording is appropriate, as an observer would be able to identify whether either behavior occurred during a specified period of time.

Ms. Rollison has identified the following replacement behaviors for Joseph:

Joseph will respond in a positive and respectful manner when called on or spoken to by the teacher.

Joseph will listen without commenting when other students answer questions in class.

Which data collection method could she use for his replacement behaviors? (check all that apply)

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IRIS | Page 7: Collect Data: Direct Observations

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In addition to the information gathered from interviews and rating scales, data from direct observations can offer insight into when, where, and how often a behavior occurs, as well as how long it lasts. A direct observation occurs when someone actually sees the student in the classroom setting and gathers data on the problem behavior.

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Intentional Thinking about How You Think and Learn

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Intentional Thinking about How You Think and Learn

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Unlock the magic of metacognition for students with ADHD | EF Spacialists

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In this article, you will learn about metacognition, why it is important, and how you can help your students gain these mental processes.

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Oppositional Defiant Disorder: The Disorder That Makes You Defy Authority

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Understanding and Supporting Your Student With ODD

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Understanding Mental Health Conditions: Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

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ADHD Dude provides parent training through the ADHD Dude Membership Site. ADHD Dude 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 gender-specific content. Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW, ADHD-CCSP - Director
Ryan is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified School Social Worker, and father to a son with ADHD & learning differences. ADHD Dude is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗 𝗗𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆:
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✅Speaking/Presentations: https://ryanwexelblatt.com/ ADHD Dude is for educational purposes. I am not serving in a clinical capacity and cannot provide clinical consultation or free advice through YouTube comments, email, etc. #adhddude #ryanwexelblatt #adhdkids #adhdchildren #adhdparenting

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What is oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in children?

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a type of behavior disorder. It is mostly diagnosed in childhood. Children with ODD are uncooperative, defiant, and hostile toward peers, parents, teachers, and other authority figures. They are more troubling to others than they are to themselves.

What causes ODD in a child?

Researchers don't know what causes ODD. But there are 2 main theories for why it occurs:

Developmental theory. This theory suggests that the problems start when children are toddlers. Children and teens with ODD may have had trouble learning to become independent from a parent or other main person to whom they were emotionally attached. Their behavior may be normal developmental issues that are lasting beyond the toddler years.

Learning theory. This theory suggests that the negative symptoms of ODD are learned attitudes. They mirror the effects of negative reinforcement methods used by parents and others in power. The use of negative reinforcement increases the child's ODD behaviors. That's because these behaviors allow the child to get what he or she wants: attention and reaction from parents or others.

Which children are at risk for ODD?

ODD is more common in boys than in girls. Children with the following mental health problems are also more likely to have ODD:

Mood or anxiety disorders

Conduct disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

What are the symptoms of ODD in a child?

Most symptoms seen in children and teens with ODD also happen at times in other children without it. This is especially true for children around ages 2 or 3, or during the teen years. Many children tend to disobey, argue with parents, or defy authority. They may often behave this way when they are tired, hungry, or upset. But in children and teens with ODD, these symptoms happen more often. They also interfere with learning and school adjustment. And in some cases, they disrupt the child's relationships with others.

Symptoms of ODD may include:

Having frequent temper tantrums

Arguing a lot with adults

Refusing to do what an adult asks

Always questioning rules and refusing to follow rules

Doing things to annoy or upset others, including adults

Blaming others for the child's own misbehaviors or mistakes

Being easily annoyed by others

Often having an angry attitude

Speaking harshly or unkindly

Seeking revenge or being vindictive

These symptoms may look like other mental health problems. Make sure your child sees his or her healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

How is ODD diagnosed in a child?

If you notice symptoms of ODD in your child or teen, you can help by seeking a diagnosis right away. Early treatment can often prevent future problems.

A child psychiatrist or qualified mental health expert can diagnose ODD. He or she will talk with the parents and teachers about the child's behavior and may observe the child. In some cases, your child may need mental health testing.

How is ODD treated in a child?

Early treatment can often prevent future problems. Treatment will depend on your child's symptoms, age, and health. It will also depend on how bad the ODD is.

Children with ODD may need to try different therapists and types of therapies before they find what works for them. Treatment may include:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy. A child learns to better solve problems and communicate. He or she also learns how to control impulses and anger.

Family therapy. This therapy helps make changes in the family. It improves communication skills and family interactions. Having a child with ODD can be very hard for parents. It can also cause problems for siblings. Parents and siblings need support and understanding.

Peer group therapy. A child develops better social and interpersonal skills.

Medicines. These are not often used to treat ODD. But a child may need them for other symptoms or disorders, such as ADHD.

How can I help prevent ODD in my child?

Researchers don't know what causes ODD. But certain approaches can help prevent the disorder. Young children be helped by early intervention programs that teach them social skills and how to deal with anger. For teens, talk therapy (psychotherapy), learning social skills, and getting help with schoolwork can all help reduce problem behaviors. School-based programs can also help to stop bullying and improve relationships among teens.

Parent-management training programs are also important. These programs teach parents how to manage their child's behavior. Parents learn positive reinforcement methods, and also how to discipline their child.

How can I help my child live with ODD?

Early treatment for your child can often prevent future problems. Here are things you can do to help:

Keep all appointments with your child's healthcare provider.

Take part in family therapy as needed.

Talk with your child's healthcare provider about other providers who will be involved in your child's care. Your child may get care from a team that may include counselors, therapists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Your child's care team will depend on his or her needs and how serious the disorder is.

Tell others about your child's conduct disorder. Work with your child's healthcare provider and school to develop a treatment plan.

Reach out for support. Being in touch with other parents who have a child with ODD may be helpful. If you feel overwhelmed or stressed out, talk with your child's healthcare provider. He or she may direct you to a support group for caregivers of children with ODD.

When should I call my child's healthcare provider?

Call your child's healthcare provider right away if your child:

Feels extreme depression, fear, anxiety, or anger toward him or herself or others

Feels out of control

Hears voices that others don't hear

Sees things that others don't see

Can't sleep or eat for 3 days in a row

Shows behavior that concerns friends, family, or teachers, and others express concern about this behavior and ask you to seek help

Call 911 if your child has suicidal thoughts, a suicide plan, and the means to carry out the plan.

Key points about ODD in children

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a type of behavior disorder. Children with ODD are uncooperative, defiant, and hostile toward peers, parents, teachers, and other authority figures.

Developmental problems may cause ODD. Or the behaviors may be learned.

A child with ODD may argue a lot with adults or refuse to do what they ask. He or she may also be unkind to others.

A mental health expert often diagnoses ODD.

Therapy that helps the child interact better with others is the main treatment. Medicines may be needed for other problems, such as ADHD.

Next steps

Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your child's healthcare provider:

Know the reason for the visit and what you want to happen.

Before your visit, write down questions you want answered.

At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you for your child.

Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed and how it will help your child. Also know what the side effects are.

Ask if your child's condition can be treated in other ways.

Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean.

Know what to expect if your child does not take the medicine or have the test or procedure.

If your child has a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit.

Know how you can contact your child's provider after office hours. This is important if your child becomes ill and you have questions or need advice.

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Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) in Children

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Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a type of behavior disorder. It is mostly diagnosed in childhood. Children with ODD are uncooperative, defiant, and hostile toward peers, parents, teachers, and other authority figures.

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Offering kids choices, safe spaces, and positive reinforcement can help teachers avoid problems-or manage them when they arise.

Elliott Golden / The iSpot

Most children will, at times, argue and test limits. Yet some kids are defiant and hostile to a degree that interferes with their daily lives-behavior that's sometimes diagnosed as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD, according to a story by WeAreTeachers.

"Students with ODD disrupt their own lives and often the lives of everyone nearby," write the report's authors. "[They] push the limits of defiance far beyond reason. Their problem behavior is much more extreme than that of their peers, and it happens much more often."

According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, kids with ODD exhibit "an ongoing pattern of uncooperative, defiant, and hostile behavior toward authority figures that seriously interferes with the child's day-to-day functioning," for six months or more. Symptoms like frequent temper tantrums, excessive arguing with adults, and mean and hateful speech when upset, are usually seen across multiple settings, but especially at home or school. While a direct cause remains unclear, "biological, psychological, and social factors may have a role," the academy notes. Up to 16 percent of children may have the disorder, and children with ADHD are especially prone.

Though a teacher's first reaction to ODD might be to react defensively, this can backfire and create a power struggle with the student, say experts. Instead, teachers who've worked with students with ODD recommend a set of strategies that will address challenging behavior, and help you start building relationships with hard-to-reach students.

"We all have the capacity to learn, change, and grow," writes special education teacher Nina Parrish. "When given the right tools and environment, students with problematic behavior can learn more productive strategies that will help them have positive and effective interactions with others."

1. Be Calm and Consistent: As a new teacher, Parrish says she quickly learned that reacting with anger when her students with ODD acted out made the behavior worse and students became "amused or encouraged by upsetting an adult." Instead, Parrish recommends trying to keep a positive tone to your voice, adopting neutral body language, and being "cautious about approaching the student or entering their personal space as this might escalate the situation."

Consistency with words and actions is also important when working with kids with ODD. Teacher Brandy T. tells WeAreTeachers she routinely uses the same set of "trigger words" so her students know she's serious. When students in her class begin to argue with her, "I simply say either, 'not now,' 'later,' or 'fix the issue.'" When her students hear 'fix the issue,' for example, she says that's the signal to "go to their chill-out space if they need to calm down."

2. Reinforce Positive Behavior: For all kids, but especially children with ODD, it's important to "switch your focus from recognizing negative behavior to seeking out demonstrations of positive behavior," writes Parrish. She sends home positive notes when students show behavior improvements, even if they're small gains.

Additionally, consider offering students the opportunity to earn certain privileges, suggests WeAreTeachers, rather than "taking those privileges away as punishment." For example, give kids the opportunity to earn rewards-like a bit of iPad time or lunch with a teacher.

3. Find Out What's Going On: Behaviors, notes Parrish, help students "obtain something desirable, or escape something undesirable." She suggests thinking about behavior as feedback, or a way of communicating, an approach that's "helped me work more effectively as a teacher with students who display problem behaviors." Figuring out factors that contribute to students with ODD acting out can help you develop a plan for addressing their difficult behaviors in the classroom.

Sometimes, it's a matter of picking up on a student's signals that their emotions are building long before things reach a breaking point. When students who've experienced trauma are beginning to feel upset, they often show physical signs of their mounting distress: balling up fists, withdrawing from classroom interaction, or clenching their jaw, writes Micere Keels, an associate professor at the University of Chicago and a trauma-informed educator.

"Many educators tend to ignore students' increasing signs of agitation, hoping they'll eventually calm down. But when disregarded, these minor behaviors can quickly escalate," writes Keels, who also recommends identifying students' triggers, like touch or emotionally difficult anniversaries, to avoid situations entirely.

4. Create a Safe Reset Space: Kids with ODD "can learn to recognize when they're feeling overwhelmed and getting ready to challenge or defy," according to WeAreTeachers. "Giving them a safe space to calm down and rethink their choices can be beneficial."

At Fall-Hamilton Elementary, a trauma-informed school in Nashville, Tennessee, for example, every classroom has a nook-called a peace corner-with a comfortable seat, a timer, and items like stuffed animals, sensory squeeze toys, and simple drawing and writing supplies. It's a spot where kids can take a break and reset. The school also recognizes that teachers may need a time out too. Using a strategy called Tap-in/Tap-Out, teachers can ask a colleague via text message to briefly cover their class if they are about to lose their cool.

"A dysregulated adult cannot regulate a dysregulated child," says school principal Mathew Portell. "Use strategies that honor the student's emotions and need for space while also getting their systems to calm in a safe way."

5. Offer Choices: It's important to "affirm your students' autonomy by giving them choices," writes Keels, about best practices for de-escalation. When kids feel respected, "their sense of belonging and mood will often improve."

She recommends avoiding ultimatums like "You better sit back down or I'll send you to the office." Instead, clearly communicate expectations and limits so kids understand. You might say, "I see you're upset, but it's not OK to yell at me. You can either go get a drink of water and come back in five minutes, or sit in the reading chair and I will check in with you in five minutes," says Keels.

In the heat of the moment, it's important to avoid an argument, teacher Holli A. tells WeAreTeachers. "State your choices, then walk away," she says. "Give the student time to process and decide which choice to make. If they don't like the choices, don't engage. When they try to argue, repeat the choices, and walk away again. If the student still will not choose, they do not get to participate in their preferred activity."

6. Build Connections: Often, kids with ODD "are looking for a relationship with a teacher who can help them deal with problems on their own, instead of making them stand out in a negative way," according to WeAreTeachers. "Building a connection with them will help get to the root of the behavior."

Though teachers can feel the need to create boundaries with students, simply talking with them informally can build invaluable connections that influence their behavior in the classroom, says middle school math teacher Cicely Woodard.

Woodard says she intentionally makes herself approachable to students and tries to learn interesting details about them. "Some of my students tell me stories about their lives during the five minutes between classes," Woodard says. "I stop what I am doing, look them in the eyes, and listen."

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Offering kids choices, safe spaces, and positive reinforcement can help teachers avoid problems-or manage them when they arise.

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Middle School Overcoming Obstacles Curriculum

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Middle School Overcoming Obstacles Curriculum

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High School Overcoming Obstacle Curriculum

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High School Overcoming Obstacle Curriculum

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RULER is a systemic approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER aims to infuse the principles

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Neuroscience meets developmental theory

Neuroscience research identifies early childhood as a critical time to develop self-regulation. Tools pairs Vygotskian theory with neuroscience to create actionable curriculum and teaching practices.

Developing every child's self-regulation in every activity

As children learn academic skills in Tools classrooms, they are simultaneously developing the foundational skills for school and life success. ‍But it doesn't stop there. Vygotskian theory recognizes the tremendous developmental potential of a certain kind of play-make-believe play. Children deeply engage in this intrinsically motivating play in Tools, propelling self-regulation development.

Co-constructed with Teachers

The developmental psychologists who founded Tools partnered with teachers, spending time in classrooms observing young children and the challenges teachers were facing. They generated neuroscience and theory-informed solutions and new approaches to teaching to enable every child to reach their full potential.

Teachers put these to the test and gave feedback that contributed to a cycle of continuous improvement. In partnership with teachers, Tools became what it is today . . . and this partnership with teachers continues.

Tools approach in action

There are teachers and there are Tools teachers. There are children and there are Tools children. There's curriculum and then there's Tools curriculum. Because Tools of the Mind is unlike any other early childhood program. With Tools, every child reaches their own unique full potential. Watch the videos below to see Tools learners in action.

Learning to play

Through intentional play in preschool and dramatization in kindergarten, Tools learners build self-regulation by staying in roles, using role speech, planning what happens next and more.

Committed to learning and improving

For over 30 years, Tools has been dedicated to using research, data and teacher feedback to refine its approach and strengthen its positive impact on children and teachers. We're proud to be a nonprofit that:

Embeds neuroscience and early childhood theory

Partners with educators

Leverages innovative technology to empower teachers, families and children

Brings joy back to the classroom for students and teachers

Not looking for a comprehensive curriculum? Get a taste of Tools with our Bite of Tools Professional Development. You'll start building regulated, inclusive classroom communities right away. Join the many schools that are re-energizing teachers and improving child outcomes with actionable classroom strategies.

I'm interested in Bite of Tools Workshops

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Tools is a total paradigm shift. Our program is designed to enable children to learn how to learn while learning building all the skills they need to be successful in school and life.

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Originally developed by Dr. Arnold P. Goldstein andDr. Ellen McGinnis,Skillstreaming is a highly acclaimed, research-based prosocial skills training program published by Research Press.

Skillstreaming employs a four-part training approach-modeling, role-playing, performance feedback, and generalization-to teach essential prosocial skills to children and adolescents. Each book provides a complete description of the Skillstreaming program, with instructions for teaching a wide variety of prosocial skills and a CD including reproducible forms and handouts.

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Originally developed by Dr. Arnold P. Goldstein andDr. Ellen McGinnis ,Skillstreaming is a highly acclaimed, research-based prosocial skills training program published by Research Press. Skillstreaming employs a four-part training approach-modeling, role-playing, performance feedback, and generalization-to teach essential prosocial skills to children and adolescents.

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For students with executive function challenges, problems with flexibility and goal-directed behavior can be a major obstacle to success in school and in life. With the enhanced second edition of this popular curriculum- now optimized for both in-person and virtual instruction-you'll have everything you need to explicitly teach executive function skills in today's educational environment.

A highly effective intervention for students ages 8-11, Unstuck & On Target! gives you 21 ready-to-use, field-tested lessons that boost critical skills like cognitive flexibility, problem solving, coping, and goal setting. Ideal for use with learners with autism, ADHD, and other challenges that affect executive function, this curriculum includes a comprehensive manual and a package of digital, downloadable components that are easy to print and use in face-to-face or virtual settings.

Unstuck and On Target! Benefits:

Optimized for the way you teach today. The new reconfigured format makes the kit more flexible-you can use it in schools or during remote instruction.

Meets the needs of MTSS Tier 2 learners. This proven curriculum is one of the few tailored to the needs of Tier 2 students who need more focused instruction.

Gives you explicit, step-by-step routines, activities, and scripts to help students improve executive function skills.

Targets the flexibility and planning skills every student needs to learn effectively, reduce stress, get along with others, problem-solve, and more.

Can be done with any class, by any teacher. Each ready-to-use lesson comes complete with clear instructions, materials lists, and tips for teachers.

Makes learning fun with engaging games, role plays, stories, and lively class discussions.

Reinforces new skills through 19 Home Practice handouts in English and Spanish.

WHAT'S IN THE REFORMATTED KIT: One print manual * Two digital, print-ready gameboards, available as one-page 11x17 PDFs, two-page 8.5x11 PDFs, and PowerPoint files * Four digital, print-ready posters * 50+ handouts-digital downloads now available as fillable PDFs

Want preprinted gameboards and posters? You can still order them .

Already have the 2nd edition? Then you already have access to the new digital files! Just visit the existing downloads page on the Brookes Download Hub to access the files.

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special education; autism spectrum disorder; adhd; executive function; flexibility; intervention

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For students with executive function challenges, problems with flexibility and goal-directed behavior can be a major obstacle to success in school and in life. With the enhanced second edition of this popular curriculum- now optimized for both in-person and virtual instruction-you'll have everything you need to explicitly teach executive function skills in today's educational environment.

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Tools to Support All Areas of Executive Function

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Tools to Support All Areas of Executive Function

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New to SMARTS? Watch the walkthrough video below to get started. If you are having trouble accessing your lessons, please email [email protected] for assistance.

Looking for some Executive Function video resources? Check out our YouTube playlist

Full Access users, click LOGIN in the menu if you don't see blue ACCESS buttons below

Unit 1: Introduction to Executive Function Strategies: Building a Community of Metacognitive Learners

WELCOME This unit is designed to teach students the importance of metacognition, provide background knowledge of the core executive function processes, and help them to apply their knowledge of executive function processes to better understand themselves as learners.
Unit 1 provides a foundation for teaching the Executive Function curriculum. Each lesson builds students' understanding of EF strategies and links these strategies to the academic demands of middle school, high school, and college.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to watch the Overview Instructional Videos.
These videos are not just the overview for Unit 1 but an essential foundation for teaching the entire SMARTS curriculum. It is important to take the time to watch these videos before teaching the SMARTS lessons so you have a good understanding of the SMARTS educational system.
Unit 1 Overview
Click on the blue buttons below to access each lesson.

Unit 2: Goal Setting: Understanding the Big Picture and Breaking it Down

Objectives: By the end of this unit students will be able to:

Define CANDO goals

Understand the elements of "good goals"

Create a rubric to assess goals

Design CANDO goals that demonstrate reflective thinking

Unit 2 Overview

Click on the blue buttons below to access each lesson.

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Executive Function Curriculum for Secondary Grades - SMARTS

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New to SMARTS? Watch the walkthrough video below to get started. If you are having trouble accessing your lessons, please email [email protected] for assistance. Looking for some Executive Function video resources?

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Teach Kids to Manage Big Feelings Through Effective Social Emotional Learning

Over 80% of U.S. public schools reported in 2022 on the negative impact of the pandemic on child well-being and self-regulation. Kids are:

Struggling to manage their feelings and mental health

More disruptive in the classroom

Needing additional social, emotional, and behavioral support

(source: National Center for Education Statistics)

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The Zones of Regulation is a complete social-emotional learning curriculum, created to teach children self-regulation and emotional control.

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www.5pointscale.com was developed to share information about the use of the 5-point scale and other systems to teach social and emotional concepts to children and adults who could use some extra…

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7 Tips for Helping Students to Avoid Overload

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7 Tips for Helping Students to Avoid Overload

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7 Tips for Helping Students Avoid Overload - Brookes Blog

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With so much stimulation and novelty at home and at school, the holidays can be a challenging time for students on the autism spectrum–and their peers in the classroom, too. Today’s post gives you 7 quick tips on helping your students navigate this busy, often-overwhelming time of year without getti…

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I don't know about you, but when I sit through a faculty meeting or professional development session of any sort, I start getting antsy by the 30-minute mark. If you can relate, just imagine how your students must feel when they've been sitting for too long. Educational brain breaks are the perfect way to help your students redirect their energy and focus when they start to fade.

I find it super-beneficial to incorporate quick mindful, physical, and mental check-ins with my students as a regular part of my classroom routine. These breaks include all types of movement, yoga and breathing exercises, as well as jokes, quick videos, and more. The activities I use have helped me throughout my lifetime, so I love sharing them with my students. Here are my favorite educational brain breaks that are sure to increase productivity and give your kids a much-needed way to unwind before the next lesson.

Mindful Educational Brain Breaks

1. Use transition times for mental check-ins

Transitions are a big part of the elementary school day. When I first started teaching 19 years ago, I was surprised by just how much time it takes to get ready for specials or to bring students back from centers. It's hard not to feel like that's lost time. That's why using transition time for mental health check-ins is such a game changer. Mental health check-ins can help students get in touch with their emotions, refresh and recharge, acknowledge and cope with negative thoughts and overwhelming feelings, and be more focused throughout the day.

2. Pretend to breathe like an animal

Source: Stephanie Sanders

This video shows students how to pretend to breath like some of their favorite animals. The snake breath involves hissing while slithering from side to side, while the whale breath has students pretend to breathe out through a blowhole! Tap into creativity by picking other interesting animals and acting them out through breath.

3. Do a 10-minute guided meditation

These guided meditations are educational and are perfect to use as brain breaks whenever you and your students just need to breathe. Catch your breath with any of these 20 guided video meditations.

4. Practice "focus ball" breathing

Walk your kids through the following exercise: Stand or sit with legs and feet together. Bring your palms together in front of your chest. Keep your fingertips touching as you pull your palms apart, forming a ball with your fingers. Press your fingertips together until you feel the muscles in your hands and arms activating. See if you feel your core tighten too. Now close your eyes and as you breathe in, inflate your ball, and as you breathe out, flatten the ball by pushing your palms together. (Repeat these instructions for 60 seconds).

Learn more: Mindful.org

5. Try the old ear-nose switcheroo

This is a quick and easy challenge to reset the brain. Instruct kids to touch their left ear with their right hand and at the same time touch their nose with their left hand. Then have them switch their hands and touch their right ear with their left hand and their nose with their right hand. Switch back and forth a few times. Then have them close their eyes, take a deep breath, and blow it all out.

Learn more: YouTube: Ear-Nose Switch

6. Take a yoga break

Source: The Pyjama Foundation

Inspire kids to move, stretch, and practice mindfulness with yoga. These printable yoga cards make it easy to incorporate yoga into your educational brain breaks. Each page includes a picture and description of the pose, and each page includes poses of increasing difficulty from level 1 to level 5. And don't worry, it's not a huge time commitment. The sequence on each card is designed to take only a few minutes.

7. Stretch it out

It's never a good idea to spend too much time sitting in one position. Allow kids to take a break and bring some flexibility back into their spines. Have them stand with their feet shoulder-distance apart. Put their left hand on their hip and raise their right hand overhead. Lean to the left and stretch their arm as far as they can to the left. Repeat on the right side. Then stand tall and slowly roll down one vertebra at a time until their hands reach the floor (or at least their shins). Have them take a deep breath then slowly roll back up. Repeat as necessary.

Learn more: Mom Junction

8. Focus on sound

Have kids sit quietly with their eyes closed. Ring a chime or gong. Have them listen carefully to the chime, feeling the vibration in their body as the sound reverberates and then slowly fades. Tell them to breathe slowly and deeply as they focus on the sound.

9. Do a quick mindfulness activity

Mindfulness activity cards provide great educational brain breaks. Stash a pack in your desk and pull them out whenever you need them. Each card will give a prompt for kids to try that will let them refocus and recharge. Perfect for moments when you need to bring down the energy in the room.

Buy it: Mindfulness Cards for Kids at Amazon

10. Chill out with this cross-body exercise

Have kids stand tall and cross one leg in front of the other while pressing the outsides of their feet together. Now have them cross their arms over each other at the wrists. Clasp their hands and curl their arms into their chest. Take a few breaths, and uncross and cross the opposite way for a few more breaths.

11. Float with jellyfish

When you really need to take the energy in your room down a notch, turn off the lights, set a timer, and put on a calming video. For example, Cat Trumpet put together a jellyfish aquarium video where kids will find themselves under the brilliant blue sea in the middle of a swarm of jellyfish. They'll be mesmerized by the slow, fluid motions and lulled into calmness by the soothing music.

12. Break out the hot hands

This is a good break when you sense a weariness in the air. Have kids rub their hands together vigorously until they warm up. Tell them to close their eyes and place their hands over their eyes. Instruct them to breathe deeply as they clear their minds and refocus.

13. Try cat and cow poses

Source: Flow and Grow Kids Yoga

Have kids start on all fours and then give them the following instructions to complete the cat and cow yoga poses: Place your shoulders over your wrists and hips over your knees. Arch your back to the sky and tuck in the tailbone (cat pose). Let your head fall between your arms. From there, sink the belly towards the ground, and lift the chest and chin (cow pose). Gently alternate between the two poses while breathing deeply.

14. Do nothing for two minutes

Never underestimate the power of stillness. When the energy gets a little ramped up, and it's time for the entire class to take a pause, have them drop everything and glue their eyes to the screen as you show this countdown. The gentle lulling of the waves and the sight of the sun sparkling off the water will reset their nervous system in a jiffy.

Learn More: Calm

15. Spread your wings (in slow motion)

Walk your kids through this winged movement: Sit cross-legged on the floor. Stretch your arms down by your sides with your palms facing inward toward your body. Slowly raise both arms while rotating hands forward. When your arms reach shoulder level, your hands should be facing forward. Continue raising arms, slowly rotating palms so that by the time hands are overhead, palms are facing each other. Slowly lower arms, repeating the rotation (palms facing each other, palms facing forward, palms facing sides) until they are once again resting at your sides. As you raise and lower your arms, stretch them as long as you can, as if you are scraping the sides of the room and the ceiling. Repeat slowly three times, breathing deeply.

Physical Education Brain Breaks

16. Play Silent Ball when you have downtime

You can play a quick game of Silent Ball anytime, anywhere. Play a quick three-minute game right before dismissal or before transitioning to a new activity. All you need is a small squishy ball. The rules are simple: 1) stay quiet and 2) don't drop the ball when passing it around. This activity is one of those educational brain breaks that builds a positive classroom community, fosters friendly competition, and boosts nonverbal communication. Enjoy the silence.

17. Line up in unique ways

Kids are very social and curious beings. Most of them love to chat with one another at any chance they can get. Lining up to leave the room for anything is the perfect chance for them to mix and mingle. Make a more productive use of this time by having students line up in special ways. Some fun ideas include lining up in alphabetical order by name, by birth date, or by height order.

18. Just jump!

Sometimes kids just need to bounce their energy out. Have them pretend they are bouncing on a mini-trampoline (this will keep their movement on a vertical plane instead of all over the room), and give them a couple of minutes to let loose!

19. Take a cue from the stadium

Here's one for a group of kids-start the wave! Beginning at one end of the room, kids stand up and throw their arms overhead, bringing them back down as they return to their seats. Each row follows until you reach the other end of the room. Amp it up by encouraging your kids to tap their feet or tap their hands on their legs so that they are in constant motion. This activity works great on Zoom too!

20. Stir the pot

Have kids visualize they are standing in front of an enormous cauldron. Inside the cauldron is an ooey-gooey pot of caramel. Take hold of a large stirrer and plunge it to the bottom of the pot. Slowly begin to stir in a clockwise direction. Have them use their whole body to help get a full range of motion in their wrists and shoulders. Instruct them to throw their hips into the action. After a minute or two, reverse the direction.

21. Make it rain

Conjure up a rainstorm! Sitting or standing at a desk or table, have kids tap one finger on the desk, then two, then three, then four, then their whole hand until you all feel like you're in the middle of a deluge. Work your way backward from five down to one as the storm ebbs away.

22. Energize with these

First, instruct kids to touch their left elbow to their right knee, then touch their right elbow to their left knee. Switch back and forth, going slowly at first, building speed until they are going at a vigorous pace. Next, do some windmills by standing tall with their feet shoulder-width apart and their arms stretched out. Bend at the waist and touch their right hand to their left toes, then their left hand to their right toes. Switch back and forth.

23. Make X's and O's

Walk kids through the following exercise: Sitting in a chair with your feet on the ground and legs together, curl your body into your lap, folding yourself into a tiny O shape. Next, open your arms and legs wide, forming an X shape with your body. Pull back into an O shape, then back out to an X shape. Repeat three times.

24. Energize in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Get hearts pumping with a quick sequence of exercises. Call out five actions for your students to do as quickly as they can. For instance, five jumping jacks, four push-ups, three sit-ups, two squat jumps, and one tree pose.

25. Take a cruise on an imaginary skateboard

Have your kids line up next to a wall and place one hand on the wall. Tell them to plant the foot closest to the wall and swing the other leg, as if pushing off the ground on a skateboard. Start slowly, with tiny swings, moving up to power pushes. Repeat on the other side.

26. Take a break to groove

Music is a great way to reset the mood in a room and raise the energy level. Put on a fun song and have a 30-second freestyle dance party. Here's a big list of school-appropriate songs for kids.

27. Or take it to the next level

Teach your kids the steps to popular dances such as the Cha-Cha Slide, the Macarena, or the Kidz Bop Shuffle.

28. Ramp up with a round of cherry pickers

This easy activity will get your students' hearts pumping and give their brains a boost. Have them jump up off the ground, then down to the floor into a push-up position. From there, instruct them to hop their feet up into a frog position, then pop up to a standing position.

29. Clap on, clap off

When you say "clap on," kids clap their hands vigorously together. When you say "clap off," they stop as quickly as they can and freeze. Or follow along with this a fun video.

30. Skip it out

When the energy is fading and kids need to get their blood flowing, put on a peppy song and pull out the imaginary jump ropes. Have kids skip or jump rope in place until the song ends.

31. Make like a blender

Tell kids it's time to make fruit smoothies. Ask them to pretend they are in a blender and they are strawberries (or blueberries or bananas, etc.). Dramatically pour orange juice or yogurt into the air in front of you. Tell kids when you flip the switch that they need to wiggle and jiggle (separately, not together) until they are each individually blended up. Start with a slow speed, moving up to medium speed, fast speed, and finally turbo speed. And then reverse it! Start at turbo speed and go back to slow speed.

32. Celebrate with a silent cheer

This activity is perfect for the end of an activity or a sustained amount of work time-especially for kids who are learning remotely. Let kids stand up and silently cheer and gesture in celebration. How animated can they get?!

33. Do a full-body workout

This kid-friendly exercise video is great for your body and brain! Kids can follow along through a set of workout moves that will get their blood pumping.

34. Play popcorn

Students will all be sitting in their chairs, and at any time, a student can jump up and say, "Pop!" Once they do, that student remains standing. If two students pop up at the same time, everyone takes their seats, and the game starts over. How quickly can the entire class pop without having to start over?

35. Hit the wall

Pushing against a solid object is a good way to displace extra energy from your body. Have kids stand facing a wall with their arms stretched out in front of them, palms on the surface of the wall. Push the wall away with all their strength for a count of ten. Relax for five seconds, then push again. Other activities they can do at the wall include calf stretches and wall push-ups.

36. 3, 2, 1 blastoff!

Instruct kids to stand and then squat down with their hands on the ground in front of them. All together, count down 3, 2, 1. When you get to zero, they should push up like a rocket, jumping as high as they can-letting all of their energy burst from their center.

37. Quick as a snap, wink

This is a quick and easy refocusing activity. Tell kids to snap their left fingers while they wink their right eye. Switch to snapping their right fingers while winking their left eye. This activity is particularly effective for younger learners who may find both activities challenging.

38. Balance break

A great way to get kids out of their chairs is to practice balance. Have them hop on one foot. Then up the ante by having them stand on one foot and bend their other knee out in front of them.

39. Tabletop push-ups

Kids can use their desk, a chair, the side of their couch-anything really. Have them place their hands on the table and focus their eyes in the center, moving down slowly and pushing back up.

40. Try some facial gymnastics

Have kids get their silly on for 30 seconds. Tell them to wiggle their eyebrows up and down as fast as they can. Then try to raise one eyebrow at a time.

Mental Brain Breaks That Are Educational

41. Take a comedy break

Comedy is a great release when the atmosphere is feeling a little intense. Show a funny video clip or have kids volunteer to tell a joke or pose a few silly riddles. We have compiled a number of jokes by theme on WeAreTeachers for kids of all ages for guaranteed laughs. For example, your students will love one of our most recent additions, 34 Cat Jokes for Kids. From there, you can find dog jokes, seasonal jokes, food jokes, and much more.

42. Share fun facts

In addition to joke compilations, we have plenty of fun fact lists on our site with themes that will thrill your students. Plus they're an educational way to teach your students new information during brain breaks. Get started with these fun feline facts to accompany the jokes above. Meow!

43. Practice another language

Source: startasl.com

Teach your kids the alphabet in sign language. Use brain breaks to practice by singing the ABCs while signing the letters. Then practice vocabulary words by spelling them out loud while signing the letters.

44. Find out how it's made

Remember that classic Sesame Street video about how crayons are made? We watched in awe as crayons rolled off the assembly line, wrapped in paper, and then slipped into those familiar cardboard boxes. Kids today are just as fascinated by how things are made! Here are our favorite videos about how things are made-from fireworks to LEGO.

45. Take a doodle break

According to researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, downtime is essential for brain health. Kids need time for their growing brains to integrate and process the vast amount of information they receive each day. In other words, it is actually beneficial to give our kids time to allow their minds to wander. Try this: Set a timer for three to five minutes and let kids silently doodle with pencil and paper or a dry-erase board and marker while soft, calming music plays in the background.

Learn more: Sage Journals

46. Try a directed-drawing activity

Directed drawing activities walk your students through the process step-by-step so anyone can create their very own masterpiece. Teachers can lead the session by drawing on the whiteboard or chart paper while students follow along. Even better, there are plenty of videos on YouTube that lead the lesson, giving you a little break too. We have done the work and gathered some our favorite free directed-drawing activities for kids. Grab your favorite art supplies and get creative!

47. Gather your favorite GIFs

Make a slideshow of your favorite GIFs and have your kids act them out. Funny animals are a good place to start!

48. Find the object

Kids don't even have to get out of their seats for this one, but they can! Have one student start by finding an object and saying, "I see something beginning with the letter [fill in the blank]." The first person to guess the item correctly gets to choose the next object. This can be a fun one to play on Zoom too! You can have kids add in additional clues to help.

49. Clap for a little call-and-response

Pep things up with a little call-and-response clapping. It's simple to do and is often used in the classroom to get students' attention. Simply clap out a pattern that your kids will repeat back to you. Switch out the pattern a few times until everyone is focused and engaged. Alternatively, try a vocal call-and-response. Sing out a few riffs and have kids echo the tune back to you.

50. Color yourself mellow

Even grown-ups have picked up on the coloring craze as an excellent way to calm down and zone out. Put on some nice mellow background music, set a timer, and pass out some of these free mandala coloring pages.

51. Try a brain-break spinner

One way to make sure educational brain breaks are effective is to change up activities. Check out these online movement spinners for Wheel of Fortune-type games that help you add variety to brain breaks!

53. Would You Rather?

Students of all ages love participating in Would You Rather? videos, which can be found all over YouTube these days. Each video is approximately 8 minutes long, and students are given two scenarios where they choose which one they would rather participate in. Topics range from food items to activity choices to places to visit and more. As students choose the scenario, they move to either the right or left side of the room. Students then perform 30-second rounds of a specified exercise before repeating the process with another choice. Some of our favorite Would You Rather? channels include PE with Mr. G, Phonics Man, and Fix and Play. Students love when their teacher participates with them in the fun!

Learn more: PE With Mr. G

52. Write it out

Don't underestimate the power of journaling or creative writing. Give your kids a 5- or 10-minute break to open up a page of their notebook and write about anything they'd like. They don't have to share it with the class or do anything else with it; just use the quiet time to focus on something they love and want to write about.

Educational Video Brain Breaks by Grade Level

54. Brain-break compilations by grade level

If you are looking for a sample of brain breaks suitable for your students by grade level, look no further. We have created separate links of 25 videos each for individual grades at the elementary level. Go down the list and find your favorite!
Kindergarten Brain Breaks First Grade Brain Breaks Second Grade Brain Breaks Third Grade Brain Breaks Fourth Grade Brain Breaks Fifth Grade Brain Breaks
What educational brain breaks do you love? Share them in the comments!

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Quick, easy educational brain breaks that will help students re-energize, refocus, and give their brains a much-needed boost.

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How to Incorporate SEL Throughout the School Day

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How to Incorporate SEL Throughout the School Day

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In addition to, and during all the reading, writing, and arithmetic that students learn in school, they're also learning social-emotional or SEL skills. Social-emotional skills include self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, relationship building, and decision making. Whether or not your school uses an SEL curriculum, you can incorporate SEL skills throughout the day with activities that help students think about feelings, build relationships, resolve conflict, and make good decisions. Here are our favorite ways to incorporate SEL into your school day with ideas for preschool through high school, because SEL skills are skills you never stop learning!

Learn more: What is social-emotional learning?

1. Reference an emotions bulletin board

Little kids have big feels, and they need to learn the words to match their emotions. Use this free bulletin board kit to create a reference for students as they're learning feelings. Have students identify the way they are feeling during morning meeting. Or, for older students, use the bulletin board to name feelings and synonyms for various feelings. And, have students refer t to the bulletin board when they are analyzing literature and characters' feelings.

Learn more: Free Emotions Bulletin Board Kit

2. Start the day with a greeting

Start the day at your door greeting each student. Use this greeting sign to give students choice in how they greet you each day. A daily greeting starts the day off to a good start, and gives you a quick check in with each student. Kindergarteners may want to tell you all about their weekend, while you may notice that a high schooler is looking stressed.

Learn more: Classroom Greeting Sign

3. Use a Feelings Chart

Talk about feelings on the regular. Use this feelings bundle to incorporate a feelings check in each day with younger students, and to provide older students with all the words they need to describe their feelings in a journal prompt. The more practice students have at expressing their feelings, the better they are at managing them.

Learn more: Feelings Chart

4. Set a daily mindfulness routine

At the start of a lesson or day, take a few minutes for mindfulness. Choose mindfulness activities that match your class. Yoga for a busy bunch, music for older students, or a guided meditation for students who love to visualize a story.

Learn more: Mindfulness Activities for Kids

5. Practice positive affirmations

The way students talk to themselves impacts how they persist, feel about their day, and how they interact with others. Use these daily affirmation cards to help students develop positive self-talk. Pass them out at the start of a week and have students reflect on what each statement means to them. Can they incorporate their statement into their internal talk this week? At the end of the week, have them share or write a reflection about how the statement shaped their week.

Learn more: Positive Affirmation Cards

6. Get into the habit of journaling

Younger students can get in the habit of writing their thoughts and feelings with weekly journal prompts. Older students can use a mindfulness journal to track how they feel and what they're thinking across a week, month, or school year.

Learn more: Mindfulness Journal

7. Take regular brain breaks

Brain breaks-where you completely set aside academic work and spend time moving, listening, or even being silent-help students reset and get ready for more learning. Younger students can do a dance or movement break. Older students can color to music for one minute.

8. Use the Worry Iceberg

Building emotional resilience includes understanding how first impressions can be incomplete. Help students develop emotional resilience with a worry iceberg activity. Have students think about a situation that made them anxious. What could they see? What was also happening underneath? How does knowing the whole "iceberg" help them understand the situation? And, what can they do in the future to get the whole "iceberg" when a situation arises?

Learn more: One-Minute Activities to Build Emotional Resilience

9. Maximize transitions for self-awareness

Use transitions to reinforce self-awareness by having students breathe like an animal, strike a yoga pose, or check in with how they feel.

Learn more: How to use Transition Times for Emotional Health Check-Ins

10. Introduce the Zones of Regulation

Another way for students to check in with their emotions is using the Zones of Regulation. Students identify their feeling zone using the colors. Once they know their zone, they can identify which strategy to use to get back to green (if they're not there).

Learn more: Zones of Regulation Activities

11. Schedule a morning meeting

Morning meeting is an important part of elementary school and provides a time for students to reflect on their feelings and actions, talk about concerns that arise during the day, or engage in collaborative decision making. Even in the upper grades, a once-a-week 10 minute check in can serve the same purpose.

12. Teach active listening skills

Students' are better able to learn, build relationships, and increase social awareness when they're listening. Teach or reinforce whole body listening to students know what listening looks like, and how to manage their bodies so they are understanding what others say to them.

13. Build in behavior reflection

As students develop self-awareness and self-management, reflecting on their behaviors is an important step. Use behavior reflection sheets to guide students' reflection and turn behavior situations into a learning opportunity.

Learn more: Behavior Reflection Sheets

14. Create a calm-down corner

A calm down corner is a space students can go to when they need to calm down. Even going to the calm down corner when they are overwhelmed or upset shows that students are developing self-awareness and self-management skills.

Learn more: How to Create a Calm Down Corner in any Learning Environment

15. Create calm-down jars

A calm-down strategy that students can take with them, a DIY calming jar is a great craft that you can use to talk about the importance of emotional regulation and self-management.

Learn more: DIY Calm Down Jars

16. Try calming mind-body exercise worksheets

Older students can use meditative exercises, like coloring mandalas or doing guided visualizations. Use a variety of mindfulness exercises so each student can find one that works for them.

Learn more: Calming Mind-Body Exercises to Do with Students

17. Model and practice positive self-talk

The words students tell themselves impacts their self-management, persistence, and ultimately their success. Model and reinforce positive self-talk with a self-talk poster. Use these phrases when you're doing think-alouds and prompting students and encourage them to do the same.

Learn more: Positive Self-Talk Poster for Teens

18. Make DIY stress balls

Part classroom craft project, part SEL activity, DIY stress balls are so much fun! Make them using balloons, slime, beads, and more.

Learn more: 4 Different Ways to Make Stress Balls

19. Assign classroom jobs

Classroom jobs build self-management and responsibility. While younger students ask for classroom jobs, they're effective for high schoolers too (the tasks of whiteboard cleaner and technology helper come to mind).

Learn more: The Big List of Classroom Jobs

20. Read SEL stories

A story can be a model for social-emotional skills or it can introduce students to scenarios they haven't experienced yet. For younger students, read picture book and talk about what happens and how the characters feel. For older students, read and discuss novels with SEL themes.

Learn more: Best Social Skills Books for Kids

21. Set and track actionable goals

Setting goals contributes to responsibility, but it doesn't come naturally. We have to teach students how to set meaningful, reasonable targets, and then give them the tools to track their progress. Seeing how they are progressing also helps students build resilience and perspective.

Learn more: Back-to-School Goal Setting page or Goal Tracking and Stamina worksheets

22. Track important habits

Building new habits takes time and persistence. Use a habit tracker to keep track of how students are progressing towards their goals.

Learn more: Free Habit Tracker Bundle

23. Ask ice-breaker questions

Icebreakers are great for the first day of school, but you can actually incorporate them all year long. Use them when you form new project groups, or when you change the seating around in your room. Talking about different topics helps student practice conversation skills.

Learn more: 200 Fun Icebreaker Questions for Kids and Teens.

24. Hang kindness posters

This free set of printable kindness posters helps spread important messages. When you first put them up, take time to discuss them with your students. Ask them for examples of what kindness looks like, and encourage them to share stories of a time when their kindness made a difference.

Learn more: Kindness Posters

25. Use Social Stories

For young students, and students with disabilities who require explicit instruction in social skills, a social story is a great way to teach them step-by-step approaches for social situations. For all students, social stories can help develop social awareness.

Learn more: Free Printable Social Stories for Kids

26. Teach students to be upstanders

Upstanders reach out to others, especially those who seem like they might be hurting or struggling. Teach kids about the concept, their role in helping build classroom community and helping those who might not feel included, and hang these free printable upstander posters in your classroom. The tear tags offer positive affirmations.

Learn more: Take-One Posters

27. Celebrate students' diversity

Understanding diversity is important for self-awareness and relationship building. Engage students in thinking about how they are unique, and how our diversity makes us stronger.

Learn more: Diversity and Inclusion Printable Activities

28. Use videos to teach relationship building

Everyone can use a reminder about how to make and keep friends. Use friendship videos in morning meeting to talk about how to make and keep friends. Or, with older students, use them as a friendly and funny reminder of what students likely already know but might not be practicing. As students learn more about relationships, use anti-bullying videos to start a conversation about this topic.

Learn more: 30 Friendship Videos to Teach Kindness and Compassion and 20 Best Anti-Bullying Videos

29. Practice empathy with scenarios

Help students understand and work through common scenarios that engage their empathy as they think about the scenario, how they would feel, and what they would do.

Learn more: 33 Empathy Prompts

30. Use Band-Aids to learn about fairness

Tired of hearing kids whine, "But that's not fair!"? Build students' social awareness with teacher Aimee Scott's fairness lesson. Her quick and simple exercise helps kids understand that fairness doesn't mean everyone gets the same thing-it means everyone gets what they need to be successful.

Learn more: The Band-Aid lesson

31. Play a cooperative game

Kids get plenty of exposure to healthy (and unhealthy) competition, so use classroom time to shift the focus to cooperation instead. Cooperative games encourage kids to communicate, collaborate, and problem-solve together. Point out the skills they're using during the cooperative games that will help them in relationships as well.

Learn more: Cooperative Games to Promote Camradery and Healthy Competition

32. Create collaborative art

Art is about expressing your individuality, but you can also make something pretty incredible when people pool their talents. Murals, hallway and bathroom displays, kindness rock gardens, and other art projects bring students together to bond over creativity and artistic vision.

Learn more: 50 Collaborative Art Projects

33. Engage in fishbowl discussions

Encourage active listening and communication skills with this classroom idea. After taking some time to think about a topic, a small group of students discusses the issue while other students watch and take notes. After a time, the teacher opens the discussion to the entire group, using notes they made while they watched the small-group discussion.

Learn more: How I use Fishbowl Discussions to Engage Every Student

34. Sticky-note discussions

Teacher Erin Castillo popularized this concept on her Instagram account, and now teachers everywhere use this idea. We love it as a unique way to take attendance or as a bell ringer/entry activity. All you do is post a question on your whiteboard, and ask students to respond (anonymously or with names attached) using sticky notes. You can use "Would You Rather" questions, or try these SEL prompts to really get students thinking and sharing.

35. Play board games

Whether kids are playing to win or working together to achieve a common goal, board games teach lots of decision-making skills. Players have to analyze information, consider their options, and imagine the impacts of their moves on themselves and others.

Learn more: 41 Best Board Games and Other Games

36. Discuss philosophical questions

One of the most incredible ways to encourage critical thinking and self-exploration is to ask kids thought-provoking questions. Hearing the responses and exchanging ideas can really expand our perspectives and leave us with important food for thought.

Learn more: 125 Philosophical Questions for Kids and Teens

37. Get a classroom pet

Want to teach kids about responsibility in an incredibly meaningful way? A class pet could be the answer! When kids work together to care for a hamster, goldfish, lizard, or tarantula(!), they have to make responsible choices about what's best for the animal. Sure, it's a challenge for the adults involved, but the benefits can really add up.

Learn more: Best Classroom Pets According to Teachers

38. Set up an escape room

Students love the interactivity of an escape room, where they have to work together to solve a series of problems before their time is up. Escape rooms encourage a lot of responsible decision-making skills, both individually and as a group.

Learn more: How to Set Up and Run a Classroom Escape Room

39. Use Choice Boards

If we want kids to make smart decisions, we've got to give them the chance to make choices on their own. One way to do this in the classroom is Choice Boards. These interactive tools give kids several options to choose from on an assignment. They can evaluate the possibilities, and choose the one that seems right to them.

Learn more: How I use Choice Boards to Increase Student Engagement

40. Teach safe online decision making

Let's face it: Kids and teens aren't necessarily focusing much on safety-their own or anyone else's. So it's important for the adults in their lives to help them learn why safe choices matter, and what they look like to begin with. We've got resources for talking to students about prescription drug safety, internet safety, bike safety, underage drinking, and inclusive sex ed.

41. Play Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) can be a fantastic classroom game, and it encompasses a wide range of social-emotional learning activities. Players need to work together, know their own strengths and weaknesses, make smart choices, and so much more.

Learn more: Teachers are Using D&D to Teach SEL Skills.

42. Talk about tough topics

School shootings, racially motivated violence, abortion, gun control-these are topics most teachers tend to shy away from in the classroom. The thing is, kids need a safe place to talk about these issues. They need adults who will help them sort out their thinking and separate fact from opinion. Students need to learn to respectfully disagree with one another and how to have constructive conversations that may lead to compromise.

Learn more: Our Students Want to Talk about Tough Topics

43. Read the news as a class

If you're going to make smart decisions, you need to be informed. But many kids only learn about the news and current events from single news sources, usually whatever's playing on their TV at home. Show students how to find a variety of sources to learn about current events. Teach them to think critically and evaluate articles to separate provable facts from opinion. Many teachers love using Newsela, since the articles can be differentiated for different reading levels.

Learn more: 9 Ways to Use Newsela with your Students

44. Have students reflect while they work

As students are working on math problems, have them jot down how they're feeling at each step of the process. They can jot down emojis or words that show where they were confident, confused, distracted, or frustrated. This can be helpful when reviewing work and thinking about how their emotional state impacted their learning.

45. Get inspired by SEL heroes

History is full of role models that students can learn from. Use these free character education posters to talk about the qualities you want students to emulate and how they've helped others in history. Assign students an SEL hero to research and present about so students can see how others have used SEL skills to change the world.

Learn more: Character Education Posters

46. SEL Superpowers

As students learn about social-emotional skills, encourage them to think about their SEL superpower, or the skills they are best at. Once students have identified their superpower, talk about how they can use their SEL superpowers to help others. To share your superpowers, draw superheroes, put students' pictures on each one, and write about your SEL superpowers and how your students use them around school.

47. Get in the habit of gratitude

Use a bullet journal or list to reinforce gratitude. In younger classrooms, have students call out the things they are grateful for and create a class list. With older students, spend the last 5 minutes of each class or week reflecting on what they are grateful for.

Learn more: Bullet Journal Ideas

48. Send home an SEL progress report

We love the idea of giving kids and their families feedback on their SEL skill development! An alternative progress report like the one this teacher uses can help kids zero in on their strengths and weaknesses.

Learn more: SEL Progress Report

What are your favorite social-emotional learning activities? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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Samantha Cleaver, PhD, Special Education & Reading Intervention

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50+ Simple Social-Emotional Learning Activities for All Ages

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Teach self-control, emotional awareness, and more by incorporating these social-emotional learning activities into your daily routine.

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Zones of Regulation Activities and Video

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Zones of Regulation Activities and Video

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Learning to identify and regulate emotions is a big job, especially for little kids. These skills are essential for students to master in order to be successful in school and in life. Fortunately there are plenty of Zones of Regulation activities and games to help teach them how to manage their emotions.

What are the Zones of Regulation?

Zones of Regulation, a curriculum developed by Leah Kuypers, an OT and autism resource specialist, helps kids understand and learn to manage their emotions. Rooted in cognitive behavioral therapy, it is a framework that uses four colors-blue, green, yellow, and red-to help students identify their feelings and levels of alertness. The curriculum also provides strategies to support emotional regulation. Teaching students how to read their bodies' signals, detect triggers, read social context, and consider how their behaviors impact those around them leads to improved emotional control, sensory regulation, self-awareness, and problem-solving skills.

To learn more about the Zones of Regulation, check out this unit by The Calming Corner, these resources from He's Extraordinary, and this slideshow from the Montana CEC.

What is emotional regulation?

According to Psychology Today, emotional regulation is the ability to control your emotions and not let them drive your actions. For students, starting with emotional regulation is truly starting at the beginning of SEL skills. Before kids can listen, have empathy, or follow directions, they have to be able to manage their emotions.

Emotional regulation means being able to identify feelings, respond without overreacting, and manage changes in the environment. In addition, emotional regulation means controlling impulses, being able to calm down, and handling emotions in a healthy way. To learn more, check out What Is Emotional Regulation?

The 4 Zones of Regulation and What They Mean

The Zones of Regulation provides an easy way to think and talk about how we feel on the inside and sorts emotions, all of which are expected in life, into four colored zones.

The Blue Zone represents sad, bored, tired, or sick.

The Red Zone represents overjoyed, panicked, angry, or terrified.

The Yellow Zone is worried, frustrated, silly, or excited.

The Green Zone is happy, focused, proud, and calm.

Zones of Regulation Activities

To help you integrate this helpful information into your classroom, here are 23 engaging Zones of Regulation activities to support the emotional growth of your students.

1. Identify feelings by giving them a color

Being able to recognize emotions is important. This color wheel will help kids start to identify their emotions by associating them with different colors. Once they have a grasp on what emotions feel like, students can begin to learn strategies to deal with them. Check out these Zones of Regulation activities that incorporate this emotion wheel.

2. Play a round of Monster Feelings Match-Up

Identifying and labeling feelings in oneself and others is a life skill that takes lots and lots of practice. One of kids' favorite Zones of Regulation activities is Monster Feelings Match-Up. This fun game teaches kids how to identify their feelings and manage their emotions and also fosters their conversation skills.

3. Go on an emotions scavenger hunt

A super-fun activity to help students identify feelings by using emojis and their power of observation. Recently updated for at-home learners as well as whole-class Zoom lessons, check out the full lesson plan. Best for grades K-6.

4. Make cootie catchers

You know kids are going to make cootie catchers anyway, so why not make a version that helps kids review and understand the Zones of Regulation? Each color-coded corner teaches students the feelings and coping skills that go along with each zone. Best for grades 3 and up.

5. Play the Emotions Sorting Game

Linking Zones of Regulation activities to fun experiences helps kids make connections. For example, this simple Emotions Sorting Game inspired by Disney-Pixar's Inside Out helps kids learn and explore emotions. The game is a printable download available from Mom Endeavors.

6. Make a calm-down sandwich

When students get angry or frustrated, they can use this coping strategy to help calm themselves down. Ask them to brainstorm six things that make them happy or feel calm inside. Then, have them write down their strategies on each piece of a calm-down sandwich.

7. Play Behavior Bingo

Distinguish between awesome actions (like showing respect and encouraging others) and bummer behavior (like using hurtful words or goofing off during work time) with this fun version of bingo. Five awesome actions in a row = BINGO! Great for small groups or the whole class, grades 1-4.

8. Practice impulse control with this version of Candy Land

Games are the best way for kids to learn without even realizing they're learning! These custom-made cards go along with the standard version of Candy Land and help kids learn impulse-control skills. Best for grades K-3.

9. Make emotion-regulation spinners

This fun activity is a great addition to your calm-down corner. Students can pick strategies that work for them to get into the green zone and back on track. Best for grades K-5.

10. Play a round of What Zone Would I Be In if ...?

This free activity includes 30 cards with hypothetical situations, plus a page for sorting the cards into the zones. Read the cards and let students decide which zone they feel they would be in if this happened to them. You can ask questions about why they feel that way to encourage discussion.

11. Teach the Zones of Regulation with this fun song

This catchy tune by the fun crew at BlackBerry Jam Kids teaches kids all about the different emotions in the Zones of Regulation and strategies to get back into the "green zone."

12. Create a sensory break center in your classroom

Provide students with a safe place to take a break when they need to regulate their emotions. Include resources for strategies that will help them manage. For a free copy of the poster shown and tons of great ideas for what to include in the space, check out The Dynamic Duo. Best for grades K-8.

13. Stock your sensory break center with strategy cards

These awesome break cards tap into a favorite set of characters: Pokemon! Each card helps students identify which "zone" they are in and strategies for managing the emotions they are feeling. Available as a PowerPoint, Google Slideshow, and also a printable PDF. Includes four cards for each of the four zones.

Source: Social CJ

14. Empower students with these contingency maps

Throughout the school day, students make behavior choices (for better or worse). Use these picture maps to help students understand the consequences of making different choices. They are very effective because they illustrate the results of both desired and undesired behaviors in a concrete way. Best for students in K-5.

15. Role-play with task cards

Role-play is a great activity for helping students rehearse acceptable behaviors. These task cards help students build emotional self-control by rehearsing responses to different scenarios that may trigger strong emotions. Best for grades 4-7.

16. Build emotional toolboxes

What can students do to regulate their emotions when they veer away from the green zone? This toolbox of activities includes a handy flip-book that's chock-full of ideas. Each tab covers a different zone and gives students strategies to regain control. Best for students in K-3.

17. Encourage self-regulation with these desk nameplates

Post these interactive nameplates on students' desks to help them self-regulate their emotions and feelings by paying attention to what zone they are in. Throughout the day, students self-monitor their emotional state by sliding a paper clip along the zone boxes on the left. If students are in the yellow, blue, or red zone, they can use one of the strategies in their toolbox to help them get back to green. Each student's toolbox will vary, depending on which strategies work best for them. Best for grades K-5.

18. Share resources with families

Meltdowns and emotional regulation impact the entire family. Share this blog with families to help them develop strategies with their kids at home. Full of helpful tips and valuable information, this is a great resource to help support calmer, happier kids.

19. Display information about the zones front and center

Keeping the information students need front and center will help them begin to recognize which "zone" they are in and help them learn to regulate their behavior.

20. Help students identify what anger feels like

Use this free printable to go through each of the anger cues with your students, and if they feel that the statement is true for them when they're angry, have them color the word bubble red. Also get the When I Feel Sad printable at the link.

21. Create a Zones resource folder

Fold legal-size file folders to create a pocket on the bottom. Trim off the edges and use hot glue to turn the large pocket into four sections (red, yellow, green, and blue). Color and label the sections based on the Zones. Have students label craft sticks with either emotions or coping strategies to insert into the correct pockets.

22. Use a feelings thermometer

To help kids understand the intensity of an emotion they are feeling, create a feelings thermometer. Draw the outline of a thermometer, then divide it into three sections. Label each section. For example, use slightly angry, really angry, super angry. Talk about each section and label each with what it looks like and strategies for things to do.

23. Practice self-control with bubbles

This is a really fun activity to talk about self-control with kids, and it's harder than it looks! Label a special bottle of bubbles "Self-Control Bubbles" and gather kids in a circle. For the first round, blow bubbles and allow students to pop, touch, chase, and catch the bubbles to their heart's desire (within control). However, for the second round, tell the students that they are going to practice using self-control. Bubbles will be all around them, but the students must use their self-control strategies and not touch or chase the bubbles. Afterward, talk with kids about how it felt and how they managed to control their impulses.

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23 Zones of Regulation Activities To Help Kids Manage Their Emotions

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These Zones of Regulation activities teach students to identify and manage their behavior and regulate their emotions.

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Teaching Kids How to Recognize Feelings and Emotions

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Teaching Kids How to Recognize Feelings and Emotions

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When you take time to recognize your feelings and emotions you will find it easier to manage your mood. Watch this video to learn more!

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EF Toolkit Site - Resources for Executive Functions

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A resource developed by Karen Janowski, Assistive Technology Consultant, EdTech Solutions karen.janowski@gmail.com, @KarenJan This resource page includes a number of free and low-cost tools to manage and/or develop executive function skills. It is based on the work of Dawson and Guare who propose a

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Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom
Twice-exceptional (2e) learners have often been misunderstood, disciplined, unchallenged, and left behind. Even as awareness of 2e students has grown, educators are still in need of practical tools to recognize and support their twice-exceptional students. This book answers that need, providing teachers with accessible information about twice-exceptional diagnoses and suggested accommodations, modifications, and collaboration with other educational professionals.

Raising Twice-Exceptional children: A Handbook for Praents of Neurodivergent Kids
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A podcast about gifted children and adults, intelligence, twice-exceptional people, general interest psychology, and other "mind matters."

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Award-winning Anxiety & Anger Relief Programs for Kids

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Anxiety and Anger are tough emotions! Teach kids skills to build resilience using the GoZen! programs.

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101 Brain Breaks & Educational Activities

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101 Brain Breaks & Educational Activities [Joshua MacNeill] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. 101 Brain Breaks & Educational Activities