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Self-Directed Play: In the Moment Children Can't Always Answer "What Are You Doing?"

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We parents hold the power to not only look for child-directed play in the small everyday moments in children's lives, but also to value and support it.

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Uncover the Roots of challenging behavior

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TheLearningStation - Kids Songs and Nursery Rhymes

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Brain Breaks - Action Songs for Children - From Your Seat - Kids Songs by The Learning Station

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Demonstrates mindful breathing for kiddos!

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Dreamy Winter Porch Ambience (12 HOURS) 🔥 Fire Sounds for Relaxation & Sleep

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How to Support Students During the Holiday Season - Move This World

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How to Support Students During the Holiday Season - Move This World

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Check out this US Letter designed by Stephanie Scherer.

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Ignoring your body and your own needs can impact your overall well-being. Pay attention, reflect, and act. YOU ARE WORTH PRIORITIZING YOURSELF.

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Using 5 minutes of Self-Care to Survive Burnout | Racquel Armstrong | TEDxKingLincolnBronzevillle

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A great resource for parents and caregivers.

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Managing Problem Behavior at Home - Child Mind Institute

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Respond effectively to child behavior problems at home. The Child Mind Institute teaches effective parenting skills and behavior management at home.

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Reflect and discover what keeps you motivated to continue your important work and what makes you feel best supported

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Sensory Education

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https://www.reallygoodstuff.com/social-emotional-learning-reflect-manage-and-respond-take-home-pack/p/166748/

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Healing Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

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Healing Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

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Not only will men of science have to grapple with the sciences that deal with man, but-and this is a far more difficult matter-they will have to persuade the world to listen to what they have discovered. If they cannot succeed in this difficult enterprise, man will destroy himself by his halfway cleverness.

- Bertrand Russell 1872-1970

Hungarian-born physician, Hans Selye (1907-1982), first "discovered" and described the necessity of physiologic stress for maintenance of homeostasis. 1 His studies led him to develop, for the first time in medical literature, the concept of the General Adaptation Syndrome as the first neurohormonal model of physiologic stress implicating pituitary and adrenal function in the etiology of many chronic diseases, and the associated sickly appearance of those suffering from chronic illness. The concept of General Adaptation Syndrome was more fully developed in his 1956 book, The Stress of Life. 2

Selye, a prolific, pioneering neuroendocrinologist, claimed the physiologic life is fundamentally a process of adaptation to the totality of one's experience, with real health and happiness being the successful adjustment or adaptation to those ever-changing conditions. Failure to adapt to the stress burden, in his view, resulted in disease and unhappiness.

In 1985, Vincent Felitti, MD, Chief of Preventive Medicine at Southern California Permanente Medical Group, San Diego, added mightily to Selye's work with his findings of the profound, destructive, multi-organ system consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). 3

Nadine Burke Harris, MD, discovered Felitti's pioneering work later, yet immediately understood the potential power of its lessons if implemented in her pediatric practice. She describes well her newfound understanding of the pathogenesis of ACEs and the excitement of potential, effective therapeutic interventions.

It is in this historical context that The Deepest Well is best understood as another admirable and effective attempt to "... persuade the world to listen ..." to the lessons of Selye, Felitti, and others. The Deepest Well is, in part, the story of how Burke Harris transformed herself into a champion persuader of truths difficult for others to hear, and a better clinician.

The language used is often colloquial, not formal, but the book reads well. It is both Burke Harris's personal story of discovery of the pathogenic consequences of early childhood trauma/ACEs, and includes illustrative case descriptions and experiences, with creative explanations of often complex medical concepts. The recounting of individual patient stories is powerful and effective, and told with the kindness and gentleness they deserve. They are revealing and instructive of the many lessons to be learned.

Burke Harris is bright, well informed, caring and authentically committed to using her newfound understandings to minimize the destructive, negative consequences of ACEs within her large community pediatric practice in San Francisco, CA. Her commitment to the broader community is evident. Her efforts at forming the personal and institutional relationships needed to get others to understand ACE, and use unfamiliar clinical interventions for best outcomes, are admirable.

Burke Harris's descriptions of the "stress response," immunology, epigenetic regulation, neuroanatomy, and neurophysiology are imaginative and effective. The description of pathogenic stress as "toxic" seemed off the mark, yet her acknowledgment of the reality of multiple end-organ pathology suffices. Beyond Burke Harris's obvious humanity, the strength of the book for me lies in the creative, clever, and sometimes elegant descriptions of complex ideas in physiology, pathology, and treatment. I do not think this book would be compelling to the nonclinician without them.

Having said that, I also greatly appreciate the fact that Burke Harris insisted on re-emphasizing the principle that ACEs occur at similar rates across socioeconomic strata. She rightly avoids any urge to politicize this profoundly human problem. For that, I am respectful and grateful.

Finally, despite the minor criticisms of the book outlined, I do believe The Deepest Well is a "must read" for clinicians (including physicians), as well as patients/laypersons unfamiliar with the terrible and predictable consequences of early childhood trauma/ACEs. The Deepest Well is an excellent introduction to anyone interested in understanding this "elephant" in our human "room," and is a formidable effort to "persuade the world" to understand ACEs, and do something about them. For that, we should all be thankful because helpful interventions do exist.

I encourage physicians, unaware of the profound implications of ACEs/early childhood trauma in the treatment of their own adult patients, to read this book. Its content should motivate physicians to assess ACEs in their own practices and direct burdened patients to appropriate therapeutic resources. I believe, as does Burke Harris, that once the pathogenesis and implications of ACEs are understood, the physician's point of view and practice will change forever, and for the better, both for the patient and for the physician.

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The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity: by Nadine Burke Harris, MD

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Not only will men of science have to grapple with the sciences that deal with man, but-and this is a far more difficult matter-they will have to persuade the world to listen to what they have discovered. If they cannot succeed in this difficult enterprise, man will destroy himself by his halfway cleverness.

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A informative article.

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By Dr. Andrea Smith and Dr. Cliff Chestnutt

Social and emotional learning (SEL) can be a powerful tool for creating caring, socially just, inclusive, and equitable learning environments that support all students in reaching their full potential (Jagers et al., 2019). Systematic implementation of SEL fosters an equitable learning environment in which all students and adults feel respected, valued, and affirmed in their individual interests, talents, social identities, cultural values, and backgrounds (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning [CASEL], 2020).

While SEL alone will not solve deep-rooted inequities in the education system, it can help schools examine biases, address the impact of discrimination and racism, build cross-cultural competencies, and cultivate practices that aid in creating an inclusive school community. SEL strategies can be a meaningful part of a schoolwide approach to equitable opportunities and outcomes for students regardless of their background, race, class, gender, or sexual orientation.

Over the past decade, there has been an increased interest in social and emotional learning. Numerous programs have emerged that explore and facilitate skills that develop personal well-being, strengthen relationships, and support academic success (Greenberg et al., 2003; Weissberg & O'Brien, 2004). Most SEL programs seek to align with learning standards put forth by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). The CASEL framework identifies five core competencies that contribute to SEL:

Self-awareness (recognizing emotions, strengths, and values)

Self-management (regulating emotions and behaviors)

Social awareness (taking the perspective of and empathizing with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures)

Relationship skills (establishing and maintaining healthy relationships)

Responsible decision-making (making constructive choices across varied situations) (CASEL, 2020; Dusenbury et al., 2015)

While there is growing consensus regarding positive outcomes, SEL programs often face challenges in differentiating SEL approaches in order to effectively address the critical issues of equity, context, representation, and reflection of diverse populations (Durlak et al., 2011; Jagers et al., 2019). As the attention to SEL continues to

expand, there is a significant opportunity to view these efforts through an equity lens (National Equity Project, n.d.).

When schools implement SEL programs, it is essential that they consider issues of diversity and inclusion, placing value on each student's unique identity and background.

Equity-Blind Notions of SEL

Promoting optimal development of historically marginalized and under- represented groups in K-12 education in the United States has proved to be a perverse, complex, and long-term undertaking due to vast inequities in the education system (Warren, 2014). Acording to Plaut (2010), a color-blind perspective implies that discrimination only exists in the past, and ignores what racial inequality looks like today. This approach argues that we should treat people as simply human beings rather than as racialized beings. However, it also further minimizes the impact of racism and other forms of oppression on various groups and individuals. While we should not judge someone based on race, class, gender, and other characteristics, we should not overlook the injustices or experiences that different groups have historically faced and continue to face in every facet of society.

While there are a growing number of programs (Williamson et al., 2015) that seek to address these inequities both indirectly or directly through SEL, many of them often perpetuate identity blindness, including racial "color blindness." According to Bloom et al. (2015), identity blindness is when one claims to not see different forms of identity-for example, race, gender, or sexual orientation-instead of arguing that they strive to treat everyone equally. Examples of this can be seen in the idea of "grit" or "resilience" as an equalizer- essentially putting the burden on students to "fix" themselves.

This limited understanding of the core competencies of SEL can harm historically marginalized and underrepresented groups by diminishing their sense of self and lived experiences of being marginalized and oppressed. So when schools implement SEL programs, it is essential that they consider issues of diversity and inclusion, placing value on each student's unique identity and background-alongside teaching students how to effectively manage their emotions and social interactions (Rosario-Ramos et al., 2021).

Equity-Oriented SEL Strategies

SEL can be leveraged to promote educational equity in numerous ways. CASEL (n.d.) has identified five critical areas-identity, agency, belonging, collaborative problem-solving, and curiosity-that schools can consider in their efforts to promote equity. In the following paragraphs, an SEL approach is discussed that aligns each of these five areas with CASEL's original five core competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These focal constructs for equity-oriented SEL promote equitable learning environments and offer ways to coordinate practices across classrooms, schools, families, and communities, enhancing all students' social, emotional, and academic learning.

Identity is key to developing self-awareness competencies and refers to one's ability to recognize one's own emotions and thoughts and how their thoughts and actions influence their behavior. Identity is multidimensional (for example, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, values, interests). Each dimension has a level of importance and emotional substance that may alter over time. Intersecting identities are also important to consider (for example, an African American transgender boy leading his school's yearbook club). Providing opportunities for students to develop positive self-identities can aid in creating a buffer against negative experiences such as racism, discrimination, and bias and promote academic achievement (Shek et al., 2019).

Agency is essential for self-management competencies and focuses on the perceived and actual ability to effect change through purposeful action. While behavior management is vital for classrooms and schools, the agency goes beyond reactive measures and emphasizes proactive measures. Agency further positions students as "experts in understanding and fashioning a world that is more just and equitable" (Jagers, 2016, p. 3). This can include providing students with voice and choice in their learning and career goals and in establishing learning environments that encourage collaboration and problem-solving. Agency also includes collective efficacy, which has been shown to support teachers' abilities to improve school outcomes for students from under-resourced communities and increase coordinated actions among adolescents and adults that contribute positively to civic life. Collective efficacy addresses students' confidence and skill in contributing effectively in groups and has a high correlation to the outcomes of the group. As such, there are "I" skills and "We" skills that should be integrated into the classroom (Hattie et al., 2021).

Belonging is a significant factor among social awareness competencies. It builds on experiences of affirmation, value, and inclusion within a group or community. It implies not only feeling recognized but also being fully involved in relationship building and co-creating learning spaces. Having a sense of belonging is critical to each student's academic, social, and emotional well-being (Gregory & Fergus, 2017). There are many ways in which teachers can foster a sense of belonging. For example, teachers can model through words and actions that every student is valuable and has something unique to contribute to the classroom and society. This can be as simple as highlighting a child who may have learning difficulties but who may also be an avid artist. Instead of focusing on the learning difficulties, a teacher can praise the student aloud or post the student's artwork in the classroom.

Collaborative problem-solving is focal among developing relationship skills in our global society. Fiore et al. (2017) note, "Collaborative problem solving involves two different constructs- collaboration and problem solving" (p. 2) and is defined as the capacity of an individual to engage in a process between two or more people to collectively solve a problem by sharing knowledge and skills to reach a solution. There is a growing recognition of the importance of collaborative problem-solving across our society. Many companies highlight collaborative problem-solving as an important skill for life and work in the 21st century.

The incorporation of collaborative problem-solving in the Common Core State Standards has brought additional focus to the importance of this and other career-readiness skills. For example, project-based learning encourages student collaboration and problem-solving on interdisciplinary topics relevant to students' experiences. Teachers can use multiple grouping strategies during the school year to help students apply cooperation and problem-solving skills and gain value from diverse perspectives (Lee et al., 2015). Through this process, students can learn how to:

Effectively divide the workload to complete the task

Construct research and gather information from many perspectives

Respectfully consider multiples solutions from group members, accounting for creative and quality solutions to address the goal of the task (Reese, 2021)

Curiosity is significant for creating responsible decision-makers in the classroom and is crucial for engagement, attention, and learning (Jagers et al., 2019). As educators, it is essential to create an environment in which it is less important to have the "right" answer and more important to create an environment where students can utilize questioning and collaborative discourse so learning can occur. This can be done by modeling curiosity about the world around us through open questioning and project-based learning. A study conducted by Clark and Seider (2020) found a positive correlation among Black and Latinx adolescents between curiosity and involvement in society. In addition, Marilyn Price-Mitchell (2015) suggests several ways to nurture curiosity among our diverse learners:

Value and reward curiosity in learners.

Give learners practice asking quality questions.

Notice when kids feel puzzled or confused.

Encourage learners to tinker with materials, thoughts, or emotions.

Use current events as launchpads for conversation.

Give learners opportunities to show healthy skepticism.

Explore a variety of cultures and societies.

Encourage curiosity outside of the classroom.

Significant opportunities exist for SEL to address the challenges faced by school districts across the country. While many districts are increasingly implementing SEL, further work is needed to fully implement SEL competencies in ways that support equity in the environment and educational outcomes. Implementing high-quality, research-based programs across districts will be necessary to improve equity, followed by sound policies and an ongoing commitment to continuous research and improvement.

Dr. Andrea Smith is an assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education at the University of West Georgia. Her research is focused on the intersectionality of race and class in education, teacher education, culturally responsive pedagogy, and equity. Her scholarship examines these issues by illuminating the voices of youth and adults who have been historically and traditionally marginalized in schools and society.

Dr. Cliff Chestnutt is an assistant professor in the Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education at the University of West Georgia. Prior to pursuing his PhD, Cliff was a K-8 teacher and math coach. His current teaching and research projects focus on high-leverage teaching practices, culturally responsive mathematics, and equity in mathematics.

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What's Culture Got to Do with SEL? - Center for Responsive Schools

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By Dr. Andrea Smith and Dr. Cliff Chestnutt Social and emotional learning (SEL) can be a powerful tool for creating caring, socially just, inclusive, and equitable learning environments that support all students in reaching their full potential (Jagers et al., 2019). Systematic implementation of SEL fosters an equitable learning environment in which all students and [...]

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Deep dive into understanding brain development and the interventions needed to teach and guide children affected by substance exposure and early traumatic experiences. A great reminder of the importance of connection with children and building secure attachments.

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Guided growth educational and behavioral interventions for children and teens with fetal 

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https://consciousdiscipline.com/free-resources/shubert/shuberts-classroom/i-love-you-rituals/

Great way to connect and reconnect with your classroom family!

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I Love You Rituals - Your Guide For Meaningful Connections

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Signs of trauma and tips for helping kids who've been traumatized

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We tend to think of trauma as the result of a frightening and upsetting event. But many children experience trauma through ongoing exposure, throughout their early development, to abuse, neglect, homelessness, domestic violence, or violence in their communities. And it's clear that chronic trauma can cause serious problems with learning and behavior.

Trauma is particularly challenging for educators to address because kids often don't express the distress they're feeling in a way that's easily recognizable - and they may mask their pain with behavior that's aggressive or off-putting. As Nancy Rappaport, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who focuses on mental health issues in schools, puts it, "They are masters at making sure you do not see them bleed."

Identifying the symptoms of trauma in the children can help educators understand these confusing behaviors. And it can help avoid misdiagnosis, as these symptoms can mimic other problems, including ADHD and other behavior disorders.

In brief, the obstacles to learning experienced by these children include:

Trouble forming relationships with teachers

Poor self-regulation

Negative thinking

Hypervigilance

Executive function challenges

Trauma and trouble forming bonds

Children who have been neglected or abused have problems forming relationships with teachers, a necessary first step in a successful classroom experience. They've learned to be wary of adults, even those who appear to be reliable, since they've been ignored or betrayed by those they have depended on.

"These kids don't have the context to ask for help," notes Dr. Rappaport, a school consultant and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "They don't have a model for an adult recognizing their needs and giving them what they need."

Many of these children haven't been able to develop secure attachments to the adults in their lives, adds Jamie Howard, PhD, a clinical psychologist and head of the Trauma and Resilience Service at the Child Mind Institute. They need help to let other adults into their lives. "Kids who've never developed that early template that you can trust people, that you are lovable and that people will take care of you," Dr. Howard explains, "need support to form that kind of relationship."

One of the challenges in giving that support is that when kids misbehave, our schools often use disciplinary systems that involve withdrawing attention and support, rather than addressing their problems. Schools have very little patience for kids who provoke and push away adults who try to help them.

Instead of suspending children, Dr. Rappaport argues, schools need to work with them on changing their behavior. When a student is acting up in class, she explains, teachers need to recognize the powerful feelings they are expressing, if inappropriately.

Rather than jumping right into the behavior plan - deducting points or withdrawing privileges or suspending - Dr. Rappaport stresses the importance of acknowledging the emotion and trying to identify it. "I can see that you are REALLY angry that Andrew took the marker you wanted!" she suggests. "If you're wrong about what the student is upset about, he's likely to correct you."

Acknowledging and naming an emotion helps children move towards expressing it in a more appropriate way. Communicating that you "get" them is the necessary first step, she explains, to helping kids learn to express themselves in ways that don't alienate and drive away people who can help them.

Traumatized children often have trouble managing strong emotions. As babies and toddlers, children learn to calm and soothe themselves by being calmed and soothed by the adults in their lives, Dr. Howard notes. If they haven't had that experience, because of neglect, "that lack of a soothing, secure attachment system contributes to their chronic dysregulation."

In the classroom, teachers need to support and coach these children in ways to calm themselves and manage their emotions. "We need to be partners in managing their behavior," Dr. Rappaport explains. "Co-regulation comes before self-regulation. We need to help them get the control they need to change the channel when they're upset." They need coaching and practice at de-escalating when they feel overwhelmed, she adds.

Another challenge to traumatized kids is that they develop the belief that they're bad, and what's happened to them is their fault. This leads to the expectation that people are not going to like them or treat them well. As Dr. Howard puts it, "I'm a bad kid. Why would I do well in school? Bad kids don't do well in school."

Traumatized kids also tend to develop what Dr. Howard calls a "hostile attribution bias" - the idea that everyone is out to get them. "So if a teacher says, 'Sit down in your seat," they hear it as, 'SIT DOWN IN YOUR SEAT!'" she explains. "They hear it as exaggerated and angry and unfair. So they'll act out really quickly with irritability."

As Dr. Rappaport puts it: "They see negative where we see neutral." To counter this negative thinking, these students a narrative about themselves that helps them understand that they're not "bad kids." And learning to recognize their negative patterns of thought, like black and white thinking, is a step towards being able to change those patterns.

Dr. Rappaport notes that children from abusive homes are sometimes unable to participate in classroom activities because they are paralyzed by fear of making a mistake, and that can make them appear to be oppositional. "A mistake that might seem trivial to us becomes magnified," she explains, "if their experience has been that minor mistakes incurred adult anger or punishment."

They need not only support to have incremental successes they can build on in the classroom, but help to see that in this setting, making a mistake is considered a necessary part of learning.

One of the classic symptoms of trauma is hyper-vigilance, which means being overly alert to danger. "It's physiological hyper-arousal," explains Dr. Howard. "These kids are jumpy, they have an exaggerated startle response. They can have some big, out-of-control seeming behaviors, because their fight or flight response has gone off."

This can look like hyperactivity, she adds, leading kids who have been traumatized to be misdiagnosed with ADHD. Being chronically agitated can lead to difficulty with sleeping and chronic irritability.

In workshops, Dr. Rappaport coaches teachers on how to help kids to settle down when something in the classroom triggers an emotional outburst. When a child is escalating, the key, she says, is to "match their affect, but in a controlled way."

The goal is to connect to their big feeling. "If you can connect with what they're trying to tell you, they may settle. It can work even if you just make a guess - you don't have to be right, they can correct you."

Executive function challenges

Chronic trauma affects children's memory, their ability to pay attention, plan, think things through, and other executive functions. Kids who have ADHD as well as trauma may be especially impaired in these skills.

Difficulty planning impacts not only completing tasks in school, but a child's ability to plan his behavior, rather than acting impulsively, and deciding on the best way to communicate his needs and feelings.

One of the things that tends to upset kids who've been traumatized is difficulty predicting the future - not knowing what is coming is unsettling for children and creates anxiety. These kids can benefit, Dr. Rappaport notes, from repeated dry runs of what's coming up and what they should expect.

Another executive function that may be weak is the ability to self-narrate - to mentally talk themselves through what they need to do as they are carrying out a task. It's a skill young children learn from listening to their parents talk to them when they are babies, and, she notes, if they haven't had the experience they may need help developing the skill.

Focus on positive attention

In addition to connecting with kids who've been traumatized, and helping them build missing skills, Dr. Rappaport emphasizes the importance of giving them as much positive attention as possible.

Kids who have experienced chronic neglect tend to be better at getting attention by provoking the adults they depend on than by complying with expectations. "Negative attention is fast, predictable and efficient," she notes. "We need to make positive attention as fast, predictable and efficient."

But she adds that positive attention includes not only praising them for desired behavior but expressing warmth and kindness that aren't necessarily earned.

Surprising kids with "random acts of kindness" can help wean them from habits of acting out to get attention. "When a kid is acting out and sucking the oxygen out of a classroom," she notes, "some teachers have found it works to set their phones to buzz every 5 minutes to give the kid positive attention."

Dr. Rappaport offers tools for understanding ahd managing disruptive behavior in the classroom in her book, The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students, written with behavioral analyst Jessica Minahan.

How does trauma affect behavior in kids?

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How Trauma Affects Kids in School - Child Mind Institute

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Learn how trauma from ongoing neglect, abuse, homelessness or violence causes children to have problems with learning and behavior. How to help these kids.

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This book is an excellent resource for teachers and daycare providers of children ages 3-8. Discover how to partner with parents to promote children's social, emotional, language, and academic competence.

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Incredible teachers nurturing children's social , emotional, and academic competence

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Change the world, one child at a time...

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"A powerful resource for understanding and working in a caring and respectful way with the neediest children." - Diane Levin

"Full of good sense and good ideas. This book is clear, practical, sympathetic, and wise." - Lawrence Hartmann, M.D.

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challenging behavior in young children understanding, preventing, and responding effectively

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"A slice-of-life picture book that acknowledges the intense emotions of a toddler, both words and pictures capture the sudden and surprising intensity of the tantrum, and the reassuring comfort of the recovery"

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101 games in this book are an elementary school teacher's dream! 

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This fun book is great to pull out when you need to break up the day or unwind after a challenging lesson or test! Children are able to use their imagination, get creative, have self-expression, and learn cooperative play!

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Teaching children boundaries surrounding their body and space in a fun, catchy, colorful song- critical to enhancing children's social and emotional development

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The Boundaries Song - "That's a Boundary."

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Free Program with Online coursework available

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The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is one of the world's most effective evidence-based parenting programs, backed up by more than 35 years of ongoing research. Triple P gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behavior, and prevent problems from developing. Triple P is also available online in a self-paced format and is now offering a PECE program to support teachers in the classroom with challenging behaviors.

https://www.triplep.net/glo-en/home/

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May 2024

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Teal and Pink Bordered Kindergarten Newsletter

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A Guide to Preventing Mid-Year Burnout for Educators

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A Guide to Preventing Mid-Year Burnout for Educators

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Navigating the New Year: A Guide for Educators

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Navigating the New Year: A Guide for Educators

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January 2024 Newsletter

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Check out this US Letter designed by Andrea Longenecker.

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Administration & Leadership

By creating a self-care plan and mindfully forming a community, school leaders can avoid isolation and burnout.

How are you doing? No, really. Moving into the 2023-24 school year, leaders are facing teacher shortages, heightened school accountability, and disgruntled parents and community partners, all while preparing to build a positive school climate for students. There can be pressure to perform at an unrealistic speed to try to support all the needs of a school. We do not have the stamina to sustain that pace for the first months of school, let alone the entire year.

The work of a school leader is heart work. Serving others often requires setting aside what you had planned in order to help someone else. Once in a while, this can provide a sense of fulfillment, but when this pattern of serving others over yourself becomes the rule and not the exception, it can lead to burnout and a sense of diminished abilities.

As leaders, we need to get our jobs done during the day and then have energy at home to have a life. I wrote Principal in Balance not only to help administrators get this right, but also for myself so that I can continue to lead at work and have a life outside of it. How can administrators return to the 2023-24 school year ready to lead at work and also live a life outside of school?

AVOIDING administrator BURNOUT

Reports of burnout, stress, and compassion fatigue are on the rise. These issues push many out of the profession, leading to high turnover and suboptimal student outcomes. Even though burnout is often used as a buzzword, it's worth understanding what it means. Burnout has been defined as exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation, usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.

Digging in a little deeper, Emily and Amelia Nagoski, authors of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, found that the three components of burnout-emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased sense of accomplishment-are prevalent in professions where people help people, like school leaders. So, how can we take care of the school leaders responsible for taking care of others?

RESTORINg BALANCE

Why do you lead? Perhaps you were called to this role from your own experiences, or a mentor encouraged you to pursue this position. A special student may have caused you to want to lead better. Remembering and revisiting your calling on a regular basis can help when the doubt of "Am I even making a difference?" pops into your head. A recent study showed that integrating a positive psychological intervention such as savoring small positive moments throughout the day can boost an overall sense of happiness and well-being.

Leaders, we have to stop making our own physical health the last priority. Too often we are the ones who not only eat last... but might not eat lunch at all. What if every single day you did the following: eat, sleep, move, and play? During the 2023 National Association of Elementary School Principals Conference "Principal in Balance"session, school leaders assembled for a half day to learn how to better take care of themselves so they could serve others well. Participants brainstormed more than 20 different activities in each category they could implement to ensure that they were checking each box every day.

When you prioritize your own self-care first, you'll gain the time, energy, and bandwidth you need to support others while decreasing the emotional exhaustion of the job. But let's be honest, this can be easier said than implemented. We schedule everything else in our day-scheduling your own self-care and sticking to it is one way to ensure that the plans you have turn into action.

Forming a Community

I have worked in buildings where I was the only administrator. No one else held the same title or responsibilities, or felt the guilt of not being everything for everyone and never seeming to be where I needed to be at the right time.

Desperate to find a way to change the narrative that in order to lead well, we had to sacrifice our own wellness, I started to reach out to other leaders. Now, I have monthly dinners with two retired principals. I also participate in networking events through our state and national organization and coaching calls with other school leaders.

This job can be isolating, and too often we don't take the time to reach out to each other and form relationships that help with the depersonalization-the distance or indifference we start to feel at work and the isolation that can occur when you feel like you are on the island of leadership all by yourself.

If I can offer any advice or a hall pass to start the year, it is this: Please take care of yourself. You have been placed in the position of leadership to challenge the status quo, support staff and students, and change a narrative of selfless educators sacrificing their self-care in order to serve. It can be exciting and exhausting all at the same time.

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By creating a self-care plan and mindfully forming a community, school leaders can avoid isolation and burnout.

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The Ocean 4K - Captivating Moments with Jellyfish and Fish in the Ocean - Relaxation Video #2

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Salamander Yoga! | 5-minute Yoga Break | Scratch Garden

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10 Daily Positive Affirmations for Kids | Boost Your Child's Confidence and Self-Esteem

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Melting Exercise - Learn To Destress | Guided Meditation For Kids | Breathing Exercises | GoNoodle

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Bluey Freeze Dance | Brain Break | Just Dance | GoNoodle Inspired

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Brain Break For Kids | Elemental | Fitness Run

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Where's Bluey? | Brain Break | Bluey Game For Kids | Just Dance | GoNoodle

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Butterfly Hug! 6-Minute Self-Soothing Meditation For Children Using The Butterfly Hug Technique.

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The Social Emotional Classroom: A New Way to Nurture Students and Understand the Brain

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The Social Emotional Classroom: A New Way to Nurture Students and Understand the Brain [Mackey, Anna-Lisa, Ragan, Melissa] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Social Emotional Classroom: A New Way to Nurture Students and Understand the Brain

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SENSORY THERAPY😊 This fidget marble maze toy is another great way to de-stress, focus and develop fine motor skills. A marble mat has been placed between layers of fabric and is pushed around the rows with up and down manner.

ON THE GO FUN😊 Easy to manipulate and mesmerizing fun. Helps kids to sit still and focus. Very useful for children on the spectrum, hand therapy, seniors with memory and concentration issues.

PHYSICAL THERAPY & CONFIDENCE😊 This marble maze mat helps for stiff fingers for those suffering from arthritis. Also provides a sense of accomplishment allowing for confidence as a warm up before higher skilled task building.

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Fidget Marble Maze Mat by Lakikid: Sensory Fidget Toys for All Ages Perfect Fidget Toys for Anxiety & Stress Relief, Improve Concentration & Focus, 9"x6"

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Looking for the perfect calming toys for kids that will add a sprinkle of serenity to their chaos-filled days? Look no further! LakiKid presents the ultimate sensory wonderland in the form of our quiet fidget toys. Our toys are not just desk fidgets; they are emotional regulation tools for kids d...

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Building Social and Emotional Skills at Home

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Building Social and Emotional Skills at Home

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Building Social and Emotional Skills at Home

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School classrooms are busy places where young children learn all sorts of things, including social and emotional skills such as how to express feelings and how to work together with friends on a project. Here are some suggestions for helping your child de

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Teaching Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood

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Teaching Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood

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Every morning, Ms. Mitchell thinks about how her feelings will affect her teaching. If she feels frustrated or overwhelmed when she arrives at school, she takes a deep breath and makes a plan for managing her emotions so that she can fully engage with her students and coteachers. She greets children and families as they walk through the door and asks how they are feeling. Throughout the day, children use a classroom mood meter to acknowledge their feelings. Ms. Mitchell also uses the mood meter to talk with children about her own feelings, how characters in books feel, what happened to cause their feelings, and how characters' emotions change throughout a story. In many different ways, Ms. Mitchell models emotional intelligence and supports its development in her students.

Emotional intelligence is a set of skills associated with monitoring one's own and others' emotions, and the ability to use emotions to guide one's thinking and actions (Salovey & Mayer 1990). Emotions impact our attention, memory, and learning; our ability to build relationships with others; and our physical and mental health (Salovey & Mayer 1990). Developing emotional intelligence enables us to manage emotions effectively and avoid being derailed, for example, by a flash of anger.

Children with higher emotional intelligence are better able to pay attention, are more engaged in school, have more positive relationships, and are more empathic.

Emotional intelligence is related to many important outcomes for children and adults. Children with higher emotional intelligence are better able to pay attention, are more engaged in school, have more positive relationships, and are more empathic (Raver, Garner, & Smith-Donald 2007; Eggum et al. 2011). They also regulate their behaviors better and earn higher grades (Rivers et al. 2012). For adults, higher emotional intelligence is linked to better relationships, more positive feelings about work, and, for teachers in particular, lower job-related stress and burnout (Brackett, Rivers, & Salovey 2011).

Drawing from Mayer and Salovey's (1997) refined theory of emotional intelligence, Brackett and Rivers (2014) identified five skills that can be taught to increase emotional intelligence: Recognizing emotions in oneself and others; Understanding the causes and consequences of emotions; Labeling emotions accurately; Expressing emotions in ways that are appropriate for the time, place, and culture; and Regulating emotions. These skills, which form the acronym RULER, are the heart of an effective approach for modeling emotional intelligence and teaching the emotional intelligence skills children need to be ready to learn (Hagelskamp et al. 2013; Rivers et al. 2013).

While the full RULER approach provides a range of tools and instructional strategies, in this article we focus on the mood meter, which is a color-coded tool that provides a shared language for becoming aware of emotions and their impact on teaching and learning. (To learn about the full RULER model, visit the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence website at http://ei.yale.edu/ruler/.)

Introducing the mood meter

If you ask a group of 3-year-old children how they are feeling, what would they say? Fine? Good? Happy? What if you ask a group of early childhood educators? Their responses might not be that different! Most of us use a limited vocabulary to describe our feelings when answering the question "How are you?" In contrast, schools that value children's and educators' emotions encourage a diversified vocabulary to describe feelings. The mood meter is a concrete tool that can shift conversations about feelings from rote responses like good to more nuanced responses like curious, excited, or worried. Accurately labeling and discussing feelings helps adults and children acknowledge the role that emotions play throughout the day. Taking time to recognize feelings, elaborate on their causes, and jointly brainstorm potential strategies to shift or maintain them helps ensure that adults and children use emotions effectively to create a climate supportive of learning.

The mood meter has two axes. The horizontal axis represents pleasantness and ranges from -5 (on the far left) to +5 (on the far right), with -5 being the least pleasant you can imagine feeling (e.g., your job is at risk) and +5 being the most pleasant you can imagine feeling (e.g., you were recognized as Teacher of the Year). Our feelings usually fall somewhere between these values. The vertical axis, which has the same range, represents the energy we experience in our bodies (e.g., heart rate, breathing). At -5, you might feel drained of all energy (e.g., you have the flu and can hardly move) while +5 represents feeling the most energy you can imagine having in your body (e.g., you just received a big raise and feel like jumping for joy). Together, the two axes create four colored quadrants (from the top left and counterclockwise) red (unpleasant, higher energy), blue (unpleasant, lower energy), green (pleasant, lower energy), and yellow (pleasant, higher energy).

With young children ages 3 to 8, a simplified color-only version of the mood meter works best, in our experience. When first introducing children to the mood meter, we tend to describe each color with one word: red = angry; blue = sad; green = calm; yellow = happy. As children learn to use the mood meter, they acquire more feeling words that correspond to each color (and in later grades, they learn how to use the numeric ranges to express their degree of pleasantness and energy). With the mood meter, children learn that there are no good or bad feelings. There may be feelings that we like to have more often than others, but all feelings are okay. Even for those unpleasant feelings, we can learn to employ strategies that use the information we receive from our feelings to respond to them in ways we feel good about.

Using the mood meter to practice emotional intelligence

Research suggests that an important part of effectively teaching emotional intelligence is modeling the five RULER skills for children (Jennings & Greenberg 2009). One way to do this is by regularly checking in on the mood meter throughout the day.

Recognize: How am I feeling? Cues from our bodies (e.g., posture, energy level, breathing, and heart rate) can help us identify our levels of pleasantness and energy. Think about how our feelings may affect the interactions we have with others.

Understand: What happened that led me to feel this way? As feelings change throughout the day, think about the possible causes of these feelings. Identifying the things (e.g., people, thoughts, and events) that lead to uncomfortable feelings can help us both manage and anticipate them in order to prepare an effective response. Determining the causes of feelings we want to foster can help us consciously embrace those things for ourselves and others more often.

Label: What word best describes how I am feeling? Although there are more than 2,000 emotion words in the English language, most of us use a very limited number of words to describe how we are feeling (e.g., happy, sad, mad). Cultivating a rich vocabulary allows us to pinpoint our emotions accurately, communicate effectively, and identify appropriate regulation strategies.

Express: How can I express appropriately what I am feeling for this time and place? There are many ways to express each of our feelings. At different times and in different contexts, some forms of expression are more effective than others. Explaining to children what we are doing and why, as we express different feelings at school, provides them with models of different strategies to express their own emotions.

Regulate: What can I do to maintain my feeling (if I want to continue feeling this way) or shift my feeling (if I do not want to continue feeling this way)? Having short-term strategies to manage emotions in the moment as well as long-term strategies to manage emotions over time is a critical part of effective regulation. Educators with a range of regulation strategies to choose from are better able to manage the full range of emotions and to model these strategies for children and families.

Strategies that can effectively regulate emotions include

Taking deep breaths

Engaging in private self-talk (e.g., "I know I can do this!")

Reframing negative interactions (e.g., "She is having a hard day. No wonder she reacted that way.")

Stepping back and allowing physical distance (e.g., taking a short walk at lunch time)

Seeking social support (e.g., talking to a friend and making plans to spend time together)

Promoting children's emotional intelligence skills

How do you want children to feel when they are in your classroom? Most educators respond with emotions like happy, secure, safe, peaceful, and curious-pleasant feelings that are conducive to learning (Reschly et al. 2008). There are exceptions, however. For example, feeling extremely excited (high in the yellow) can make it challenging to concentrate on a quiet task. There are also occasions when unpleasant feelings can be helpful. For example, mild frustration may help a child persevere to complete a challenging task, and some sadness (which is connected to compassion and sympathy) is necessary to develop empathy. While we do not want to foster unpleasant feelings in young children, we do want to provide them with strategies to both accept and manage these feelings when they occur.

In addition to modeling, educators can promote emotional intelligence through direct instruction by embedding the mood meter in classroom management practices as well as formal and informal learning activities. We provide examples of each in the following sections.

Integrating emotional intelligence into classroom management practices

Educators can use their own emotional intelligence to acknowledge the feelings children experience throughout the day and to inform classroom management. For example, by recognizing emotion cues in children, educators can help children connect their physical experience of emotions with new vocabulary on the mood meter (e.g., frustrated, annoyed, calm). A teacher could say, "I see you are frowning and crossing your arms. I do that when I feel frustrated or annoyed. It looks like you might be in the red. How are you feeling? What happened that caused you to feel that way?" Recognizing and discussing emotions with children lays a foundation for their self-regulation. Educators can also use this information to identify when a classroom activity needs to be modified to better engage students. For instance, an activity requiring children to cut a complex shape with scissors may be too challenging, leading children to feel frustrated and require more support. Similarly, adding more materials to a table activity might shift children who are feeling bored (in the blue) to feeling interested (yellow). Using music and movement during group time might shift children who are feeling excited (yellow) to feeling relaxed (green) after they release their energy appropriately. If students are experiencing separation anxiety (blue) in the mornings, for instance, educators can use role-play at circle time to explore how children can help a friend who is feeling lonely. Children can then practice empathy by supporting one another.

Supporting emotional intelligence through read-alouds

Educators can help children expand their knowledge of feelings with carefully selected read-alouds. Teachers can use read-alouds to introduce children to new vocabulary for expressing emotions and then relate the feelings in stories to classroom themes. For example, words like nervous or brave fit well with a theme focused on visiting the doctor's office. When introducing a new feeling word, consider providing children with developmentally appropriate definitions of the word (e.g., "Disappointed means feeling sad because something did not happen the way you wanted it to.") and pairing the new word with related familiar words (e.g., "Disappointed is a blue feeling, like sad."). Using the mood meter during read-alouds helps children consider the emotions of storybook characters and practice applying their emotional intelligence. Photocopies of pictures from books can be placed on the mood meter and moved around as their feelings change throughout the story. Thinking through how characters feel and react helps children better prepare to deal with their own range of emotions and behaviors.

Developing emotional intelligence enables us to manage emotions effectively and avoid being derailed, for example, by a flash of anger.

The RULER acronym can guide educators in their discussions with children about each new feeling word. For example, using book characters, educators can help children understand what a feeling looks like ( recognizing and labeling), different things that cause feelings in themselves and others ( understanding), and appropriate ways to show their feelings at school as well as how to shift or maintain that feeling ( expressing and regulating). Use the questions in the table "Sample Read-Aloud Questions" to help children explore feelings during shared reading and guide conversations with children throughout the day.

Sample Read-Aloud Questions

Recognize: How is the character feeling? How do you know he/she is feeling that way? Can you show me a _________________ face?

Understand: What happened that made the character feel _________________ ? What happens that makes you feel _________________ ?
Label: Where would you put this character on the mood meter? What is the name of this feeling?
Express: How did the character act when he/she was feeling _________________ ? What else can you do when you are feeling _________________ ?
Regulate: What did the character do when he/she felt _________________ ? What could you do to help a friend who is feeling _________________ ? When you feel _________________ , what do you do?

Sharing personal stories about emotions

Another way teachers can embed emotional intelligence in the classroom routine is by sharing stories about their own feelings. Hearing about the emotional experiences of others helps children understand helpful ways to express and regulate emotions. Educators can share short (2-3 minute) developmentally appropriate stories during morning meeting, large or small group time, or snacks or meals. If educators describe how the emotion looked and felt, the situation that caused the emotion, and how they expressed and regulated the emotion, they will foster a classroom environment where children feel supported sharing their own emotions. Here is an example of an appropriate personal story to relate:

I remember a time when I was your age and I felt scared. I was afraid of my neighbors' dog. Whenever I walked by their house, the dog would bark. My eyes would get wide like this, I could feel my shoulders tensing up like this, and then I would run past their house as fast as I could. Sometimes I even had bad dreams about the dog chasing me, so I decided to tell my mom about it. Talking to someone is one thing you can do when you feel scared. My mom gave me a big hug, and that helped me feel better. She told me she had met the neighbors' dog, and his name was Jack! She said he was very friendly and took me to meet him. I didn't want to pet him at first, but then I touched his tail. Our neighbor said that barking was just Jack's way of saying hello. After that, I didn't feel so afraid of him anymore.

Of course, the goal of sharing a story isn't merely for children to listen. The teacher's personal stories should be discussed (much like a read-aloud), and children should be invited to share their stories about times they felt that emotion and what they did as well.

Encouraging children to place their name or picture on the corresponding mood-meter color can help children think about how they are feeling, why, and how to appropriately express and regulate their feelings.

Extending emotional intelligence throughout the day

Educators can help children develop RULER skills by integrating them into a range of activities, including creative arts, music and movement, and more. Here are a few examples:

Integrate green feelings (pleasant and lower energy) into creative arts by having children paint calmly and slowly while taking deep breaths and listening to soft music.

Invite children to practice feeling yellow (pleasant and higher energy) by dancing to fast music. After they've been dancing long enough for their heart rates to quicken, have children place their hands on their chests to feel their hearts beating, and talk about heartbeats as one way we can feel the energy in our bodies. (For a math extension, the teacher can also measure the resting and dancing heart rates of a few children, then create a chart with the class.)

Use pretend play to help children practice appropriately expressing red and blue emotions. Teachers can guide children's responses to pretend scenarios and model appropriate language and emotional expression.

Integrate mood meter check-ins into classroom routines (e.g., when children arrive and during group time). Encouraging children to place their name or picture on the corresponding mood-meter color can help children think about how they are feeling, why, and how to appropriately express and regulate their feelings.

Conclusion

Along with teaching the RULER skills and embedding the mood meter in classroom practices, educators should take time to discuss with colleagues the most helpful ways for children to express emotions in the classroom, especially unpleasant emotions. How can a child effectively express anger in your classroom? Is it okay for a child to verbalize "I'm angry?" Probably. Is it okay for a child to push another child? Probably not. Having these discussions among educators, as well as engaging parents, is critical to developing a set of school norms on emotions and effectively teaching these norms to children. Take time to share the mood meter with families. Let them know how you use the mood meter at school, and offer strategies that help them talk with their children-and each other-about emotions at home. By taking these simple steps, we can boost children's emotional intelligence, helping them positively engage in school and in life.

References

Brackett, M.A., & S.E. Rivers. 2014. "Transforming Students' Lives With Social and Emotional Learning." In International Handbook of Emotions in Education, eds. R. Pekrun & L. Linnenbrink-Garcia, 368-88. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Brackett, M.A., S.E. Rivers, & P. Salovey. 2011. "Emotional Intelligence: Implications for Personal, Social, Academic, and Workplace Success." Social and Personality Psychology Compass 5 (1): 88-103.

Eggum, N.D., N. Eisenberg, K. Kao, T.L. Spinrad, R. Bolnick, C. Hofer, A.S. Kupfer, & W.V. Fabricius. 2011. "Emotion Understanding, Theory of Mind, and Prosocial Orientation: Relations Over Time in Early Childhood." The Journal of Positive Psychology 6 (1): 4-16.

Hagelskamp, C., M.A. Brackett, S.E. Rivers, & P. Salovey. 2013. "Improving Classroom Quality With the RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning: Proximal and Distal Outcomes." American Journal of Community Psychology 51 (3-4): 530-43.

Jennings, P.A., & M.T. Greenberg. 2009. "The Prosocial Classroom: Teacher Social and Emotional Competence in Relation to Student and Classroom Outcomes." Review of Educational Research 79 (1): 491-525.

Mayer, J.D., & P. Salovey 1997. "What Is Emotional Intelligence?" In Emotional Development and Emotional Intelligence: Educational Implications, eds. P. Salovey & D.J. Sluyter, 3-31. New York: Basic Books.

Raver, C.C., P.W. Garner, & R. Smith-Donald. 2007. "The Roles of Emotion Regulation and Emotion Knowledge for Children's Academic Readiness: Are the Links Causal?" In School Readiness and the Transition to Kindergarten in the Era of Accountability, eds. R.C. Pianta, M.J. Cox, & K.L. Snow, 121-47. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.

Reschly, A.L., E.S. Huebner, J.J. Appleton, & S. Antaramian. 2008. "Engagement as Flourishing: The Contribution of Positive Emotions and Coping to Adolescents' Engagement at School and With Learning." Psychology in the Schools 45 (5): 419-31.

Rivers, S.E., M.A. Brackett, M.R. Reyes, J.D. Mayer, D.R. Caruso, & P. Salovey. 2012. "Measuring Emotional Intelligence in Early Adolescence With the MSCEIT-YV: Psychometric Properties and Relationship With Academic Performance and Psychosocial Functioning." Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 30 (4): 344-66.

Rivers, S.E., S.L. Tominey, E.C. O'Bryon, & M.A. Brackett. 2013. "Developing Emotional Skills in Early Childhood Settings Using Preschool RULER." The Psychology of Education Review 37 (2): 19-25.

Salovey, P., & J.D. Mayer. 1990. "Emotional Intelligence." Imagination, Cognition, and Personality 9 (3): 185-211.

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Teaching Emotional Intelligence in Early Childhood

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Children with higher emotional intelligence are better able to pay attention, are more engaged in school, have more positive relationships, and are more empathic.

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Self-Directed Play: In the Moment Children Can’t Always Answer “What Are You Doing?”

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Self-Directed Play: In the Moment Children Can’t Always Answer “What Are You Doing?”

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Self-Directed Play: In the Moment Children Can't Always Answer "What Are You Doing?"

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We parents hold the power to not only look for child-directed play in the small everyday moments in children's lives, but also to value and support it.

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How to Support Children’s Approaches to Learning? Play with Them!

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How to Support Children’s Approaches to Learning? Play with Them!

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How to Support Children's Approaches to Learning? Play with Them!

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Curiosity about the world, initiative and problem solving, and focused attention and persistence are just a few approaches to learning that children develop through play.

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How to Support Children’s Approaches to Learning? Play with Them!

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How to Support Children’s Approaches to Learning? Play with Them!

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How to Support Children's Approaches to Learning? Play with Them!

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Curiosity about the world, initiative and problem solving, and focused attention and persistence are just a few approaches to learning that children develop through play.

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Memories of joyful and meaningful play experiences help bind families together emotionally, even long after children are grown.

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Memories of joyful and meaningful play experiences help bind families together emotionally, even long after children are grown.

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10 Things Every Parent Should Know About Play

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10 Things Every Parent Should Know About Play

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10 Things Every Parent Should Know About Play

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Oftentimes, children's play is more than what meets the eye. Read this article for ten great facts about your child and play!

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The Case of Brain Science and Guided Play: A Developing Story

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The Case of Brain Science and Guided Play: A Developing Story

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Ms. Elena's Head Start classroom is filled with eager 3- and 4-year-olds. It's center time, and the children have split into small groups. At one center, Ms. Elena has carefully selected play materials-including a barn, a chicken coop, and animal figurines-that reflect the story lines and specific vocabulary words from books she read aloud related to farm life as part of the class's storybook theme of the week. While Ms. Elena looks on, Sara, Javon, and Ashish arrive at the center and immediately pick up the toys. They each choose a figurine and begin playing. Sara says to Javon, "I'll be the cow!" Javon says, "Okay, then I'll be the chicken. I'm going to go sleep in the coop. The cow should go sleep in the barn." Ashish says, "Then I'll be the horse, and I'll go sleep in the barn too."

Together, the three children move their figurines to the coop and the barn while making mooing, clucking, and neighing sounds. Since coop was one of the week's focus words, Ms. Elena joins in the children's play, making sure that Sara and Ashish understand the word as well as Javon: "Sleeping in the coop sounds like a great idea, Javon! A coop is a house for chickens. Remember when we saw a coop on our field trip to Maple Farm? Javon, Sara, and Ashish, where do you think the chickens would live if we didn't have a coop on the farm?" Ashish says, "I think they live in the barn!" Then Sara says, "Yes, they live in the barn, because it's nice and warm inside there." Ms. Elena says, "That sounds like a really good place for the chickens to live if we didn't have a coop!"

At this point, Ms. Elena steps back and the children take up a new direction for the play. She continues to listen for ways to build on the children's interests and reinforce their weekly focus words during the session without interrupting their play.

Monkeys play. Dogs play. Rats play. Even octopuses play. And without any instruction, children of all races and genders, in all cultures of the world, invent and reinvent play in every generation. Something this ubiquitous must provide evolutionary advantages to both animals and humans. Decades of research suggest just that. In particular, free play and guided play-together known as playful learning-are pedagogical tools through which children can learn in joyful and conceptually rich ways, as is evident in the opening vignette. Brain science research in animals has left clues along a path that may begin to reveal play's human biological underpinnings, but more research is needed to investigate why play promotes learning and development.

From animal brains to children's behavior

Perhaps the most striking finding about play comes from research with animals in which play-specifically, rough and tumble play-has been shown to promote early brain development. When young rats play, their brains become primed to be more adaptable in later life (Pellis, Pellis, & Himmler 2014), especially with social skills and executive functions (e.g., attention, memory, and planning). Indeed, findings suggest that playful rats act more appropriately in social situations than rats that do not play (Burgdorf, Panksepp, & Moskal 2011). These findings offer a potential model of how play may help develop children's social functioning and brain architecture.

A growing body of behavioral research establishes relationships between children's play and development in several areas, including language (Toub et al. 2016), executive functions (Tominey & McClelland 2011), mathematics and spatial skills (Fisher et al. 2013), scientific thinking (Schulz & Bonawitz 2007), and social and emotional development (Dore, Smith, & Lillard 2015). One reason that play might be such a valuable pedagogical tool is that it features the precise contexts that facilitate learning. An amalgamated research field called the science of learning has identified four key ingredients of successful learning: learning occurs best when children are mentally active (not passive), engaged (not distracted), socially interactive (with peers or adults), and building meaningful connections to their lives (Hirsh-Pasek et al. 2015). These features are evident in Ms. Elena's classroom:

Javon is mentally active when he thinks about where he learned the name of the place where chickens sleep and then uses the word coop appropriately. Sara is engaged when she chooses to be the cow and moves in concert with Javon and Ashish instead of being distracted by other groups at play. Ms. Elena made the word coop more meaningful for the children by making a connection to when the children visited Maple Farm. Finally, the children were socially interactive when they built a play scenario that involved all three of them, with Ms. Elena joining in as a scaffolder.

These kinds of playful interactions between children and adults may be essential for creating the kind of supportive social environments necessary for healthy social and emotional development. Guided play in particular features this type of social interaction and has demonstrated promising outcomes for learning and development.

What is guided play?

Today, most researchers agree that play is fun, flexible, voluntary, and intrinsically motivated; it involves active engagement and often incorporates make-believe (Sutton-Smith 2001; Pellegrini 2009; Fisher et al. 2010; Lillard et al. 2013). Guided play maintains the joyful child-directed aspects of free play but adds an additional focus on learning goals through light adult scaffolding (Weisberg et al. 2016). It offers an opportunity for exploration in a context specifically designed to foster a learning goal. As such, it features two crucial elements: child agency (the child directs the learning) and gentle adult guidance to ensure that the child progresses toward the learning goal. Research suggests that guided play is a successful pedagogical tool for educators in a variety of areas (Weisberg et al. 2016). Here, we outline some examples of how guided play can work in the classroom to build specific language, mathematics, and spatial skills.

Guided play features child agency and gentle adult guidance toward the learning goal.

Language Development

Guided play is a model setting for language learning. For example, infusing vocabulary instruction in guided play fosters word learning for preschoolers, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds (Toub et al. 2016; Han et al. 2010). One study tested the effectiveness of word learning through guided play against a more teacher-directed learning activity (Toub et al. 2016). All children participated in shared book reading and then reviewed half of the vocabulary words through guided play and the other half through a picture card word-recall activity. The guided play resembled the learning taking place in the opening vignette. After play-based word learning, children defined the target words more readily than they did after picture card-based word learning.

Mathematics and spatial skills

Guided play is also effective for fostering spatial skills-important in and of themselves and also tied to later mathematics success (Verdine et al., forthcoming). For example, a study with preschoolers (Fisher et al. 2013) compared children's ability to learn about geometry and shapes through guided play, free play, and direct instruction. In the guided play condition, the adult followed the children's lead and scaffolded the interaction. Children learned more about geometry and shapes than those participating in either the direct instruction condition, where the children listened passively while the adult delivered the content in a fun way, or the free play condition, where children interacted with the shapes in whatever way they wished.

To envision how a similar effect might occur in the classroom, imagine a different center in Ms. Elena's room:

Pablo, Keisha, and Nari arrive at a table filled with tiles of different shapes. They all pick up pieces and begin snapping Magna-Tiles together. Nari says, "I'm going to build a tower! I can't get these pieces to fit." Ms. Elena is observing the children and chooses this moment to join in and say, "What shapes do you have, Nari?" Pablo says, "Nari has a square." "That's right, Pablo. Nari has a square. Nari, can you find another square?" Nari holds up a square. Ms. Elena says, "What makes that a square?" She pauses to let the children think about it, then continues, "It has four sides that are all the same length." She then says, "I wonder if it's possible to make a bigger square using the pieces you are holding up." Keisha says, "Hmmm ... I want to try!" The children look at each other and lay the pieces down-eventually discovering that by putting all four of the squares together, they create a larger square. Ms. Elena notices their discovery, and says, "Wow! You made a bigger square! It still has four sides, and all of the sides are the same length."

Ms. Elena wove the definition of a square into the children's play without taking over, but she also encouraged the children to push themselves to make an important discovery about the shape tiles. Guided play allows teachers to piggyback on children's joy and engagement to reinforce important skills.

Why does guided play work? Fledgling evidence from brain science

Guided play represents an enhanced discovery approach to learning that increases children's knowledge through opportunities to receive immediate, meaningful adult feedback (Alfieri et al. 2011). It is also an ideal example of an active, engaged, meaningful, and socially interactive learning context (Hirsh-Pasek et al. 2015). Consider, for instance, children playing with a shape sorter. The children discuss how to insert the shapes so that the sorter lights up. They keep inserting shapes and notice that sometimes the sorter lights up and sometimes it doesn't, but they can't figure out why. Their teacher joins in and makes some gentle guiding suggestions to help them by asking what the children have already tried and what they could try next. As children incorporate this feedback while continuing to experiment, they generate hypotheses and draw causal connections, becoming little scientists. Play helps children discover causal relationships through this type of informal experimentation (Schulz & Bonawitz 2007; Gopnik 2012). And light scaffolding, when needed, prevents frustration and enables the children to engage in longer periods of playful experimentation.

Adult-scaffolded play experiences might be particularly important because they help children develop what scientists call proactive control: neural mechanisms in the brain's prefrontal cortex that use clues from the environment to help the brain figure out what might happen next (Weisberg et al. 2014). Guided play might support the development of proactive control by fostering a mise en place -a term (derived from the culinary world meaning "everything in its place") suggested by the famed psychology professor Jerome Bruner (2013, personal communication with Brenna Hassinger-Das):

Think about preparing to make a pizza. You gather the dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings. You also get out the required tools: rolling pin, pizza stone, and pizza cutter. In this way, you have prepared yourself and your workspace for the task at hand.

Similarly, a psychological mise en place-a readiness to anticipate events and explore an activity (Weisberg et al. 2014)-helps children prepare their minds to embrace learning experiences in a positive way. Ms. Elena cultivated such a mise en place through her inclusion of farm-focused play activities. By preparing the play environment in service of her pedagogical goal-the children learning the focus words-Ms. Elena allowed children to work toward this goal in their own playful way. This type of gently scaffolded, playful learning fosters children's desire to seek out similar meaningful learning opportunities (Weisberg et al. 2014).

Guided play increases children's knowledge through immediate, meaningful adult feedback.

Imagine a different week in Ms. Elena's classroom. She sets up one center with a castle play set that mirrors a book read during that week's storybook theme of knights and dragons. The prepared play set encourages children's organic use of the theme's vocabulary words while playing-words like talons and nostrils. Ms. Elena can then draw attention to these words and help children make meaningful connections to them. This type of adult support during guided play may be the mechanism through which children's fledgling proactive control mechanisms emerge (Weisberg et al. 2014).

Using a prepared play environment to foster a mise en place-a readiness to anticipate events and explore an activity.

Looking Forward

The bottom line is that play is ubiquitous across species, and it likely has a significant role in many aspects of human development. Though behavioral research is still unfolding (Lillard et al. 2013; for a rebuttal, see Weisberg et al. 2013), evidence is mounting that guided play scaffolds young children's development and that it might prime critical neural mechanisms to make healthy adaptations (Weisberg et al. 2014). It also helps children develop an understanding of how the world works (Gopnik 2012). To deepen our understanding, research investigating play's biological foundation in children is urgently needed. This research could prove particularly important for developing interventions to assist children from vulnerable populations, such as those from low socioeconomic-status backgrounds, children with disabilities, or children experiencing stress or trauma.

As we await new discoveries from brain science, one finding is already clear: Play is a wonderful metaphor for active, engaged, meaningful, and socially interactive learning. And, as two of the authors of this piece described in their book, Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children, play also prepares children to become social, caring, thinking, and creative citizens (Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek 2016). In fact, many researchers and teachers now concur that the "child-driven educational methods sometimes referred to as 'playful learning' are the most positive means yet known to help young children's development" (Lillard et al. 2013, 28).

References

Alfieri, L., P.J. Brooks, N.J. Aldrich, & H.R. Tenenbaum. 2011. "Does Discovery-Based Instruction Enhance Learning?" Journal of Educational Psychology 103 (1): 1-18.

Burgdorf, J., J. Panksepp, & J.R. Moskal. 2011. "Frequency-Modulated 50 kHz Ultrasonic Vocalizations: A Tool for Uncovering the Molecular Substrates of Positive Affect." Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 35 (9): 1831-36.

Dore, R.A., E.D. Smith, & A.S. Lillard. 2015. "How Is Theory of Mind Useful? Perhaps to Enable Social Pretend Play." Frontiers in Psychology 6. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01559/full.

Fisher, K.R., K. Hirsh-Pasek, N. Newcombe, & R.M. Golinkoff. 2013. "Taking Shape: Supporting Preschoolers' Acquisition of Geometric Knowledge Through Guided Play." Child Development 84 (6): 1872-78.

Fisher, K.R., K. Hirsh-Pasek, R.M. Golinkoff, D.G. Singer, & L. Berk. 2010. "Playing Around in School: Implications for Learning and Educational Policy." In The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Play, eds. P. Nathan & A. Pellegrini. New York: Oxford University Press.

Golinkoff, R.M., & K. Hirsh-Pasek. 2016. Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Gopnik, A. 2012. "Scientific Thinking in Young Children: Theoretical Advances, Empirical Research, and Policy Implications." Science 337 (6102): 1623-27.

Han, M., N. Moore, C. Vukelich, & M. Buell. 2010. "Does Play Make a Difference? How Play Intervention Affects the Vocabulary Learning of At-Risk Preschoolers." American Journal of Play 3 (1): 82-105.

Hirsh-Pasek, K., J.M. Zosh, R.M. Golinkoff, J.H. Gray, M.B. Robb, & J. Kaufman. 2015. "Putting Education in 'Educational' Apps: Lessons From the Science of Learning." Psychological Science in the Public Interest 16 (1): 3-34.

Lillard, A.S., M.D. Lerner, E.J. Hopkins, R.A. Dore, E.D. Smith, & C.M. Palmquist. 2013. "The Impact of Pretend Play on Children's Development: A Review of the Evidence." Psychological Bulletin 139 (1): 1-34.

Pellegrini, A.D. 2009. "Research and Policy on Children's Play." Child Development Perspectives 3 (2): 131-36.

Pellis, S.M., V.C. Pellis, & B.T. Himmler. 2014. "How Play Makes for a More Adaptable Brain: A Comparative and Neural Perspective." American Journal of Play 7 (1): 73-98. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1043959.pdf.

Schulz, L.E., & E.B. Bonawitz. 2007. "Serious Fun: Preschoolers Engage in More Exploratory Play When Evidence Is Confounded." Developmental Psychology 43 (4): 1045-50.

Sutton-Smith, B. 2001. The Ambiguity of Play. Rev. ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Tominey, S.L., & M.M. McClelland. 2011. "Red Light, Purple Light: Findings From a Randomized Trial Using Circle Tim e Games to Improve Behavioral Self-Regulation in Preschool." Early Education and Development 22 (3): 489-519.

Toub, T.S., B. Hassinger-Das, H. Ilgaz, D.S. Weisberg, K.T. Nesbitt, M.F. Collins, K. Hirsh-Pasek, R.M. Golinkoff, D.K. Dickinson, & A. Nicolopoulou. "The Language of Play: Developing Preschool Vocabulary Through Play Following Shared Book-Reading." Manuscript submitted for publication, 2016.

Verdine, B.N., R.M. Golinkoff, K. Hirsh-Pasek, & N.S. Newcombe. Forthcoming. "Spatial Thinking: Fundamental to School Readiness." Society for Research in Child Development Monograph series.

Weisberg, D.S., J.M. Zosh, K. Hirsh-Pasek, & R.M. Golinkoff. 2013. "Talking It Up: Play, Language Development, and the Role of Adult Support." American Journal of Play 6 (1): 39-54.

Weisberg, D.S., K. Hirsh-Pasek, R.M. Golinkoff, A.K. Kittredge, & D. Klahr. 2016. "Guided Play: Principles and Practices." Current Directions in Psychological Science 25 (3): 177-82.

Weisberg, D.S., K. Hirsh-Pasek, R.M. Golinkoff, & B.D. McCandliss. 2014. "Mise En Place: Setting the Stage for Thought and Action." Trends in Cognitive Sciences 18 (6): 276-78.

Photographs: 3, courtesy of Brenna Hassinger-Das; 1, 2, 4 © iStock

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The Case of Brain Science and Guided Play: A Developing Story

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Free play and guided play-together known as playful learning-are pedagogical tools through which children can learn in joyful and conceptually rich ways.

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Building Environments That Encourage Positive Behavior: The Preschool Behavior Support Self-Assessment

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Building Environments That Encourage Positive Behavior: The Preschool Behavior Support Self-Assessment

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From learning activities to transitions, children's challenging behavior can influence every aspect of a classroom. This disruption often can overwhelm early childhood teachers, who report feeling concerned and frustrated about classroom management (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Corso 2012) as well as underprepared to address challenging behavior proactively (Stormont, Lewis, & Covington Smith 2005). These concerns are justified for several reasons. Children who frequently exhibit challenging behavior may have fewer friends or lower academic performance, and research links the persistent challenging behavior of young children to more serious behavior problems and negative consequences as they get older (Dunlap et al. 2006; McCartney et al. 2010). Young children who demonstrate difficult behavior are more likely to face persistent peer rejection and negative family interactions (Patterson & Fleischman 1979; Crick et al. 2006) and to be disciplined by school professionals (Strain et al. 1983). As high school students, these children are more likely to experience school failure and drop out (Kazdin 1993; Tremblay 2000) as well as encounter the juvenile justice system (Reid 1993; Dishion & Patterson 2006). But just as behavior can affect all aspects of a learning environment, all the aspects of a learning environment can be structured to promote positive behavior.

This article shares a teacher self-assessment tool-the Preschool Behavior Support Self-Assessment-that helps teachers of preschool children examine how their classrooms support children's positive behavior. The self-assessment aligns with the key features of positive behavior support (PBS), an approach grounded in theory (see Singer & Wang 2009 for a review), supported by research (see Dunlap et al. 2006 for an extensive review and synthesis of PBS in early childhood), and applicable to the values and needs of early childhood settings. PBS is a comprehensive process often applied as a continuum of increasingly individualized practices (Stormont et al. 2008; Fox et al. 2010; Horner, Sugai, & Anderson 2010). This continuum involves universal supports for all children that include building strong relationships and providing a high-quality environment, more targeted preventive practices for some children who may need more social-emotional support, and individualized interventions for children who need extensive support. The elements in the self-assessment address universal practices appropriate for all children during day-to-day classroom activities, so this tool is appropriate for all preschool settings, whether or not they have formally adopted PBS.

Overview of the self-assessment

Designed to be brief, the self-assessment can be completed by teachers in 10 to 20 minutes. The tool contains four sections aligned with preventive practices in positive behavior support:

Develop a predictable classroom environment

Define and teach expectations

Acknowledge appropriate behavior and respond consistently to challenging behavior

Use data to inform decisions about behavior (Stormont et al. 2008)

Combined, these features provide a fairly comprehensive picture of practices that teachers can use to address the behavior of all preschool children, not just those who tend to use challenging behavior.

The self-assessment was developed by the authors and adapted from the three assessment tools used for assessing the implementation of PBS practices: the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) for Preschool Classrooms (Hemmeter, Fox, & Snyder 2014); the Preschool-Wide Evaluation Tool (PreSET) (Steed, Pomerleau, & Horner 2012); and the Positive Behavior Support Classroom Management: Self-Assessment Revised (Simonsen et al. 2006). General categories and items were modeled after the Positive Behavior Support Classroom Management: Self-Assessment Revised, a self-assessment tool designed for K-12 teachers. Language and key features specific to preschool settings were modeled on the TPOT and PreSET, both of which are designed for early childhood settings but are research tools used by outside observers.

Like all tools, self-assessments have limitations. When teachers assess themselves, they may not see their practices in the same way outside observers do. Similarly, teachers' perceptions about how they communicate with families, children, or colleagues may be very different from the way those individuals see the interactions. However, when used thoughtfully and carefully, this self-assessment can be a powerful tool for reflection. As one early childhood teacher who used this tool commented, "Self-assessments are only helpful if you find the time and see the purpose of using them. This form did both for me."

Creating a predictable environment

The classroom environment plays a central role in encouraging positive behavior. Thus, the first section of the self-assessment contains items that relate to creating a predictable, orderly learning environment. Items in this section focus on developing positive relationships with children and families, designing the physical environment of the classroom to maximize structure and predictability, developing clear and consistent schedules and routines, and implementing effective transitions.

Warm, responsive relationships build a foundation for positive behavior (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Corso 2012). Consistent and predictable classroom environments, schedules, and routines can increase children's independence, ability to anticipate change, and likelihood of using appropriate behavior. Transitions can be a particular concern related to young children's behavior and frequently impact how orderly the classroom environment is. Teachers can support positive behavior throughout transitions by planning for them ahead of time, alerting children before transitions occur, and providing a clear signal at the beginning of each transition. For example, when transitioning from free play to cleanup, rather than glancing at the clock and announcing "We have to clean up now," a teacher might plan with assistants where they will be positioned in the classroom during cleanup. Providing a warning and building in reminders of expectations can also be helpful, such as a teacher giving the reminder: "We have five minutes left to play. Can we start any new projects now?" (Children: "No!") When five minutes have elapsed, the teacher gives a clear audio and visual cue that the transition is beginning by playing a chime and switching off the lights or starting a song that incorporates hand motions. Teachers can also treat transitions as opportunities to discuss expectations for the next activity (e.g., commenting while cleaning up, "We're cleaning up now, and then we'll all sit together on the rug to read").

Defining and teaching expectations

The second section of the self-assessment addresses expectations. Taking an instructional approach to behavior gives children the chance to learn and practice how to behave in a learning environment. Adults often assume that children know how to act appropriately (Stormont et al. 2008). Teachers can avoid this pitfall by identifying a small number of behavioral expectations (e.g., be kind, be safe), defining specific examples (rules) of what those expectations look like across common settings or routines (e.g., circle time, centers, snack, bathroom, playground), and directly teaching children how to put those expectations into practice. For example, a teacher who has the classroom expectation "Be safe" may have decided that one component of this is that children must use "walking feet" when inside and on paved areas outside, but they may run on the grassy area of the playground. Teaching this specific example of what it means to be safe could involve a game outside in which the teacher holds up a picture of "running" or "walking" as children respond by moving to the appropriate areas of the playground. In the classroom, teaching this expectation could involve making a picture chart of places where children may run or walk during a group meeting.

Acknowledging appropriate behavior and responding to challenging behavior

The third area of the self-assessment involves practices that teachers use to acknowledge appropriate behavior and respond to challenging behavior. While teachers often comment on children's learning or academic behavior, they rarely give feedback about appropriate social behavior (Stormont et al. 2008). Providing children with specific, positive feedback helps them learn what appropriate behavior looks like. Verbally commending appropriate behavior as it occurs is an essential tool for classroom management, but teachers can create opportunities for more formal recognition of positive behavior. Teachers could, for example, send home a certificate when they "catch" children demonstrating positive social behavior.

It is important that teachers also take care to define for the classroom community what inappropriate behavior looks like and develop a plan to respond to it consistently and logically. For example, some behavior (e.g., biting and hitting) may require immediate intervention to ensure children's safety, while others (e.g., not participating during cleanup) may first lead to a prompt to use the appropriate behavior ("What are you going to clean up, blocks or puzzles?") and then a reminder ("We are cleaning up now to take care of our classroom. Let's work together on putting away these blocks.") if the prompt is ignored.

Using data to support positive behavior

Early childhood teachers can take simple steps to collect data in their own classroom and learn valuable information about behavior in their class (Krasch & Carter 2009). Using simple forms like tally sheets or checklists, teachers can document which times of the day children tend not to follow expectations, whether children are engaged or off task during free play, and how long transitions between activities take (Krasch & Carter 2009). Teachers can then use the data to make decisions that support positive behavior more effectively. For example, teachers can collect data to learn which expectations children find difficult to meet and to identify when and where challenging behavior is likely to occur (Krasch & Carter 2009). They can use this information to target an issue by revisiting an expectation, providing more practice, or making changes to a routine that is not working. Data may also reveal information about children's engagement, time spent in transitions, or individuals who need additional support to meet behavioral expectations.

Self-assessment process in action

To use the tool, teachers first rate how consistently (Always, Sometimes, Never) they implement each feature listed. Consistency in schedules, expectations, and consequences help children gain independence and learn that appropriate behavior works. Next, teachers review the features they rated Always to identify their strengths. Teachers then review features they rated Sometimes or Never and determine which of them are priorities for improvement. Finally, teachers create an action plan that outlines measurable steps they will take to achieve classroom management goals. The following vignette illustrates how a teacher might use the tool.

Sonia has taught preschool in a community-based center for five years. Her favorite part of teaching is connecting with her class; she learns a lot about the children and creates in-depth projects that relate to their interests. Six weeks into the school year, Sonia feels comfortable with her class of a dozen 4-year-olds. She has a sense of each child's strengths, and she has worked with parents to set goals for their child. Sonia would like to begin the class's first project, but she wonders if everyone is ready.

The class spends a lot of time moving from activity to activity, and problems such as pushing tend to prolong transition times. Sonia is frustrated by the need to remind children about classroom expectations several times each day. Sonia believes her class has the skills to follow the rules and routines, but she feels that the children are not as orderly as they might be. To investigate how she supports behavior, Sonia decides to take the Preschool Behavior Support Self-Assessment.

Step 1: Rating current implementation

Sonia began by evaluating how consistently she implemented each behavior support feature across the four areas on the survey. (See "Sonia's Completed Self-Assessment.")

Step 2: Determining strengths

After rating all the behavior support features, Sonia reviewed the items she marked Always. She listed summaries of several things she was already doing to support positive behavior: (1) "My strong relationships with children and families support engagement"; (2) "My classroom centers are well organized, nicely defined, and the right size"; and (3) "My class schedule is balanced, posted, and illustrated with photos."

Sonia had always taken pride in the relationships she built with children and their families but had never considered how they might affect behavior. Having strong relationships creates a foundation for social and emotional development and "provides a safe context for tackling difficult issues related to challenging behaviors, should they arise" (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Corso 2012, 35). That is, when teachers have strong positive relationships with children, they can be more effective in helping them to develop positive social behavior. Similarly, when teachers have strong positive relationships with families, they can be more effective in communicating concerns about a child's behavior and working collaboratively with families to address these concerns.

Step 3: Identifying priority areas

Sonia reviewed the items she rated Sometimes or Never and starred the items that represented major concerns. She noticed that several items relating to transitions had Sometimes or Never answers, so she made working on those a priority. She planned to create and post behavior expectations, since several other items on the self-assessment ("Classroom expectations are illustrated and posted at students' eye level," "I use our expectations to establish rules specific to our typical settings") stem from using these expectations. Sonia also felt it was important to provide more positive feedback in the classroom. However, since most of her priorities related to transitions, Sonia decided to focus on that area first.

Step 4: Creating an action plan

Once Sonia identified her top priority-smoother transitions-she created a plan to move from reflection to action (see "Sonia's Action Plan"). This step provides a method to help think through the changes needed to move from current implementation to the goal. Sonia decided that she needed to be more consistent in signaling upcoming transitions and making adjustments-precorrecting-during them.

Sonia first set a specific goal to address this need ("Build systems to increase consistency during transitions") and then outlined steps she could take to achieve this goal (create a "transition helper" job; add transitions to the lesson plan; and make cue cards for transition expectations, such as staying in your "bubble" in line, using whisper voices in the hallway, and staying with the group). In some cases, steps might include gathering information or talking to colleagues (e.g., brainstorming transition activities with a mentor teacher), as well as making changes in the classroom. By keeping her steps clear and observable, Sonia created a plan she could follow.

Sonia also included how she would monitor her progress. This step helps a teacher think through her plan so that she can easily track what she has accomplished. After finishing the plan, Sonia set a date to complete the self-assessment again so she could see her progress and possibly identify new areas to address.

GOAL: Build systems to increase consistency during transitions

Monitoring

Steps/Process

1. Create new "transition helper" job (set timer when five-minute warning given and turn off lights when timer rings)

2. Add Transitions section to lesson plan form

3. Create transition cue cards that list expectations for next activity (to encourage precorrections)

4. Later: Collect data on transitions (How often do I precorrect? Am I following my lesson plans? How long are transitions?)

Plan a date for your next self-assessment: 5/25/16

1. Job added to job chart

2.Form edited

3. Cue cards finished

4. TBD

Recommendations

Many teachers may find it helpful to use the tool as a self-check six weeks or so into the school year. Self-assessment at this time helps teachers reflect on what they have already established in the classroom, and it leaves a significant amount of time to make changes. Teachers can then self-assess at the midpoint or year-end and measure their progress. Positive change can serve as a personal motivator and demonstrate professional growth.

Teachers can use this flexible tool several ways. For example, they can collaborate with an assistant or peer. Partners can exchange feedback, provide support, and hold each other accountable throughout the process. Most of the features addressed in the self-assessment could be applied in settings other than classrooms, so any colleague who interacts with children could be a partner-bus drivers, cafeteria workers, or the school librarian.

Regardless of the way a teacher decides to approach the self-assessment, it is important to remember that change is gradual. An action plan that uses observable, measurable steps can help teachers focus on achievable outcomes rather than the number of things that could be done. When teachers complete one self-assessment, they can plan a date for their next to create a cycle of reflection and positive action. Along the way, teachers working toward change should take time to review their progress, celebrate their success, and remember not to get overwhelmed. (See "The Self-Assessment in Action-Teacher Feedback" to learn about four teachers' experiences with the tool.)

As a tool for teachers, this self-assessment outlines key features of classroom-wide positive behavior support and provides a framework for reflection and action. The self-assessment may lead to beneficial outcomes for children and teachers. When teachers work intentionally to build positive classroom environments, they also build strong foundations for social-emotional and academic success.

The Self-Assessment in Action-Teacher Feedback

"I learned that I do not collect data on the children's behavior and engagement with the same thoroughness that I collect data on cognitive, social and emotional, and academic skills."

Four teachers who completed this self-assessment provided feedback within six weeks of beginning their first action plan. They shared the changes that they made in their practices and in the classrooms, and the results of the changes. These teachers have had a variety of experiences with positive behavior support (PBS). Three teach in a setting with program-wide PBS at the Pearl Buck Preschool in Eugene, Oregon; one teacher works in a public school in Washington, DC, that did not use program-wide PBS.

The teachers who used the tool expressed their appreciation for reflection and said that it helped them direct that process. For example, one teacher said, "I am always looking to improve my practice. My hopes were that by assessing myself, I would come up with a better understanding of how to utilize my strengths and work on areas that needed improvement."

All four reported that they made concrete changes as part of their action plans. They made a variety of adjustments, but most focused on increasing the consistency of different daily practices. The practices included providing positive feedback, teaching expectations for transitions, and giving warnings before cleanup. They learned from the process, and the changes had an impact on the classroom environment. A teacher who chose to work on her ratio of positive to negative feedback said, "Since the number of negative pieces of feedback has mostly disappeared, there is some tension relieved-especially for the children who more often receive negative feedback."

Self-assessment also led the teachers to consider the role of data in documenting behavior. One teacher said, "I realized that while I see PBS in the classroom and see how much of my teaching style naturally aligns with it, I have very little data to support the growth and changes in the children as a result of the way PBS has impacted them." Another teacher shared these thoughts: "I learned that I do not collect data on the children's behavior and engagement with the same thoroughness that I collect data on cognitive, social and emotional, and academic skills." Both of these teachers said they would need more time and support to develop systems for data collection. However, with such a system, one teacher explained, "I expect more fundamental changes to take place."

The authors' self-assessment form includes content adapted, with permission, from the following sources: Hemmeter, M.L., L.K. Fox, & P. Snyder. 2014. Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT™) for Preschool Classrooms, Research Edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. * Simonsen, B., S. Fairbanks, A. Briesch, & G. Sugai. 2006. Positive Behavior Support Classroom Management Self-Assessment Revised (7r). Storrs, CT: University of Connecticut * Steed, E.A., T.M. Pomerleau, & R.H. Horner. 2012. Preschool-Wide Evaluation Tool (PreSET™), Research Edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.

References

Crick, N.R., J.M. Ostrov, J.E. Burr, C. Cullerton-Sen, E. Jansen-Yeh, & P. Ralston. 2006. "A Longitudinal Study of Relational and Physical Aggression in Preschool." Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 27 (3): 254-68.

Dishion, T.J., & G.R. Patterson. 2006. "The Development and Ecology of Antisocial Behavior in Children and Adolescents." Chap. 13 in Developmental Psychopathology, 2nd ed., vol. 3, Risk, Disorder, and Adaptation, eds. D. Ciccetti & D.J. Cohen, 503-41. New York: Wiley.

Dunlap, G., P.S. Strain, L. Fox, J.J. Carta, M. Conroy, B.J. Smith, L. Kern, M.L. Hemmeter, M.A. Timm, A. McCart, W. Sailor, U. Markey, D.J. Markey, S. Lardieri, & C. Sowell. 2006. "Prevention and Intervention With Young Children's Challenging Behavior: Perspectives Regarding Current Knowledge." Behavioral Disorders 32 (1): 29-45.

Fox, L., J.J. Carta, P.S. Strain, G. Dunlap, & M.L. Hemmeter. 2010. "Response to Intervention and the Pyramid Model." Infants and Young Children 23 (1): 3-13.

Hemmeter, M.L., L. Fox, & P. Snyder. 2014. The Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) for Preschool Classrooms, Research Edition. Baltimore: Brookes.

Hemmeter, M.L., M.M. Ostrosky, & R.M. Corso. 2012. "Preventing and Addressing Challenging Behavior: Common Questions and Practical Strategies." Young Exceptional Children 15 (2): 32-46.

Horner, R.H., G. Sugai, & C.M. Anderson. 2010. "Examining the Evidence Base for School-Wide Positive Behavior Support." Focus on Exceptional Children 42 (8): 1-14.

Kazdin, A.E. 1993. "Adolescent Mental Health: Prevention and Treatment Programs." American Psychologist 48 (2): 127-41.

Krasch, D., & D.R. Carter. 2009. "Monitoring Classroom Behavior in Early Childhood: Using Group Observation Data to Make Decisions." Early Childhood Education Journal 36 (6): 475-82.

McCartney, K., M. Burchinal, A. Clarke-Stewart, K.L. Bub, M.T. Owen, J. Belsky, & NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. 2010. "Testing a Series of Causal Propositions Relating Time in Child Care to Children's Externalizing Behavior." Developmental Psychology 46 (1): 1-17.

Patterson, G.R., & M.J. Fleischman. 1979. "Maintenance of Treatment Effects: Some Considerations Concerning Family Systems and Follow-Up Data." Behavior Therapy 10 (2): 168-85.

Reid, J.B. 1993. "Prevention of Conduct Disorder Before and After School Entry: Relating Interventions to Developmental Findings." Development and Psychopathology 5 (1-2): 243-62.

Simonsen, B., S. Fairbanks, A. Briesch, & G. Sugai. 2006. Positive Behavior Support Classroom Management: Self-Assessment Revised (7r). Storrs: University of Connecticut.

Singer, G.H.S., & M. Wang. 2009. "The Intellectual Roots of Positive Behavior Support and Their Implications for Its Development." In Handbook of Positive Behavior Support, eds. W. Sailor, G. Dunlap, G. Sugai, & R. Horner, 17-46. New York: Springer.

Steed, E.A., T.M. Pomerleau, & R.H. Horner. 2012. Preschool-Wide Evaluation Tool (PreSET) Research Edition: An Assessment of Universal Program-Wide Positive Behavior Support in Early Childhood. CD-ROM ed. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.

Stormont, M., T.J. Lewis, R. Beckner, & N.W. Johnson. 2008. Implementing Positive Behavior Support Systems in Early Childhood and Elementary Settings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Stormont, M., T.J. Lewis, & S. Covington Smith. 2005. "Behavior Support Strategies in Early Childhood Settings: Teachers' Importance and Feasibility Ratings." Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions 7 (3): 131-39.

Strain, P.S., D.L. Lambert, M.M. Kerr, V. Stagg, & D.A. Lenkner. 1983. "Naturalistic Assessment of Children's Compliance to Teachers' Requests and Consequences for Compliance." Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 16 (2): 243-49.

Tremblay, R.E. 2000. "The Development of Aggressive Behaviour During Childhood: What Have We Learned in the Past Century?" International Journal of Behavioral Development 24 (2): 129-41.

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Building Environments That Encourage Positive Behavior: The Preschool Behavior Support Self-Assessment

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From learning activities to transitions, children's challenging behavior can influence every aspect of a classroom.

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Culturally Appropriate Positive Guidance with Young Children

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Culturally Appropriate Positive Guidance with Young Children

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Three-year-old Emily is singing to a rag doll in the dramatic play area, pretending to rock her to sleep. Ana, also 3, snatches the doll from Emily's hands. Ana says, "Baby wants sleep!" Upset, Emily says, "It's my baby! I am rocking her to sleep!" Ana insists that the baby needs to be under the blanket. She lies down with the doll for a second, then jumps up to close the blinds.

At first glance, a teacher may view this situation as a behavioral issue-Ana needs to understand that no one can take another's toy without permission. While the behavior is important to address, Ana and Emily's teacher, Ms. Jones, is also aware that young children have a deep understanding of their own cultural routines and a strong desire to follow those routines. While acknowledging that Ana's method was not appropriate, Ms. Jones realizes that Ana was trying to prevent an uncomfortable situation for the "baby" by putting her to sleep according to the routine in Ana's home-lying down with the baby in a quiet, dark room.

Young children benefit when teachers and families establish healthy partnerships and define common goals for children.

To help all of her students understand that everyone has different cultural practices at home, and that all of them are to be respected, Ms. Jones decides to begin an exploration of the different ways children and families go to sleep. She searches for children's literature focused on how people go to sleep and chooses Where Children Sleep, by James Mollison; Why Cowboys Sleep With Their Boots On, by Laurie Knowlton; and The Napping House, by Audrey Wood. As Ms. Jones reads these books aloud, she supports the children in exploring the illustrations and comparing their home routines with those in the books. To broaden the discussions, Ms. Jones shows them photographs found on the Internet that depict the bedtime rituals of children from various countries. Many of these photos show how weather, house size and type, and parenting practices influence the ways children go to sleep. Within a few days, Ms. Jones and the children carry the investigation into the dramatic play area, where they pretend to put babies to sleep in hammocks, body wraps, cribs, beds, and sleeping bags, either alone or with dolls representing parents or siblings.

Although it is not possible to transform every incident into an enriching investigation, teachers would do well to follow in Ms. Jones's footsteps. Many behaviors have cultural roots that teachers can capitalize on to foster each child's developing identity, share cultural lessons with the whole class, and help children cultivate shared norms for their behavior as students. Research on the experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse young children in early childhood settings implies that what Ms. Jones faced is fairly common: some guidance challenges are based on differences between home and school practices (Rogoff 2003). Teachers like Ms. Jones recognize that some conflicts among children reflect the children's early understanding of their own cultural scripts (family and community practices and rituals for how things are done) and their limited understanding of others' scripts.

As teachers provide positive, developmentally appropriate guidance for a particular behavior, they consider the issue through the lens of cultural appropriateness, an important dimension of developmentally appropriate practice (Copple & Bredekamp 2009). This lens may encompass family traditions, religious beliefs, community etiquette, social class, and contextual differences (such as urban, rural, and suburban practices), any of which may be a source of possible conflict between children. As they choose guidance strategies, teachers help children understand that their peers' play and behavior may look and feel different from their own because of different cultural practices, and they support children as they gradually learn to negotiate different sets of expectations between home and early education settings.

Early childhood educators may find that the expectations of some children and families they serve do not fit their framework for positive guidance. Culturally appropriate positive guidance requires educators to understand and mediate differing views on child guidance between home and school contexts.

Understanding family perspectives and goals for child development

One important aspect of child development is children's increasing adoption of and participation in family and community routines and practices (Rogoff 2003). Some cultural practices, such as authoritarian parenting styles, may seem to conflict with an education program's philosophy and curriculum or with a practitioner's own perspective. (See "Understanding Family Practices that Clash With Center Principles.") However, by respecting families' viewpoints and contexts, practitioners support family cohesion, which is an essential aspect of social and emotional development in young children, especially children whose home culture might be very different from the typical US school culture (Isik-Ercan 2012).

Understanding Family Practices that Clash with Center Principles

Some family practices may pose guidance challenges in early learning programs.

Family cultural practice

Spoon-feeding toddlers while sharing stories and songs with them (not allowing young toddlers to practice self-feeding)

Performing physical care tasks and practices for children, such as tying their shoes or putting their coats on them

Center principle

Encouraging young children's self-care practices and self-help skills in order to foster independence

Interpretation of a family practice

Spilling and wasting food is unacceptable and disrespectful of people's efforts/nature's bounty/animals in the food chain

Feeding rituals and other physical care customs are essential elements in establishing physical and emotional attachment between caregiver and child and are shared cultural rituals that signify love

Young children benefit when teachers and families establish healthy partnerships and define common goals or developmental outcomes for children. When early childhood practitioners inquire about particular family practices, they are likely to find that both parties have many similar goals, including helping children develop skills such as social competency, altruism, sharing, collaboration, respect, and confidence (Isik-Ercan 2010). While these goals look similar across cultural contexts, the tools and methods each party uses for positive guidance might look quite different. Therefore, practitioners may need to engage with families in collaborative problem solving when conflicts arise (Copple & Bredekamp 2009), rather than applying one guidance method for all children. The following example illustrates how Mr. Garcia, a preschool teacher, used culturally appropriate guidance.

When 5-year-old Yen-Ting sees 4-year-old Max playing with his cereal and dropping it on the floor, Yen-Ting quietly says, "Shame on you." Max shouts, "Go away!"

Yen-Ting is upset by Max's reaction. He was reminding Max about the no-playing-with-food rule, like an older brother might. Max, offended by the intrusion in his privacy, thinks Yen-Ting should not reprimand him, as he is not an authority figure. This exchange reveals the differences in the cultural perspectives these children have gained in their family contexts.

Mr. Garcia is knowledgeable about both families' expectations for their children. For example, from conversations with Yen-Ting's family, he knows that saving face to avoid public shame and preserve group harmony is an important Confucian principle. Instead of bringing both children together to address the issue-a common conflict-resolution technique-Mr. Garcia discreetly speaks individually to the children to help each understand the other's perspective. He explains to Max that Yen-Ting is trying to be considerate by quietly reminding him of a rule; he tells Yen-Ting that even though he was whispering, his words sounded harsh to Max. Mr. Garcia suggests that in the future, Max consider whether his classmates are trying to help him, and Yen-Ting consider saying, "If you drop food on the floor, the floor will be dirty and wet," and let Max make the choice. Although the boys did not engage in conflict resolution in this instance, they are now more aware of each other's intentions.

When they use culturally appropriate positive guidance, practitioners like Mr. Garcia support the development of children's bicultural identities, honoring both their family and community context and their school context. Some home practices are directly associated with the core of children's cultural identity and so should be respected. By respecting such practices-even when not agreeing with them-educators promote children's healthy social and emotional growth. In offering guidance, Mr. Garcia protected the families' position as primary caregivers and guides in their children's social and emotional growth, as suggested in the NAEYC "Code of Ethical Conduct" (2005), in particular, Ideal I-2.6-"To acknowledge families' childrearing values and their right to make decisions for their children."

Making a program's structure more accommodating

Another way to encompass varying perspectives on child guidance is to provide a flexible program structure that accommodates individual needs. For instance, children who come from homes where their schedules flow with the natural rhythms of their attention span and engagement and with their own awareness of their physical needs, might struggle in a more structured classroom environment. Simple arrangements such as making a snack available at a corner table, where children can sit whenever they need a break, might offer a natural respite and sense of control for children who might be frustrated with and resistant to what they perceive as unnatural transitions and abrupt changes.

Using Sociocultural Conflicts Among Children as Teachable Moments: A Case Study

Guidance challenges stemming from cultural and linguistic diversity can be viewed as opportunities for practitioners to address children's growing social abilities. An early childhood practitioner can help culturally diverse children understand norms and social expectations by mediating peer relationships. The following story illustrates such a process.

Four-year-old Abdi was a newly arrived refugee from Somalia. On his first day at a church-located early childhood center, he ran wildly down a hallway, followed by his mother, who was attempting to stop him. Teachers were startled to see a child making so much noise and running freely in the orderly and quiet learning environment. Interacting with Abdi in the following days, Ms. Miller, the preschool preservice teacher, and I learned that he was extremely nervous in his new, all-white preschool class and wanted to leave, so running seemed to him like a good solution.

By the following week, however, Abdi was settling in, following directions and seeming more at ease with his peers. Ms. Miller and I often observed Abdi gently touching his friends on their shoulders and heads while participating in whole-group games and engaging in rough-and-tumble play on the playground-sometimes to his peers' dismay. Ms. Miller and I worked with Abdi and his peers to explore social expectations in his new environment.

For example, Abdi's peers had a much larger sphere of personal space than Abdi was accustomed to, so he would often talk more closely or touch more often than they preferred. Although his peers protected each other's personal space, they could not explain to Abdi how or why they felt Abdi was violating it.

Being careful to not put Abdi on spot, Ms. Miller and I facilitated this negotiation of personal space by helping all the children understand some expectations in our early childhood classroom. We discussed and role-played rules about private space, noise-level expectations, and limited physical contact. Using persona dolls in story lines that children developed and explored, we guided the children's discussion of why, how, and when touching friends may or may not be a good idea in the school setting and other settings. Like Ms. Jones's investigation of sleeping routines, we explored the notion of personal space as a fascinating cultural difference-not as something that could be right or wrong.

We also helped children understand that some nonverbal clues, such as smiling or making eye contact, may, in certain contexts, mean discomfort rather than agreement or contentment. These practices provided children with tools to notice subtle cues before unwelcome interactions turned into negative reactions.

At the same time, in collaboration with the classroom teacher, Ms. Miller and I helped the individual children who were most reactive to Abdi realize that when Abdi kept touching a child, it meant he was showing his affection for and interest in that child. Discussing differences in children's actions supported all children's general perspective-taking abilities. In the next week, we observed several children explaining to each other what a peer meant when he or she said or did something that might be misunderstood.

Children's flexibility and resilience in negotiating multiple learning contexts

When it comes to forming bicultural identities, children are remarkably adaptive.For example, a case study of a preschool classroom found that although teachers and parents of culturally diverse children held different beliefs and practices about literacy learning, appropriate language for interactions, and social norms, the children were successful in navigating both the home and classroom contexts (Fluckiger 2010). They used strategies such as following the peer culture rules they observed when entering ongoing play or showing their knowledge of the alphabet, so that other children sought out their knowledge and showed greater acceptance of them. Most young children become skilled at analyzing the cultural codes and expectations in the classroom (Avgitidou 2001; Kim 2014). Rather than anticipate sociocultural conflict among children when cultural incongruences arise, teachers can observe and build on children's established and emerging abilities to adjust to different contexts.

Understanding peer culture and fostering classroom community

Peer culture-"the stable sets of routines, artifacts, values, and concerns that children produce and share with each other" (Corsaro 2012, 489)-is an important component of classroom culture. Teachers may gain valuable insights when they examine various elements of the peer culture in their classrooms and use children's interactions to establish positive guidance. One study (personal communication with Elena Bodrova, April 30, 2013) observed that when provided with autonomy to do so, preschool children first monitor and regulate their peers' behaviors before they turn to themselves and apply the same strategies, aligning with Vygotsky's (1978) statement that mental skills begin as social processes and then become internalized. Social interaction with peers during play provides children with necessary feedback to reconsider their actions. Even though their home practices might be different, Chen (2012) documented children's flexibility to use feedback gathered from those peer interactions. Therefore, creating a safe space in which children can monitor each other and thus better internalize guidance expectations can help teachers foster a close-knit classroom community.

When practitioners attend to the peer culture in their classrooms, they may notice that children are curious to explore their peers' beliefs and behavioral norms, which might lead, at times, to what may seem like discriminatory behavior (Derman-Sparks & Edwards 2010) and-when not addressed-to guidance challenges. For example, when Susan, who had never been in preschool before, shouted to her peers, "No boys allowed in our kitchen!," she was drawing on roles she was familiar with-a homemaker woman and a breadwinner man. Having gotten to know Susan, her teacher saw that she was thinking through these roles and wanted to provoke the boys to see if they agreed with such roles. When practitioners understand children's curiosity and the challenge of digesting multiple viewpoints, they may be encouraged to provide space for children to explore differences and variations in social or individual practices through dramatic play, instead of viewing differences as offending and limiting this crucial time for children to negotiate their actions and beliefs.

Conclusion

For many children, preschool is their first significant opportunity to learn about routines and behaviors that are different from their home life. Early childhood practitioners should keep in mind that differences in cultural routines can be just as hard-if not harder-to adjust to as differences in when and where children are eating and napping. To examine their cultural assumptions, educators should challenge themselves by taking another colleague's or a family's perspective on child guidance (Gonzalez-Mena & Shareef 2005). Agreement may not always be possible, but understanding and respect can always grow. As practitioners develop their cultural knowledge, they will be better able to identify opportunities for learning, just as Ms. Jones and Mr. Garcia did.

References

Avgitidou, S. 2001. "Peer Culture and Friendship Relationships as Contexts for the Development of Young Children's Pro-Social Behaviour." International Journal of Early Years Education 9(2): 145-52.

Chen, X. 2012. "Culture, Peer Interaction, and Socioemotional Development." Child Development Perspectives 6(1): 27-34.

Copple, C., & S. Bredekamp, eds. 2009. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Corsaro, W.A. 2012. "Interpretive Reproduction in Children's Play." American Journal of Play 4(4): 488-504. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ985602.pdf.

Derman-Sparks, L., & J.O. Edwards. 2010. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Fluckiger, B. 2010. "Culture-Switching in Different Worlds: Young Children's Transition Experiences." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 35(4): 101-08.

Gonzalez-Mena, J., & I. Shareef. 2005. "Discussing Diverse Perspectives on Guidance." Young Children 60 (6): 34-38.

Isik-Ercan, Z. 2010. "Looking at School From the House Window: Learning From Turkish-American Parents' Experiences With Early Elementary Education in the United States." Early Childhood Education Journal 38 (2): 133-42.

Isik-Ercan, Z. 2012. "In Pursuit of a New Perspective in the Education of Children of the Refugees: Advocacy for the 'Family.'" Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice 12(4): 3025-38.

Kim, J. 2014. "'You Don't Need to Be Mean. We're Friends, Right?' Young Korean-American Children's Conflicts and References to Friendship." Journal of Early Childhood Research 12 (3): 279-93.

NAEYC. 2005. "Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment."Position statement. www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSETH05.pdf.

Rogoff, B. 2003. The Cultural Nature of Human Development. New York: Oxford University Press.

Vygotsky, L.S. 1978. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

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Culturally Appropriate Positive Guidance with Young Children

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Many behaviors have cultural roots that teachers can capitalize on to foster each child's developing identity, share cultural lessons with the whole class, and help children cultivate shared norms for their behavior as students.

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Deepening Families’ Understanding of Children’s Learning in Centers

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Deepening Families’ Understanding of Children’s Learning in Centers

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Faye Dismuke, Nichole Parks, Judy Jablon

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Deepening Families’ Understanding of Children’s Learning in Centers

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If families understand all that occurs in center activities and play, they will be able to support their children’s learning during play activities at home—to be learning partners with their children.

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Focusing on Families: A Two-Generation Model for Reducing Parents’ Stress and Boosting Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation and Attention

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Focusing on Families: A Two-Generation Model for Reducing Parents’ Stress and Boosting Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation and Attention

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Something special is happening in Head Start of Lane County, in Springfield, Oregon. While parents are learning to reduce stress and are enjoying more family time, children are developing the ability to regulate their emotions and direct their attention. At the same time, teachers and researchers are collaboratively developing a model of a two-generation program to share with early childhood educators across the country.

As Jenny Sonza, an experienced teacher who has been implementing the model for three years, explains, sometimes seemingly simple strategies make a big difference:

Zayna is a 3-year-old growing up in a stressful home. Her parents argue often, and the family had to leave their apartment because of trouble with lice and fleas. At Head Start, a normal day for Zayna begins with her screaming and crying because she wants her mother to stay, and ends with her being upset when her mother picks her up to leave. In order for Zayna to learn, whether it's how to wash her hands or how to write her name, we have to get her stress level down.

In the morning, before Zayna's mother leaves, we've been using a strategy called picture notes to help her calm down-this strategy is by far my favorite from the many we use with children. When Zayna starts screaming, I get a sticky note. But instead of writing a note for her, like "Mom will be back this afternoon," I get down at her level and draw a little stick figure with her face. I say, "This is Zayna," and she says yes. Then I draw her mom, and that really gets her attention. She says, "I don't want my mom to leave." I ask her, "What do you want?" and get her to focus on the note. Then we write the rest of the note together.

Usually, Zayna tells me the note should say "I want my mom." It's that simple. I write, "I want my mom," and she tells me what I wrote. Once the picture note is in her hands, she can let her mom leave. She knows that she wants her mom, she sees the note in her hand, she makes that connection, and her stress goes down instantly. She also knows that I (and my coteachers) see the note, that she is going to see it all day, and that we are all going to remember. Sometimes she puts the picture note in her cubby; other times she holds it in her hand.

Picture notes are just one of 20 strategies and activities teachers at Head Start of Lane County use to help children experience less stress and engage in the learning environment. In this article, we explain the many aspects of the child and family program we are implementing and evaluating-but first, let's take a brief look at the research foundation for our approach.

High stakes and high hopes

Even before children enter school, their academic prospects can be predicted based on parental income, occupation, and level of education-the main factors that determine socioeconomic status (SES). While these are broad statistical generalizations that may or may not prove accurate for any given individual, disparities related to these factors have been documented in children's cognitive skills and mental and emotional health, and in specific aspects of children's brain structure and function. Disparities have been found to last into adulthood, impacting cognition, health, educational attainment, and financial stability (for reviews of the SES literature, see Hackman, Farah, & Meaney 2010; Ursache & Noble 2016). As a result, researchers and educators are strongly motivated to develop and implement evidence-based programs that can minimize these disparities. Increasingly, they are recognizing that their efforts can be informed by research in cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience (Shonkoff 2012).

Brain systems are changeable with high-quality preschool education, parental involvement, and other positive factors.

Importantly, we and other researchers who study the brain have found that neuroplasticity, or the changeability of the brain with experience, is a double-edged sword (Shonkoff 2012). That is, the brain systems that are vulnerable to negative experiences associated with differences in socioeconomic status are also changeable with high-quality preschool education, parental involvement, and other positive factors. Using these findings as a starting point, we developed a two-generation training program that improves preschoolers' brain function for attention, as well as their cognition and behavior. It also improves parents' communication skills and reduces family stress (Neville et al. 2013). The program focuses on two critical aspects of brain function: stress and self-regulation.

Some exposure to tolerable stress is an essential part of developing a healthy stress response system. However, stress may accumulate over time and become a burden if a young child experiences an excessive and/or prolonged activation of the stress response system in the absence of supportive adult caregiving. This cumulative burden can result in physiological disruptions that increase risk for a wide range of diseases in adulthood. Thus, chronic stress in child development is characterized as "toxic" (for a more detailed discussion of positive, tolerable, and toxic stress reponses, see Jack Shonkoff's article in this issue; for a review, see McEwen & Gianaros 2010).

Executive Function

Executive function includes a diverse set of psychological processes, including core cognitive skills, such as inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, that emerge in infancy and undergo robust changes during childhood, with marked improvements observed between 3 and 5 years of age (Diamond 2013). The development of executive function has lifelong consequences; for example, good self-control in childhood predicts better health, less substance dependence, better personal finances, and less criminal offending in adulthood (Moffitt et al. 2011).

Decades of research indicate that children from families and communities suffering from the effects of lower income and fewer educational opportunities are more likely to grow up in homes that are more stressful and less cognitively stimulating than their more advantaged peers. On average, children in lower socioeconomic status homes experience more chaotic living conditions (e.g., crowding, noise, and family instability) and more inconsistent and harsh disciplinary practices than their higher socioeconomic status peers; these factors have been shown to account for up to half of the achievement differences associated with socioeconomic status (for review, see Hackman, Farah, & Meaney 2010). Also, poor sleep habits have been linked to poor academic outcomes in children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, on average, and family stress and inconsistency in the home environment have been identified as potential causes of poor sleep habits (Buckhalt 2011).

Good self-control in childhood predicts better health, less substance dependence, and better personal finances in adulthood.

The role of chaotic and stressful living conditions in children's academic outcomes dovetails with an emerging literature in neuroscience. Human and animal studies indicate adverse effects of toxic stress on brain development-particularly development of the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus, which are central to many facets of attention, working memory, executive function, emotional regulation, and learning (McEwen & Gianaros 2010). This suggests that stress that is chronically elevated by negative aspects of the home environment is one way some young children's brain development may be compromised.

Self-regulation

Self-regulation is defined as controlling one's attention, emotions, and executive functions (Blair & Raver 2015). Recent studies indicate that neural systems important for aspects of attention are particularly vulnerable in children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (e.g., Stevens, Lauinger, & Neville 2009). These newer studies build on a large body of evidence showing similar results regarding executive function in less advantaged children. Differences in systems such as working memory and inhibiting impulses may emerge as early as infancy and persist into adulthood (for reviews, see Hackman et al. 2010; Ursache & Noble 2016).

Many children who are behind in developing self-regulation also tend to struggle in school.

For educators, it will come as no surprise that many children who are behind in developing self-regulation also tend to struggle in school. Anything from paying attention to the teacher to completing a project could be a challenge. In terms of development of early math and literacy knowledge and skills among preschoolers, attention and executive function are more important than IQ (for a review, see Blair & Raver 2015).

Evidence-based training program: A two-generation approach

Converging evidence from multiple fields of study-including cognitive neuroscience, education, and economics-suggests that one of the most promising approaches to addressing these challenges is evidence-based training programs for young children from chaotic and stressful households (Neville et al. 2013). One effective approach is a two-generation model in which services focused on improving children's school readiness and long-term outcomes are combined with services focused on increasing adult well-being. Studies initiated in the 1960s that tracked children into adulthood have shown that high-quality (and costly) programs directed toward preschoolers from disadvantaged backgrounds and their parents reduce many of the short- and long-term disparities noted in our research summary, ultimately paying for themselves many times over (e.g., Heckman et al. 2010). Similarly, studies of intensive home-visiting programs have shown that such programs improve cognitive and behavioral outcomes in children (e.g., Olds et al. 2004), and a review of international studies found interventions that include parent involvement to have the strongest effects on child outcomes (Burger 2010).

Drawing on this research base, we developed a program called Parents and Children Making Connections-Highlighting Attention (PCMC-A) through a nine-year collaborative partnership between the University of Oregon and Head Start of Lane County. PCMC-A is an eight-week program in which primary caregivers (referred to here as parents, since most caregivers were parents) attend weekly two-hour, small-group classes in the evenings or on weekends while, at the same time, their children participate in small-group training activities. The parent training, rooted in the pioneering work of the Oregon Social Learning Center, is designed to reduce family stress, while the child training is designed to improve attention and self-regulation, including emotional regulation. An evaluation of PCMC-A found positive results on multiple measures, including electrophysiological measures of children's brain functions supporting selective attention, standardized measures of language and IQ, and parent-reported child behaviors. Similarly, parents participating in the program reported reduced parenting stress and displayed improvements in specific aspects of language interactions with their children (Neville et al. 2013).

Supporting children

PCMC-A's child training consists of 20 activities developed by an experienced teacher, with input from Head Start of Lane County specialists. The activities target aspects of attention, including vigilance, selective attention, and task switching. (For Ms. Sonza's description of some of the strategies in action, see "Reducing Stress, Increasing Learning: A Peek Inside Ms. Sonza's Head Start Classroom," on pages 28-35.) In each weekly session, children complete two to four of the activities in small groups (ideally four children with two adults). The program is structured around five core components:

Positive social interaction, which involves practicing appropriate and positive interactions with others to support the child's developing social skills

Metacognitive awareness, which involves exercises to build the child's awareness of different cognitive and emotional states, emphasizing emotional vocabulary to support emotional regulation development

Self-regulation, which involves practice with self-directed strategies (e.g., deep breathing, self-redirection) to respond well to typical preschool stressors (e.g., delay of gratification, emotional overload)

Focused attention, which involves exercises that naturally engage children so they experience and practice sustained focus on a selected stimulus

Dealing with distractions, which complements and builds on the focused attention component with fun exercises to practice managing realistic classroom distractions

Throughout the training, instructional techniques include multisensory activities that purposefully move from guided tasks to independent practice, as well as from teacher directed to child directed, and activities that progress from simple to complex. One selective attention exercise, for example, involves engaging one group of children in coloring within the lines of detailed figures while ignoring the distraction of other children bouncing balloons in the air around them. Children alternate roles such that each child engages in both the coloring and the balloon activities. Over the course of the eight-week program, the distractions that children learn to disregard become more intense, which allows children to develop greater attention skills. The activities requiring focus and the distractions become increasingly similar to classroom situations, providing children with more realistic practice.

Activities also focus on increasing self-regulation of emotions. For example, in Emotional Bingo, children match words to convey emotions (e.g., happy, sad) with pictures of different facial expressions. This helps children learn emotional vocabulary and practice recognizing other people's emotional states. In later sessions, practice in emotional awareness progresses to strategies for communicating emotions and eventually to strategies for self-regulation in periods of heightened emotions (e.g., take a deep "bird breath" to encourage calm, reflective actions instead of impulsive, reactive actions), with strategies reinforced by visual cues (e.g., a bird breath poster).

Supporting parents

PCMC-A's parent training consists of 25 strategies to reduce stress, which are delivered in small groups (to facilitate discussion and role playing) and supplemented with weekly support phone calls (to clarify activities to practice at home and offer more tailored suggestions based on parents' experiences). The core of PCMC-A's parent training includes nine components. The following five components were adapted from the Oregon Social Learning Center's evidence-based programs for foster parents and for preventing conduct disorders among children (e.g., Fisher et al. 2000; Reid et al. 1999):

Contingency-based home discipline, which teaches discipline strategies (e.g., time-out and privilege removal) that are closely related to the behavior that needs to be addressed

Positive involvement, which emphasizes the benefits of encouraging appropriate behaviors (e.g., specific praise and/or specific noticing of children's efforts, and success charts that break a routine or task into small, manageable steps and concretely reward each step)

Skill encouragement, which helps parents appreciate, support, and reward children's development (e.g., again, breaking behavior into small steps and using praise and incentives appropriately)

Problem solving, which emphasizes the value of offering children choices so that they learn to make decisions and their parents learn that well-framed choices decrease conflict

Monitoring and supervision, which provide structure and safety, and allow for healthy development

In addition, PCMC-A's support for parents includes four unique components:

Age-appropriate communication, which encourages parents to engage their child using clear and meaningful statements and requests and to use pictures to supplement communication

Emotional regulation, which promotes awareness of the child's emotional states (e.g., emotional overload) and provides strategies to support the child's developing emotional regulation skills

Family stress management, which provides strategies to help parents prevent, manage, and reduce stress in the household (e.g., the creation of predictable home environments, awareness and avoidance of power struggles) and also includes lessons on the impact of chronic stress on brain development

Child attention and self-regulation support, which encourages parents to support the child's emerging attention and self-regulation skills via strategies (e.g., giving the child opportunities to make choices and solve problems in a variety of situations) and via the sharing of strategies and materials from child-attention training activities to facilitate application in the home

Throughout the program, improving communication between parents and children is critical-and very carefully planned. For example, strategies for improving the degree to which children attend to parent language begin with an activity in which parents are asked to increase their awareness of the language they use when communicating with their children. This includes monitoring how much positive language they use, such as how often they offer specific (as opposed to general) praise for their children. It also draws attention to how much negative language they use and the possibility of emotionally overwhelming their children. Once parents understand the importance of positive interaction, they are taught strategies for providing specific praise and specific noticing to increase their children's self-confidence.

Other strategies emphasize reducing overall stress by boosting predictability for the child through an increase in consistent home routines. For example, parents are encouraged to implement structured routines with picture-based schedules (success charts). Across the program, there is a hierarchical progression from establishing more focused routines (e.g., bedtime) to fostering child-directed daily and weekly schedules.

In addition, parents receive information on the attention activities their children are engaging in, with ideas for how to provide further practice at home. For example, to facilitate practice of the bird breath strategy to help children breathe deeply to cope with strong emotions, parents are given a bird breath poster and encouraged to display it at home as a visual reminder for both themselves and their children.

Conclusion: Supporting more families

The collaboration between Head Start of Lane County and the University of Oregon has been fruitful-and is ongoing. We are currently developing, implementing, and assessing a scaled-up delivery model of Parents and Children Making Connections-Highlighting Attention that can be more easily integrated into existing Head Start services across the country. In this revised delivery model, titled Creating Connections: Strong Families, Strong Brains, the child training is integrated into Head Start classrooms and delivered across the school year. In addition, selected strategies from the parent training are now integrated into the classroom. These include strategies for using enhanced language with children, such as specific praise and noticing, clear statements, and specific metacognitive ("thinking") vocabulary, as well as strategies to improve consistency and predictability through schedules, routines, and calendars. We hypothesize that introducing children to these strategies in the classroom will permit children to become familiar with them before their parents try them at home, which should lead to greater success for parents. We also hypothesize that greater integration between classroom and home will increase consistency and predictability for children and lead to greater reductions in stress.

As we study Creating Connections, we are also expanding our measures of family stress and self-regulation beyond those used in our previous study (Neville et al. 2013). We now assess changes in brain functions that support selective attention in both children and their parents, as well as changes in heart rate variability, a measure that is a good indicator of stress. These measures are acquired simultaneously, capturing the dynamic interaction between heart and brain. Finally, to determine whether this two-generation model might result in broader improvements related to family well-being, we also analyze Head Start measures, including evaluations of parents' educational attainment and goals, employment, financial literacy and stability, community connections/support, and health and safety (including access to health care, housing, and child care).

While Creating Connections is not yet available for wider implementation, research from our lab and others suggests that curricula involving aspects of attention, self-regulation, and social and emotional learning are likely to prove beneficial in preschool settings. In addition, efforts to increase parent engagement, particularly in ways that are integrated with classroom materials and/or support children's emerging attention, self-regulation, and emotional regulation skills, may provide benefits beyond those from classroom curricula alone.

Reducing Stress, Increasing Learning: A Peek Inside Ms. Sonza's Head Start Classroom

Jenny Sonza has been a teacher with Head Start of Lane County, Oregon, for 11 years. This is her third year working with researchers from the University of Oregon to implement the two-generation model. Ms. Sonza cherishes the deep connections she makes with families through the program and sees great reductions in family and child stress when the strategies she uses in the classroom are also taught to parents and used at home. This year, she has two coteachers and 18 students who range from 3 to 5 years old (though most are 3). Through the following vignettes, we see the difference the two-generation model makes for the children. (Throughout the vignettes-here and in the article-children's names have been changed.)
-Editor

Picture notes work well in a variety of situations. For example, when a child wants a turn with the Legos but has to wait, I draw and write a note to help the child understand that I know he wants a turn and to remind him when he will have a turn. We have picture notes all over the classroom. They let children know that they have been heard, give them a sense of control, and help them remember what's going to happen later in the day or week.

Luna is a 4-year-old who needs a picture note almost every day to help her wait for her turn on the computer. Most mornings, Luna comes in and wants to use the computer right away, expressing herself through a temper tantrum. As I ask her what's going on, I draw a picture of her and the computer on a sticky note, and then I tell her, "This is Luna, and this is the computer." When I have her attention, I ask, "When is your turn on the computer?" Together, we look for her name on the computer schedule. And then I help her express it: "Oh, well, it's not today, Luna. Hmm. What is your day?" She sticks the picture note on the calendar to remind herself when her turn is. Still, Luna will come up in 15 minutes and say, "I want the computer. I want the computer. I want the computer." And then I'll say, "Oh gee, Luna, when is your computer time? Hmm. Let's go look on the calendar." We'll walk back over and look at her picture note. Luna rarely starts another temper tantrum; she just wants confirmation.

Sometimes when Luna returns from checking her turn on the calendar, she is upset; so we'll make another picture note about her feelings. I'll ask, "How does that make you feel?" Usually she'll say "mad," and one of us will draw a mad face. Sometimes I also write "Luna is mad because she has to wait." Usually after this second note, she won't ask again that day. Helping children recognize and acknowledge their feelings is a great way to deescalate stress.

Logan Sits Tight

One thing I love about picture notes is that they are so adaptable and personal for each child. Once children grasp the concept, they will start dictating, drawing, and writing picture notes for themselves and others. Sometimes the 5-year-olds draw picture notes that function just like adults' notes. I had a 5-year-old with an elaborate plan for building something, but not all the pieces he wanted to use were available at that time. So, he drew a series of notes to remind himself which pieces to gather up as other children finished with them. It was a great step in his budding literacy development.

As part of the two-generation program, we also teach parents to use picture notes at home. When we do it in the classroom and families do it at home, children respond really well. Consistency is key. Parents are amazed at how their children's stress goes down-and then positive interactions go up.

Picture notes were a lifesaver for one family. They had a new baby, and their 3-year-old was jealous. His way of acting out was to dart out of the parked car and run toward the street. You wouldn't think a picture note would help with something like this, but it did. His mom drew a note that said "Logan, look where we are going." Logan would stop, look at the note, and think. He held the picture note in his hand, and focused on it. It was magic; it worked every time for Logan. It seemed like his real objective was to get attention from his mother, and this note represented both her at tention and a tool to help him refocus on where they were headed.

Once a picture note works for you, it is amazing. It doesn't seem possible to take a child's stress from a 10 to a 2 with just a couple of stick figure drawings. Yet, for most children, it works. Of course, it doesn't always work. There are children who will tear up the note. But it is worth trying. Your initiative and attention in drawing the note and handing it to the child helps her feel valued and heard. Children like having the picture note in their hands. They hold it; it's proof, and it helps them remember. That, in turn, keeps their stress from going back up.

Jaden Takes a Bird Breath

Deep abdominal breathing is an important strategy for children to learn. "Deep belly breaths," as we call them in class, are great for calming the body. We usually start with teaching a "bird breath." We have bird breath posters in the classroom, and we also give them to parents. School and home consistency makes a big difference! Since we have three teachers in the classroom, one goes to the poster and the others stay near the children to model for them. I usually say to the children, "While your arms, which are your wings, are going up all the way to the top of your head, you are breathing in. When your wings are vertical, straight to the sky, you're going to suck in that last breath. And then your wings flap all the way down-flap, flap, flap-and the bird is out of breath." I make sure the children can hear me breathing out. When they flap their wings down, they have to breathe out. If you try it, you'll feel how flapping your arms pushes air out. And then we do it again, sometimes three, four, or five times.

e do bird breaths to calm down at circle time, before meals, when we're in line. Last year we combined teaching about bird breaths with a story about an owl. So when the children breathed out, they made the owl's "hoo, hoo, hoo" sound, which helped them exhale. But every class is different-this year, the owl story didn't work because the children made many different noises, several of which were not conducive to breathing out. We were not accomplishing our goal of calming the body, so we had to stop using the bird noises to focus on breathing deeply in and out. But we're still bringing our arms up and flapping them down.

And it's still working! Recently, at meal time Jaden said, "Ahhh-I thought it was pizza not enchiladas!" and started jumping around. I said, "Oh, what can we do? Can we calm our body down?" And another child said, "Yeah, calm your body down. Take a bird breath." Jaden said, "Well, okay," and everyone else chimed in, "Yes! Let's take a bird breath!," like they were having a good time. And then everyone took that bird breath together. Jaden only did it halfway, but he got pulled into the class's de-escalation and felt better.

It's wonderful to see the children helping each other learn self-regulation. Often, as a child starts to get mad, another will say, "Take a bird breath." The children want to help each other; when they have these strategies, they can. The strategies are at their level, so they don't always have to ask a teacher for help.

Mateo Zooms In

Once children have practiced picture notes and deep belly breathing to reduce stress, we help them learn to pay attention and ignore distractions. It is important to work on de-escalation techniques first-otherwise, they don't have strategies for dealing with the stress that distractions can cause.

The model's curriculum has some fun ways for children to practice ignoring distractions. One is to walk on a string that's taped to the floor while holding something on a spoon. The challenge is not just paying attention to both the string and the spoon-it's also ignoring the other children, who are intentionally doing distracting things, like beating drum sticks on the ground. My class is taking time to build up to that. We've started with walking on a string to go wash our hands while ignoring the natural distractions in the classroom.

With a class that's at least half 5-year-olds, teachers plan elaborate distractions, like "Guess what! Ms. Ayana's class is going to come in with a parade and we're going to ignore them. We're going to breathe, and if we can ignore them, we'll get a bubble party." These activities are always swapped, so each class will parade and practice ignoring the distraction. With my class of mostly 3-year-olds, we've done simpler things, like having one half of the class jump while the other half ignores them.

In addition to breathing, one strategy we teach the children is to put their blinders on by putting their hands up by their eyes (like horse blinders). This really helped 3-year-old Mateo. During circle time recently, I asked the children to focus on one of my coteachers, who was reading a story. But there were a few kids who were not paying attention. While I was trying to redirect them, they were moving around and serving as a natural distraction for the other children. So I told the other children to put on their blinders and look at the teacher reading. We teach children to make blinders, and we explain that it is a way to reduce their peripheral vision and ignore distractions. For Mateo, blinders are not enough. He prefers to use his hands to make binoculars-a strategy we teach to focus attention. With his binoculars, Mateo zooms in on the teacher.

Blinders work especially well when we do deep belly breathing first. Breathing calms the children, gets them focused on their bodies, and prepares them to direct their attention. The blinders are an extra tool that works for most of the class when a few children are taking more time to settle down.

It's important to teach these strategies for staying calm and ignoring natural distractions, because that's what children have to do in order to learn. With eighteen 3- to 5-year-olds in a classroom, there is always a lot going on. We can't let that prevent children from hearing the story or engaging in any other learning.

Changing Brains: Free Short Videos That Explain How Experiences Affect Brain Development

Throughout life, our brains change as a result of our experiences. While our brains remain adaptable-so learning and growth are possible-early childhood is a particularly important time. In the "Changing Brains" series of free, 2- to 10-minute videos (available at http://changingbrains.org/watch.html), leading researchers explain the keys to healthy brain development in 11 critical areas:

References

Blair, C., & C.C.Raver. 2015. "School Readiness and Self-Regulation: A Developmental Psychobiological Approach." Annual Review of Psychology 66: 711-31.

Buckhalt, J.A. 2011. "Insufficient Sleep and the Socioeconomic Status Achievement Gap." Child Development Perspectives 5 (1): 59-65.

Burger, K. 2010. "How Does Early Childhood Care And Education Affect Cognitive Development? An International Review of the Effects of Early Interventions for Children From Different Social Backgrounds." Early Childhood Research Quarterly 25 (2): 140-65.

Diamond, A. 2013. "Executive Functions." Annual Review of Psychology 64: 135-68.

Fisher, P.A., M.R. Gunnar, P. Chamberlain, & J.B. Reid. 2000. "Preventive Intervention for Maltreated Preschool Children: Impact on children's Behavior, Neuroendocrine Activity, and Foster Parent Functioning." Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 39 (11): 1356-64.

Hackman, D.A., M.J. Farah, & M.J. Meaney. 2010. "Socioeconomic Status and the Brain: Mechanistic Insights From Human and Animal Research." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 11: 651-9.

Heckman, J.J., S.H. Moon, R. Pinto, P.A. Savelyev, & A. Yavitz. 2010. "The Rate of Return to the HighScope Perry Preschool Program." Journal of Public Economics 94 (1-2): 114-28.

McEwen, B.S., & P.J. Gianaros. 2010. "Central Role of the Brain in Stress and Adaptation: Links to Socioeconomic Status, Health, and Disease." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1186 (1): 190-222.

Moffitt, T.E., L. Arseneault, D. Belsky, N. Dickson, R.J. Hancox, H. Harrington, R. Houts, R. Poulton, B.W. Roberts, S. Ross, M.R. Sears, W.M. Thomson, & A. Caspi. 2011. "A Gradient of Childhood Self-Control Predicts Health, Wealth, and Public Safety." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108 (7): 2693-8.

Neville, H.J., C. Stevens, E. Pakulak, T.A. Bell, J. Fanning, S. Klein, & E. Isbell. 2013. "Family-Based Training Program Improves Brain Function, Cognition, and Behavior in Lower Socioeconomic Status Preschoolers." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110 (29): 12138-43.

Olds, D.L., H. Kitzman, R. Cole, J. Robinson, K. Sidora, D.W. Luckey, C.R. Henderson Jr., C. Hanks, J. Bondy, & J. Holmberg. 2004. "Effects of Nurse Home-Visiting on Maternal Life Course and Child Development: Age 6 Follow-Up Results of a Randomized Trial." Pediatrics 114 (6): 1550-9.

Reid, J.B., J.M. Eddy, R.A. Fetrow, & M. Stoolmiller. 1999. "Description and Immediate Impacts of a Preventive Intervention for Conduct Problems." American Journal of Community Psychology 27 (4): 483-518.

Shonkoff, J.P. 2012. "Leveraging the Biology of Adversity to Address the Roots of Disparities in Health and Development." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109 (Supplement 2): 17302-7.

Stevens, C., B. Lauinger, & H. Neville. 2009. "Differences in the Neural Mechanisms of Selective Attention in Children From Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds: An Event-Related Brain Potential Study." Developmental Science 12 (4): 634-46.

Ursache, A., & K.G. Noble. 2016. "Neurocognitive Development in Socioeconomic Context: Multiple Mechanisms and Implications for Measuring Socioeconomic Status." Psychophysiology 53 (1): 71-82.

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Focusing on Families: A Two-Generation Model for Reducing Parents' Stress and Boosting Preschoolers' Self-Regulation and Attention

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Something special is happening in Head Start of Lane County, in Springfield, Oregon.

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Many early childhood educators are likely to encounter young children who have experienced trauma on a daily basis.

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Making Connections. Embracing Equity: Helping All Children Reach Their Full Potential

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Making Connections. Embracing Equity: Helping All Children Reach Their Full Potential

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Making Connections. Embracing Equity: Helping All Children Reach Their Full Potential

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At NAEYC, anti-bias education has long been at the core of our work around race, social justice, equity, and diversity.

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Reading Your Way to a Culturally Responsive Classroom

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Reading Your Way to a Culturally Responsive Classroom

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Four-year-old Yasmin, who is Black, walks into the dramatic play area, enjoying the sound of the beads in her braids clicking to the rhythm of her steps. Her teacher, Ms. Cindy, who is White, and her friend Alexis, who is Black, are sitting on the floor, talking and braiding the dolls' hair. Ms. Cindy and Alexis take turns choosing beads to put in the dolls' braids.

Recognizing this familiar scenario, Yasmin picks up a doll anddeclares, "I'm Auntie Doreen." She sits down to join the play. Thinking about how carefully her mother brushes her hair, Yasmin picks up a plastic banana and tells another child, "My baby likes this brush because it is the softest."

Later, Ms. Cindy reads aloud I Love My Hair (Tarpley 2001) and talks with the children about the things adults do to help childrentake care of their hair. Children share their experiences: "My mother washes my hair every night and dries it with the little blue towel," says Tatiana; "I sit on a chair in the backyard while my grandpa shaves my head," states Delavan. Ms. Cindy reiterates that children have different types of hair and there are different ways adults care for children's hair, but these actions all show love. She asks the children whether they have noticed that differences in their hair are related to differences in their races and ethnicities.

Showing children that we see and value all aspects of them-including attributes related to race and culture-is a critical step in helping them feel welcome and connected to their teachers and peers. In the preschool classroom in the vignette, Yasmin sees others engaging happily in a familiar routine that is part of her family life. When her teacher intentionally participates in this play and follows up with a book about it, she is sending the message to Yasmin and her peers that this classroom is a place where all children-no matter their culture or ethnicity-can feel comfortable being themselves. Yasmin not only expresses aspects of her racial and cultural identity through her play, but she also takes pride in sharing them with others. Moments like this help convey to Yasmin that she is accepted in this classroom and can safely build a strong relationship with her teacher. This feeling of trust is crucial because it sets the stage for Yasmin to engage freely in exploration and learning.

Addressing race in early education classrooms

Early childhood educators are well versed in the importance of building relationships with children of diverse backgrounds, but many try to do so using a color-blind approach-that is, they do not directly talk about race or race-related experiences (Husband 2012). This approach, although not intended to be harmful, may send the negative message to children of color that their teachers do not recognize or feel comfortable acknowledging a salient and influential part of their identity: their race. Researchers and practitioners are still figuring out how best to address race so young children can develop their own positive racial identity, build relationships across races, and recognize and stand up to race-related injustices. There are a number of ways early childhood educators can approach race in the classroom. We refer to these practices as race-related teaching practices (RRTPs). In this article we begin to address the need for these practices by offering categories for thinking about RRTPs and suggesting ways teachers can use children's literature to welcome related conversations.

Children's literature offers an engaging vehicle for generating these conversations, as depicted in the opening vignette. We see these discussions about race in relation to children's books as part of a larger effort to revise conceptualization of high-quality early childhood education to include teaching practices that intentionally address race. As Ladson-Billings (1995) stated, addressing race in our teaching practices "challenge[s] us to reconsider what we mean by 'good' teaching" (163).

Children see race, and so should we

Children's ideas about their own race and others' races are forming in early childhood, regardless of whether the topic of race is directly addressed, completely ignored, or actively suppressed in their classrooms (Derman-Sparks & Edwards 2010). Each approach sends a message, intentional or not, about how children should think about and understand racial differences at a time in their lives when they are beginning to notice and respond to race. Children as young as 3 months are aware of racial differences, and by the time they are preschoolers, they make choices, based on race, about with whom to play and how (Katz & Kofkin 1997; Van Ausdale & Feagin 2001; Hirschfeld 2008; Quintana & McKown 2008). In the absence of intentional teaching, children are left to come to their own conclusions about how to think about their own race and others' races. Research suggests that the common practice of ignoring race in early childhood classrooms is not satisfactory and that educators must take a more active, anti-bias approach to addressing issues of culture and race if they are to enact positive change (Derman-Sparks & Edwards 2010).

In the United States, the majority of early childhood teachers are White (Saluja, Early, & Clifford 2002). Classrooms-and the educational materials chosen, like children's books-often reflect the values and beliefs prevalent in a traditional White ethos. When educators do not notice this and do not attempt to counterbalance the primacy given to White early childhood experiences, they miss opportunities to teach children that all races should be valued. As a result, White children may subconsciously learn that their race holds a privileged status compared to others, and non-White children may learn that their race does not (Clark & Clark 1950; Van Ausdale & Feagin 2001). The good news is that there are opportunities to teach children that we value all cultures and aim to be fair to people of all races. By shifting classroom practices, early childhood educators can positively impact children's acceptance of their own race and others' races.

Race-related teaching practices in classrooms

For adults working with young children, RRTPs may include helping children to develop positive racial identity, the ability to build relationships across races, and the awareness of race-related injustices and the inclination to take action to stop them (Durden, Escalante, & Blitch 2015).

We propose thinking about three categories of RRTPs-color-blind, color-aware, and social justice approaches. As mentioned earlier, the color-blind approach is a common but ineffective and potentially harmful method in which adults do not directly talk about race with children, yet the absence of an intentional message about race sends a powerful message in itself. Children are left to develop their own understandings about race, and if they ask questions, they may be met with adults declining to talk about race at school.

An improvement on the color-blind approach is a color-aware approach. To be color aware is to intentionally teach children about race and tell them that we see and value their race because it is an important part of who they are. Adults in color-aware classrooms bring up race in direct and positive ways, take advantage of teachable moments, and respond to children's race-related questions and interactions with books and activities to advance the conversation.

One step beyond color awareness is a social justice approach to teaching about race. This RRTP is considered ideal because it empowers children to play a role in acting against discrimination. Teachers using this approach to help children learn how to actively recognize and act on race-related injustices. Taking a social justice approach means seeking out teachable moments that specifically have to do with unfairness or discrimination, such as suggesting children write a letter to a company that makes "flesh-colored" bandages to let them know that their products do not match all skin tones and to propose that the name or the colors should be changed.

Ultimately, educators can look for opportunities to infuse all aspects of children's learning with color awareness and social justice connections. Although addressing all aspects of classroom practice is ideal, teachers who are new to RRTPs may find it easiest to begin with children's literature, an accessible medium for early childhood educators.

Racially relevant children's literature

Children's literature has enormous potential for helping children develop positive racial identity. In 1965, Nancy Larrick wrote passionately about the "all-White world of children's books," noting that the body of children's literature overwhelmingly featured characters who were White and that the books were aimed at a White readership. Some 50 years later, children's book author Walter Dean Myers (2014) posed a question in the New York Times: "Where are the people of color in children's books?" The question remains a sound one. Many scholars have examined the topic of diversity in children's literature, noting that the majority of publications continue to portray a homogeneous, White, middle-class existence as the norm (Horning, Lindgren, & Schleisman 2013; Boyd, Causey, & Galda 2015). These portrayals are not consistent with the lives of many children and their families.

Books can be mirrors in which children see and savor images and representations similar to their own lives and experiences. They can also be windows that enable young readers to gain new cultural perspectives by peering into others' worlds (Bishop 1990; Botelho & Rudman 2009). Teachers and other caring adults can make the most of these mirrors and windows by selecting literature that represents the diverse experiences of children and using it effectively to develop culturally responsive classrooms that promote color awareness and social justice (Paley 1998; Laminack & Wadsworth 2012). (See "Tips for Selecting Diverse Children's Literature.") Note that although it is important to share, explore, and learn about all cultures and races, in the limited space this article provides, the authors focus on children's literature that mainly highlights the African-American experience.

Choosing high-quality, diverse literature

Children need access to books that reflect their own race, culture, experiences, and context. Literature should include representations of different aspects of daily life within a culture, with particular attention given to aspects of setting and racial relevance (Yenika-Agbaw & Napoli 2011). Ezra Jack Keats, for example, was among the first picture book creators to portray a cast of Black characters in an urban setting. More than a half century later, children still enjoy reading The Snowy Day (Keats 1962), which follows Peter, a young Black child, as he plays in the snow. The story is one that unites a child's sense of excitement with the warmth of family love-all situated in an urban setting. Another example is Tap Tap Boom Boom (Bluemle 2014), which provides a lyrical look at a rainstorm and the way it plays out in the streets of a diverse city. The rain sends everyone ducking for cover, resulting in chance meetings and the beginning of new relationships, including interracial ones. Readers might also seek poetry grounded in the daily lives of Black children in varied settings, such as Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes (2006), Brothers & Sisters: Family Poems by Eloise Greenfield (2009), and Honey, I Love, also by Greenfield (2002). (See "Selected Children's Literature With Racially Diverse Characters and Themes," for more suggestions.)

It is important to look carefully at unique issues of racial relevance. Physical aspects, for example, are addressed in Jabari Asim's companion board books Whose Toes Are Those? (2006) and Whose Knees Are These? (2006). These joyful, rhyming texts celebrate Black and Brown bodies. Likewise, I Love My Hair by Natasha Tarpley (2001), Big Hair, Don't Care by Crystal Swain-Bates (2013), and Emi's Curly, Coily, Cotton Candy Hair by Tina Olajide (2014) reinforce the beauty of thick, curly hair more typical of Black children.

Using literature as an entry point to discussions about race

Books that provide readers with opportunities to see different aspects of themselves, their communities, and the people they love can serve as material tools that affirm their sense of racial identity (Bishop 1990; Yenika-Agbaw & Napoli 2011). Such books can serve as springboards for teachable moments and meaningful conversations reflecting the teacher's color awareness and orientation toward thinking and acting from a social justice perspective. It is important to remember, however, that no book can fully represent a group or a complex issue. Rather, it is helpful to think in terms of text sets, or collections of connected books, that address different perspectives on topics.

Consider the following scenarios-one in which a teacher uses a color-aware approach and the other in which a teacher uses a social justice approach.

Tasha comes to kindergarten, excited to share news that her baby brother has been born. Other children want to share stories about what happened when their siblings joined their families. Ms. Franklin asks the children to describe what babies look like and then reads Happy in Our Skin, by Fran Manushkin (2015), a poetic celebration of different skin tones:

Bouquets of babies
sweet to hold:
cocoa brown,
cinnamon,
and honey gold.

Ginger-colored babies,
peaches and cream, too-
splendid skin for me,
splendid skin for you!

These words prompt the children to describe their own skin. "My skin is cinnamon," one child offers. "Mine is more cocoa," says another. Ms. Franklin affirms their observations: "Each of us is unique. We are different in lots of ways, including our races." She then takes out multicultural paint and guides the children as they mix colors to match their own skin.

In this snapshot, Ms. Franklin, using a color-aware approach, reads to the children from high-quality literature that addresses concepts related to racial differences in a positive manner. Second, she encourages them to respond to the text. Finally, she uses the opportunity to extend children's consideration of their racial identity by giving them the time, materials, and pedagogical support to extend their learning through an appropriate activity.

Let's look at another example of effective use of RRTPs and children's literature. Before story time, a first grade teacher has planned ways to help the children think about different aspects of the text, including issues related to race.

Mr. Harkins gathers the children for a read-aloud of Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest (2007), the story of a friendship across both age and race. In the text, young Harry is mesmerized by Mr. George Baker. At age 100, George has accomplished many things-he is a talented musician with a loving wife and a warm home. Yet he has never learned to read-a problem that he indicates "must be corrected." Harry and George are bound together in their pursuit of learning-Harry in the first grade and George in adult education.

Afterward, individual children comment on different parts of the story. One child mentions his relationship with an older neighbor to whom he and his mother take treats. Another says, "George could really play!" He then stands and taps out his own rhythm, just as Mr. Baker does in the book. "It's too bad George never learned to read, but he's going to now-even though he's old," says another. Mr. Harkins smiles and says that they really noticed a lot. Then, he adds, "It's great that Mr. Baker is learning to read. Hmm . . . I wonder why he waited. Does anyone have thoughts on why he didn't learn to read before?"

Through his question, the teacher has opened up a social justice teaching moment. The children can consider possible reasons why Mr. Baker did not learn to read. Could it have been because he didn't finish school? Was he doing other things, like working or helping at home? Could it be that Mr. Baker was not welcomed at school? Did race play a part in this? By introducing important issues that might not be readily apparent, teachers provide children with opportunities to become critical readers who can move beyond the text of a book to read between the lines. They can use a social justice lens to view and discuss sensitive historical and current events.

Introducing RRTPs to colleagues and families

As is the case for any new practice, it is always wise to first stop and reflect on the perspectives of colleagues and other important adults in children's lives. This is especially necessary when teaching about race. Many of the strategies described here may not be considered controversial, but some will. It may be useful to speak to other teachers about what they feel is appropriate for the children you serve. If everyone is not on the same page, consider beginning a book study group to talk about the role of RRTPs in early childhood classrooms. In addition, you might engage families by asking if and how they talk about race at home. ("Examples of How to Use Literature to Discuss Race," p. 13, may be helpful to families as well as teachers.) Many will be happy to hear that you are starting this conversation at school, but some may have concerns.

As educators begin thinking more about RRTPs, the early childhood field will generate more examples of using materials-children's literature, the classroom environment, free play scenarios, outdoor play, and other interactions and experiences-to bring the subject of race into the classroom. Now is the time to begin this work to ensure that educators are offering children guidance in this important aspect of their development.

Tips for Selecting Diverse Children's Literature

Base your selection on quality. Books should not just teach a lesson but should have a good story, high-quality text, and engaging illustrations.

Choose books that help children see themselves. Include books that mirror different aspects of identity (e.g., race, setting, beliefs) of children in the class, so that they can imagine themselves in the story.

Choose books that help children expand their understanding of others in this multicultural world. Include books that introduce children to new people, places, and concepts that they may not yet have encountered.

Look widely for texts. Be alert to new titles related to diversity. In addition, the library can be a great source for out of print titles that appeal to children and relate to urban issues and diversity.

Use text sets. Expose children to different perspectives. These book collections may be organized by theme or may feature the work of a highly accomplished author or illustrator of color. Great picks for books by Black writers and artists include those by Christopher Myers, Floyd Cooper, Jacqueline Woodson, Ashley Bryan, Jerry Pinkney, Brian Pinkney, and E.B. Lewis.

Selected Children's Literature With Racially Diverse Characters and Themes

Beautiful Moon (2014), by Tonya Bolden. Illus. by Eric Velasquez.

Black Cat (1999), by Christopher Myers.

Brothers & Sisters: Family Poems (2008), by Eloise Greenfield. Illus. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist.

Goggles (1969), by Ezra Jack Keats.

Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems (2002), by Eloise Greenfield. Illus. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist.

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen (2014), by Thelma Lynne Godin. Illus. by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

Magic Trash (2015), by J.H. Shapiro. Illus. by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.

Subway (2008), by Anastasia Suen. Illus. by Karen Katz.

Thanks a Million (2006), by Nikki Grimes. Illus. by Cozbi A. Cabrera.

Those Shoes (2007), by Maribeth Boelts. Illus. by Noah Z. Jones.

Examples of How to Use Children's Literature to Discuss Race

Last Stop on Market Street By Matt de la Peña, illus. by Christian Robinson, 2015

When CJ and his nana ride the bus home, he wonders why the street where they get off does not seem as beautiful as some of the others.

Purpose for RRTPs: Highlights finding beauty in difficult life circumstances. Invites readers to ask questions about how economic limitations can impact specific racial groups.

Happy Like Soccer By Maribeth Boelts, illus. by Lauren Castillo, 2014

A young girl from the city loves to play soccer, but her aunt (and guardian) can't attend the games due to her work schedule. The girl bravely asks that the game be moved into the city on a day her aunt can attend.

Purpose for RRTPs: Presents a portrait of economic disparities between poorer urban areas and higher income suburbs-and their impact on practical social and emotional factors in children's lives.

Amazing Grace By Mary Hoffman, illus. by Caroline Binch, 1991

When Grace wants to be Peter Pan in a school play, her classmates tell her she can't because Peter is not Black and is not a girl.

Purpose for RRTPs: Provides a model for ways children can discuss and deal with negative, discouraging, and inaccurate comments about racial limitations.

The Other Side By Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by E.B. Lewis, 2001

Set in an era of segregation, two little girls want to become friends despite physical and social barriers.

Purpose for RRTPs: Presents a model of interracial friendship during a difficult time. Offers a springboard for considering ways to bridge the real and metaphorical fences that divide people.

"More, More, More," Said the Baby By Vera B. Williams, 1997

Three intergenerational vignettes depict the loving rituals of children in racially diverse families.

Purpose for RRTPs: Invites children to discuss their family's racial composition and describe the ways their family shares love.

Happy in Our Skin By Fran Manushkin, illus. by Lauren Tobia, 2015

A lyrical celebration of skin of every color.

Purpose for RRTPs: Offers a jumping-off point for children to use positive, descriptive language to describe their own skin color.

References

Asim, J. 2006. Whose Knees Are These? New York: Little, Brown.

Asim, J. 2006. Whose Toes Are Those? New York: Little, Brown.

Bishop, R.S. 1990. "Multicultural Literacy: Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors." Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom 6 (3). www.psdschools.org/webfm/8559.

Bluemle, E. 2014. Tap Tap Boom Boom. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Botelho, M.J., & M.K. Rudman. 2009. Critical Multicultural Analysis of Children's Literature: Mirrors, Windows, and Doors. Language, Culture, and Teaching series.New York: Routledge.

Boyd, F.B., L.L. Causey, & L. Galda. 2015. "Culturally Diverse Literature: Enriching Variety in an Era of Common Core State Standards." The Reading Teacher 68 (5): 378-87.

Clark, K.B., & M.P. Clark. 1950. "Emotional Factors in Racial Identification and Preference in Negro Children." The Journal of Negro Education 19 (3): 341-50.

Derman-Sparks, L., & J.O. Edwards. 2010. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Durden, R., E. Escalante, & K. Blitch. 2015. "Start With Us! Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in the Preschool Classroom." Early Childhood Education Journal 43 (3): 223-32.

Greenfield, E. 2009. Brothers and Sisters: Family Poems. New York: HarperCollins.

Greenfield, E. 2002. Honey, I Love. New York: Amistad.

Grimes, N. 2006. Thanks a Million. New York: Greenwillow.

Hest, A. 2007. Mr. George Baker. Reprint ed. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Hirschfeld, L.A. 2008. "Children's Developing Conceptions of Race." In Handbook of Race, Racism, and the Developing Child, eds. S.M. Quintana & C. McKown, 37-54. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Horning, K.T., M.V. Lindgren, & M. Schliesman. 2013. "A Few Observations on Publishing in 2012." CCBC Choices 2013. ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/choiceintro13.asp.

Husband Jr., T. 2012. "'I Don't See Color': Challenging Assumptions About Discussing Race With Young Children." Early Childhood Education Journal 39 (6): 365-71.

Katz, P.A., & J.A. Kofkin. 1997. "Race, Gender, and Young Children." Chap. 3 in Developmental Psychopathology: Perspectives on Adjustment, Risk, and Disorder, eds. S.S. Luthar, J.A. Burack, D. Cicchetti, & J.R. Weisz, 51-74. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Keats, E.J. 1962. The Snowy Day. New York: Viking.

Ladson-Billings, G. 1995. "But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy." Theory Into Practice 34 (3): 159-65.

Laminack, L.L., & R.M. Wadsworth. 2012. Bullying Hurts: Teaching Kindness Through Read Alouds and Guided Conversations. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Larrick, N.G. 1965. "The All-White World of Children's Books." Saturday Review 48:63-65.

Manushkin, F.2015. Happy in Our Skin. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

Myers, W.D. 2014. "Where Are the People of Color in Children's Books?" New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/where-are-the-people-of-color-in-childrens-books.html?_r=0.

Olajide, T. 2014. Emi's Curly, Coily, Cotton Candy Hair. Charleston: CreateSpace.

Paley, V.G. 1998. The Girl With the Brown Crayon: How Children Use Stories to Shape Their Lives. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Quinn, P.C., K. Lee, O. Pascalis, & J.W. Tanaka. 2015. "Narrowing in Categorical Responding to Other-Race Face Classes by Infants." Developmental Science. Advance online publication.

Quintana, S.M., & C. McKown, eds. 2008. Handbook of Race, Racism, and the Developing Child. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Saluja, G., D.M. Early, & R.M. Clifford. 2002. "Demographic Characteristics of Early Childhood Teachers and Structural Elements of Early Child Care and Education in the United States." Early Childhood Research and Practice 4 (1). http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/saluja.html.

Schrodt, K., J.G. Fain, & M. Hasty. 2015. "Exploring Culturally Relevant Texts With Kindergartners and Their Families." The Reading Teacher 68 (8): 589-98.

Swain-Bates, C. 2013. Big Hair, Don't Care. Atlanta: Goldest Karat.

Tarpley, N.A. 2001. I Love My Hair. Reprint ed. New York: Little, Brown.

Van Ausdale, D., & J.R. Feagin. 2001. The First R: How Children Learn Race and Racism. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Yenika-Agbaw, V., & M. Napoli, eds. 2011. African and African American Children's and Adolescent Literature in the Classroom: A Critical Guide. 2nd ed. New York: Lang.

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Reading Your Way to a Culturally Responsive Classroom

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Showing children that we see and value all aspects of them-including attributes related to race and culture-is a critical step in helping them feel welcome and connected to their teachers and peers.

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Culturally Responsive Strategies to Support Young Children with Challenging Behavior

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Culturally Responsive Strategies to Support Young Children with Challenging Behavior

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Mrs. Green leads the children in her preschool classroom in their morning song: "The more we get together, together, together, the more we get together the hap-." She stops abruptly to run after Miles, who has left morning circle to play with the musical instruments. As Mrs. Green approaches him, Miles folds his arms across his chest, then kicks his legs and screams. Mrs. Green gently places her hand on Miles's arm and looks him in the eye. She says, "Miles, I see that you are upset because you don't want to sit at morning circle and want to play with the musical instruments instead. Should we take the instruments to the circle and play with them after we've finished our calendar activities?" Miles smiles. Mrs. Green notes his response and says, "OK. First, please sit calmly at morning circle for three minutes; then you can play with the instruments. Is that a deal?" Miles nods. Mrs. Green responds, "Give me a high-five!"

Miles's actions are clearly a source of frustration for his teachers. Although teachers will want to evaluate whether they are planning activities that require children to sit for an extended time and ensure that the activities they offer children are active and meaningful, it is also important for teachers to understand how to support children who exhibit challenging behavior. Challenging behavior is defined as "any repeated pattern of behavior, or perception of behavior, that interferes with or is at risk of interfering with optimal learning or engagement in prosocial interactions with peers and adults" (Powell, Dunlap, & Fox 2006, 26). Challenging behavior can signal difficulty with social and emotional adjustment-foundational competencies that are linked to children's school readiness and later school success (Fantuzzo et al. 2007).

Although challenging behavior can occur in any classroom, research indicates that some children in urban communities experience conditions that contribute to risk factors for social and emotional delays (Fox, Dunlap, & Powell 2002). In addition, there is a specific need to support children who live in poverty, as children in poor families are twice as likely to be at risk for developmental, behavioral, and social delays as children in families earning 200 percent or more of the federal poverty line (Children's Defense Fund 2014). That is, while 10-21 percent of all preschool children show challenging behaviors such as aggression, noncompliance, defiance, tantrums, and property destruction, 30 percent of children who live in poverty exhibit such behaviors (Voorhees et al. 2013).

In this article we describe five culturally responsive core strategies to promote positive teacher relationships with young children in preschool and minimize challenging behavior: learn about children and families, develop and teach expectations, take the child's perspective, teach and model empathy, and use group times to discuss conflict. As African American boys experience a much higher rate of suspensions and expulsions from preschool settings than do other children (Gilliam 2005), these relationship-building techniques are particularly relevant for teachers as they reflect on their own practices and biases-especially toward African American boys-in early childhood classrooms.

Learn about children and families

A core consideration in developmentally appropriate practice and cultural responsiveness is that practitioners learn about each child and family and intentionally adapt and respond to each child's strengths and needs (Copple & Bredekamp 2009; Derman-Sparks & Edwards 2009). Culturally responsive practice is often defined as using the experiences and perspectives of children and their families as a tool to support them more effectively (Gay 2002). As this approach is child and family centered, it sets the stage for critical relationship building (Ford & Kea 2009).

Teachers can partner with families by inviting them to visit the classroom and participate in activities with their child. Teachers can also arrange to visit children at home, where they may engage in informal discussions with family members about what children enjoy doing for fun and learn about their favorite food, toy, or song. These interactions can reveal cultural values and norms in the home environment. Families may also share information about their child's temperament, primary play partners, and home language (NAEYC 1995). Meetings at school with families might address family routines, religious holidays and traditions, and activities the families enjoy in the community. Teachers can use information they learn about a child and family to support the child's social and emotional adjustment to the early childhood environment. Further, these conversations can demonstrate that not all children and families within a particular racial or ethnic group display similar characteristics, which is a potential teacher bias (Ford & Kea 2009). Sharing a short, warm anecdote with families, in person or in a note, about something their child did that day assures parents that the teacher cares about their child and makes an effort to know the child individually. This further connects families to their child's classroom community.

During a recent conversation with Miles's mother, Mrs. Green learned that Miles's father is a musician and that Miles really enjoys music. Miles's mother explained that Miles likes to dance and sing to his favorite songs, moving vigorously around the house. Mrs. Green used her knowledge about Miles's interest to plan music and movement activities for future morning circles to engage Miles.

Pyramid Model Framework

The five core strategies we suggest are informed by fundamental principles of the pyramid model (Fox & Hemmeter 2009)-a comprehensive framework for addressing the social and emotional outcomes of young children (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Fox 2006). The pyramid model includes three levels of support: universal prevention strategies for use with all children; secondary social and emotional approaches for children at risk for social and emotional delays; and tertiary individualized and function-based interventions for children with persistent challenges (Fox & Hemmeter 2009).

Develop and teach expectations

The second culturally responsive strategy in the pyramid model framework is developing and teaching two to five classroom expectations that are linked to the values and cultures of the children, teachers, and families. Expectations should be positively stated and developmentally appropriate, and should apply to both children and adults (teachers and families) (Steed & Pomerleau 2012). After cultivating a better understanding of children and families, early childhood teachers can base expectations on shared values and connections to cultures. Young children should be included in forming guidelines for behavior, as they are more likely to understand and follow them when they have input. Examples of expectations for preschool children include "Be a Friend, Be Safe, and Be a Helper" and "Use Listening Ears, Use Gentle Touches, and Use Walking Feet."

Expectations need to be consistently emphasized to prevent challenging behavior. In addition to responding to opportunities that arise during the day, teachers decide how and when they will teach, model, and positively reinforce the expectations across environments (circle time, music and movement activities, recess, lunch/snack) so that the guidelines and associated behaviors become part of the program culture (Benedict, Horner, & Squires 2007). Many teachers develop songs and hand movements to go with their expectations. Other approaches include modeling, using puppets, reading stories, and role-playing. Pictures of the children, teachers, and staff demonstrating the expectations can be posted in classrooms and common areas for further encouragement.

To reinforce positive behavior and to bring the actions to children's attention, it is important to verbally acknowledge children and adults when they demonstrate expectations. When a child's behavior reflects a great example of an expectation such as "Be a Friend"-like helping another child clean up a spill at lunch or inviting a new child to build a block tower-teachers can write a note of thanks or give the child an opportunity to wear a "Super Friend" cape. A bulletin board in a common area provides a public place to post notecards recognizing adults who demonstrate examples of meeting program expectations ("Miss Wilma was a helper today when she fixed Erin's hearing device!").

To be culturally responsive, it is important that expectations reflect the values and cultures of families and teachers and other staff in the school. For example, in the African American culture, in which community is valued over independence (Ford & Kea 2009), guidelines for some activities (like snack) may emphasize relationship-building behaviors-passing the food bowl-over independent adaptive skills-taking an appropriate portion of a self-serve snack.

Develop and teach empathy

Another culturally responsive strategy for supporting positive relationships is empathy-concern for others arising from an emotional connection. Empathetic individuals apply interpersonal sensitivity to understand the experiences of others in order to provide support or assistance (Berliner & Materson 2015). Researchers have long theorized that empathy is a critical component in teacher effectiveness in urban settings, positively impacting teachers' dispositions in interactions with students of color (Warren 2014). Thus, it is important for teachers in urban settings to model and encourage empathy to foster a culturally responsive classroom environment.

To develop and teach empathy, teachers first have to know themselves (Derman-Sparks & Edwards 2009). It is necessary for teachers to engage in critical self-reflection to uncover implicit personal biases and assumptions, and bridge understanding across cultural groups (Cooper, He, & Levin 2011; Price 2015). Whether subconscious or explicit, teachers' negative perceptions about children who differ from them in terms of culture, race, or ethnic identity can impact the teachers' ability to teach effectively and create empathetic classrooms.

Teachers can help children learn empathetic behavior by modeling warm and responsive actions, like anticipating and responding promptly to children's needs and worries, and greeting children with a smile (Twardosz 2005). Using storybooks, games, and music is another way to teach empathy. Teachers can create lessons and activities that highlight respect, kindness, compassion, and responsibility-and help children discover similarities with peers from different backgrounds (Berliner & Materson 2015). Teachers can ponder reflective questions, such as, What are my initial reactions to this child and her family?, What do my reactions tell me about my personal beliefs and assumptions?, and What can I do to build the child's and family's trust? (Collins, Arthur, & Wong-Wylie 2010; Price 2015). Although there is work to be done to unpack the contextual factors that may explain why African American boys are expelled and suspended at a higher rate than other preschool children, self-reflective questions like these and those offered throughout Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves (Derman Sparks & Edwards 2009) are one place to start.

It is necessary for teachers to engage in critical self-reflection to uncover implicit personal biases and assumptions.

Historically, picture books have featured mostly white characters (Larrick 1965). When choosing high-quality books for the classroom, make sure that the characters reflect the ethnic makeup of your classroom (Larrick 1965; Koss 2014), as it is important for all children, and particularly those of color, to "see themselves" in books. During these lessons, teachers can teach relevant emotion vocabulary (Joseph, Strain, & Ostrosky 2008), read books, and sing songs that reflect the children's cultures. According to the tenets of Afrocentric teaching-which harnesses the skills African American children bring to schools to engage them in the classroom experience (Ford & Kea 2009)-combining music with creative movement, mime, and dance is a form of expression for many African American children and engages them in shared affective experiences that are useful for empathy development (Boykin 1994; Laird 2015).

For example, in a jubilant rendition, Miles and Carmen share a toy drum and a tambourine as they dance to a popular song heard in their communities. The song promotes unity, friendship, and love. Through group music making, children can express feelings and connect with the feelings of others, promoting positive social and emotional development.

Additional Resources

Center for the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)- http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (TACSEI)- http://challengingbehavior.fmhi.usf.edu

Pyramid Model Consortium- www.pyramidmodel.org

Perspective taking

A fourth culturally responsive strategy, perspective taking, has been defined as the capacity to understand another's thoughts, feelings, or internal states (DeBernardis, Hayes, & Fryling 2014). Through the use of affective statements, teachers can reframe a child's challenging behavior and focus on the child's internal state. Affective statements are "I" statements that express a feeling, precisely describe a child's behavior, and make the child aware of the positive or negative impact of the behavior (Costello, Wachtel, & Wachtel 2009). Take, for example, a child who often transitions from lunch to outdoor time by pushing his way through classmates to discard his trash and dash to the playground door. A teacher might say, "Stop running in the classroom. When you run in the classroom, our friends are not safe." To reframe the child's behavior, the teacher might consider that the child is excited to play outside. From this perspective, the teacher could rephrase her statement: "I see that you are really excited about going outside. Thank you for putting your dish in the trash, but please remember to use your walking feet and move around your friends." When teachers use affective statements to reframe a child's challenging behavior, it demonstrates their understanding of the child's perspective. Miles's teacher used an affective statement that considered his perspective about morning circle when she stated, "Miles, I see that you are upset because you do not want to sit at morning circle and want to play with the musical instruments instead."

Using group time to discuss conflict

The final culturally responsive strategy drawing from the pyramid model framework is using group time to resolve conflict. This allows for a restorative justice approach, which offers those involved in the conflict an opportunity for reconciliation. Although many children benefit from the use of group time to address conflict and this approach can promote inclusion, as opposed to exclusion (e.g., time out), as a response to challenging behavior, it is important to develop methods and awareness so children do not feel shamed during the process but rather part of a trusting community of problem solvers. When done well, problem solving as a group can foster active engagement and learning and enable children and adults to build strong relationships. The teacher can establish the tone for the group by reading a poem about friendship or sharing a culturally relevant and familiar quote from a song, movie, or book. Next, it is helpful to remind children of the expectations for the discussion: "We've been practicing how to listen and how to talk at group time. Let's remember to wait calmly for our turn to speak, make eye contact with the person to whom we're talking, and use kind words." In some cases, teachers can minimize challenging behavior by conducting group time prior to situations with potential for challenging behavior (before a field trip, in the beginning of the school year, prior to implementing a change to the environment) (Costello, Wachtel, & Wachtel 2009; Pautz 2009).

Conclusion

Young children with challenging behavior are often rejected by their peers and receive less positive feedback from teachers than their peers do (Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Fox 2006). Early childhood classrooms are a primary setting for teaching skills that are critical for young children's social and emotional development. Given the large amount of time many children spend in these settings, it is important that strong, positive teacher-child relationships be nurtured to ensure that children receive the support needed to promote positive social and emotional development (Bronfenbrenner 1977) and school readiness in general (Williford et al. 2013). Practitioners in urban settings play a valuable role in young children's social and emotional development by providing supports that are relevant and appropriate.

The five culturally responsive strategies described in this article can guide teachers in creating a classroom atmosphere that not only responds to children's challenging behaviors but also anticipates their needs. Implementation of these strategies helps teachers initiate sustainable relationships and nurturing classrooms where all children are valued and have opportunities to grow and develop. The more children get together and engage in prosocial interactions with teachers and peers, the happier everyone will truly be.

References

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Collins, S., N. Arthur, & G. Wong-Wylie. 2010. "Enhancing Reflective Practice in Multicultural Counseling Through Cultural Auditing." Journal of Counseling and Development 88 (3): 340-47.

Cooper, J.E., Y. He, & B.B. Levin. 2011. Developing Critical Cultural Competence: A Guide for 21st Century Educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Copple, C., & S. Bredekamp, eds. 2009. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children From Birth Through Age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Costello, B., J. Wachtel, & T. Wachtel. 2009. The Restorative Practices Handbook for Teachers, Disciplinarians, and Administrators. Bethlehem, PA: International Institute for Restorative Practices.

DeBernardis, G.M., L.J. Hayes, & M.J. Fryling. 2014. "Perspective Taking as a Continuum." Psychological Record 64 (1): 123-31.

Derman-Sparks, L., & J.O. Edwards. 2009. Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Dixon, H. 2016. "Making Peace in Kindergarten: Social and Emotional Growth for All Learners." Young Children 71 (4): 57-66. www.naeyc.org/yc/pastissues.

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Ford , D.Y., & C.D. Kea. 2009. "Creating Culturally Responsive Instruction: For Students' and Teachers' Sakes." Focus on Exceptional Children 41 (9): 1-16.

Fox, L., G. Dunlap, & D. Powell. 2002. "Young Children With Challenging Behavior: Issues and Considerations for Behavior Support." Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions 4 (4): 208-17.

Fox, L., & M.L. Hemmeter. 2009. "A Program-Wide Model for Supporting Social Emotional Development and Addressing Challenging Behavior in Early Childhood Settings." In Handbook of Positive Behavior Support, eds. W. Sailor, G. Dunlap, G. Sugai, & R. Horner, 177-202. New York: Springer.

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Culturally Responsive Strategies to Support Young Children with Challenging Behavior

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Challenging behavior can signal difficulty with social and emotional adjustment-foundational competencies that are linked to children's school readiness and later school success.

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10 Tips for Finding Nature to Bring into Your Classroom

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10 Tips for Finding Nature to Bring into Your Classroom

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10 Tips for Finding Nature to Bring into Your Classroom

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Here, we share 10 tips for finding nature-based objects to prompt curiosity, questioning, observation, and learning.

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The Power of Pause: Moments of Silence and Early Emotional and Language Development

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The Power of Pause: Moments of Silence and Early Emotional and Language Development

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The Power of Pause: Moments of Silence and Early Emotional and Language Development

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This blog offers several strategies educators can use to embrace moments of silence in their interactions with young children and to reflect on that practice.

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Second-grader James is having a rough day. He overslept and was late to school, missing out on breakfast. His best friend is out sick today. At recess, he fell and skinned his knee, and other kids made fun of him for crying a little. Now, it's time for reading, his most challenging subject. After the third time he makes a mistake and is gently corrected by his teacher, Ms. Hernandez, he's simply had enough. He throws the book on the floor and shouts that everyone hates him, and he hates them too. Ms. Hernandez asks the rest of the reading group to read silently, then quietly leads James to the classroom calm-down corner.

Calm-down corners are a popular tool in classrooms these days and with good reason. Teachers recognize that kids, like adults, have a lot of feelings and emotions to process throughout the day. Sometimes, it's all too much, and the result can be bad behavior. A calm-down corner, sometimes known as a peace corner or even Antarctica (a place far away from everyone else), gives kids a place to recenter and refocus so they can join the learning again. Here's how to build and effectively use one in your classroom.
Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. Thank you for your support!
1. Create a safe and cozy space

The best calm-down corners feel a little separated from the rest of the classroom. If you have space, set yours up with a physical barrier of some kind. Low bookshelves work well since teachers can easily see over them, but kids still feel like they've got distance from everyone else.

Make your calm-down corner a space that feels safe and cozy, the kind of place where a kid can just relax for a few minutes. Throw pillows, floor cushions, and a stuffed animal or two can create just the peaceful atmosphere you're looking for.

If you don't have a lot of space in your classroom, think creatively. Give kids the illusion of separation by letting them turn their back to the rest of the classroom. Have them sit on the floor under a desk or table, and provide noise-canceling headphones so they can block out what's around them. The point is to find a space where kids can tune out the rest of the world for a few minutes and focus on processing their feelings.

2. Provide guides to calm down

Sending kids to a safe space is a good start, but they'll need help to calm down and refocus once they're there. If you have the wall space, hang posters and signs to guide them. This kit from Natalie Lynn Kindergarten has terrific resources for helping students identify how they're feeling and find ways to regain their calm.

No room for signs, or want the ability to take your calm tools with you? Try a binder instead. This one from Pre-K Printable Fun has a nice selection of exercises kids can use anywhere when they need to find a sense of peace.

Here's another option we really like: the Calm Down Cloud pack from Oriental Trading. The cheerful colors and truly helpful ideas are bound to be popular with students.

3. Offer calming books

There are so many amazing books focused on helping kids with social emotional learning . Add a few to your classroom library to use for read-alouds, and keep them in your calm-down corner for kids to look at when they need them most. Here are a few of our favorites.

Find Your Calm (Garcia/Pineda): The narrator in this book does a great job describing what anxiety can feel like ("My body feels like it's moving in every different direction. I'm overwhelmed.") It acknowledges those big feelings, and provides thoughtful suggestions for overcoming them.

When I Am Angry (Gordon): Anger is a powerful emotion. This rhyming book for young readers helps them understand that anger is natural, but we need to find safe ways to handle it.

Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities: Not a book, but a set of 50 cards containing mindfulness and meditation activities. Kids can sort through to find one that works for them.

The Secret to Clara's Calm (Levitt/Bondy): Clara is cheerful and fun, popular with the other kids. But she also has a nasty temper when things go wrong. Fortunately, a bird named Brodhi is on hand to teach her the secret to finding her calm.

Little Monkey Calms Down (Dahl): This cute book is ideal for the pre-K set. Little Monkey is having a rough day, but he uses simple coping strategies to feel better again.

The Magic of Me: My Magical Choices (Cummings/Svoboda): This book reminds kids that they can make choices about their behavior, and gives helpful suggestions for making good ones.

4. Add fidget toys and other tools

Stock your calm-down corner with a few meaningful toys and tools. A pair of noise-canceling headphones will help overstimulated kids find a little quiet, while fidget toys are an ideal way to work off some nervous energy. Small puzzles or simple building toys give kids something concrete to focus on as they process emotions, and creative outlets like coloring books or handicrafts can be soothing too. Find all of our favorite options for your calm-down kit here.

Calm-down jars are a popular tool, too. Kids will be mesmerized as they shake these jars and watch the colors mix, then magically separate again. Add a little glitter for an even better show! Learn how to make the jars here.

5. Take it digital

Virtual classrooms have become the new norm in a lot of places right now, so calm-down corners are going digital too! You can use these in an online school environment, or in a traditional classroom. The well-reviewed Digital Calm Down Corner from The Counseling Teacher Brandy has a mood check-in and a nice selection of calming videos and activities. It also pairs well with Google Classroom.

Mindfulness and meditation apps are really useful too. One of our favorites is Do Nothing For Two Minutes. Start the app, then spend two minutes doing nothing but listening to waves as you stare at the ocean. If you move the cursor, the time starts over again. Find more apps to combat anxiety and stress here.

The web is full of wonderful mindfulness and meditation videos for kids too. Keep a playlist handy on a tablet or in your Google Classroom tools for kids to view when they need a few minutes of calm.

6. Teach kids how to use the space

It's really important that a calm-down corner be a useful tool for kids, rather than something they view as a punishment or playtime. That means you'll need to spend some time introducing the space and helping students understand how to make it work for them. Work some social emotional learning lessons into your curriculum over the first few days of school, and then open the corner when you feel kids are ready to make good use of it.

Set rules for the corner. Will students need to ask you before going there, or can they simply take a few minutes there as needed? Unless you have a lot of space, limit the corner to one student at a time so it doesn't become a place to chat or play. A time limit is a good idea too; have a student set the timer for 5 minutes when they first enter the corner. At the end of 5 minutes, they should feel calm enough to return to class. If not, they can ask you for an extension.
Do you use a calm-down corner in your classroom? Share your tips and ask questions on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, 10 Ways to Help Students With Anxiety.

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How to Create and Use a Calm Down Corner in Any Learning Environment

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Provide a safe space for students to deal with emotions and refocus their attention. Here's how to create a meaningful calm down corner in your classroom.

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STOP. BREATHE. RESET - Meet Omi, the fun, cuddly mindfulness elephant that teaches kids deep breathing, emotional regulation skills, and positive thinking. Simply place Omi on your belly as he guides you through a mindful breathing exercise.
Push the elephant toy's paws, to access one of the four guided exercises: Daily Reset to identify emotions, Sad or Mad Reset to let go of negative feelings, 30 Second Reset for rest, or Calm Music for relaxation.

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Mad's Not Bad book and stuffed Jellyfish

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Mad's Not Bad book and stuffed Jellyfish

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The Original Mood Flipbook for Kids; 20 Different Moods/Emotions; Autism; ADHD; Help Kids Identify Feelings and Make Positive Choices; Laminated Pages (Monster Flipbook)

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Great for calm down corners as well as classroom transitions

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Great for a calm down corner

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I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness (I Am Books)

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I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness (I Am Books) [Verde, Susan, Reynolds, Peter H.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness (I Am Books)

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This year, more than ever, our students will need social/emotional support from trusted teachers and adults in their lives. Providing the necessary tools to help students validate their feelings, self-regulate their emotions, and understand how to release anxiety is a must! One way to do this is by creating a Calm Down Corner in your classroom or suggesting that parents create one at home. Calm Down Corners are designated locations that students feel secure in. Students can use a variety of tools, like sensory bottles and stress balls, to regain control of their emotions.

Here are 20 tips and tools to include in your Calm Down Corner!
Just so you know, we may get a small share of the sales made through the Amazon affiliate links on this page.
1. Provide plenty of options so that students can choose what will help them feel calm.

Yoga pose suggestions, sensory items, books, and prompts for various coping strategies are all great options for a Calm Down Corner.

2. Create a Worry Wiper.

Purchase a mini paper shredder and provide students the chance to shred their worries while spending time in the Calm Down Corner!

3. Provide visuals to help students self-regulate their feelings.

Hang up posters that show anger, sadness, happiness, and calmness. Such visuals will assist students in figuring out their current mood. Then, provide visuals with strategies for calming down, like drawing or taking a drink of water. Check out the blog He's Extraordinary for more information on visuals.

4. Include sensory bottles in your corner.

Via: @ cardigans_in_kindergarten

Check out some DIY sensory bottle ideas. Tell students that as the glitter settles, their anger (or other emotion) does as well.

5. Place a fun, oversized sand timer in your Calm Down Corner for the kids to track the amount of time spent cooling down.

Via: @ happycamperclassroom

6. Organize any calm down tools neatly in a caddy.

Via: @ missbruce_elementary

Dollar Tree is fully stocked with affordable caddies! It's important that students enter an organized Calm Down Corner. Entering a chaotic one could encourage their own chaotic behaviors instead of helping calm.

7. Share breathing techniques within the calm down corner.

Via: @ ms.brevards.bruins

Here are some breathing exercises to try out with your students.

8. Include emotion dice in your corner to foster conversation and develop emotional understandings.

Via: @ thesocialemotionalteacher

You can make these dice from paper or purchase them from !

9. Provide cozy seating so that students feel as comfortable as possible in the Calm Down Corner.

Via: @ littleprimarylearners

For flexible seating ideas, click !

10. Structure the Calm Down Corner time with a clear schedule.

Showing students a sample schedule that they can make their own keeps them accountable for using the Calm Down Corner appropriately. Most students won't need more than 10-15 minutes in the corner, but of course, this could differ based on needs.

11. Download Stop, Breathe, & Think on a classroom iPad

It may not always be the right time for electronics when students are out of sorts, but some students really find success using breathing apps like to find calmness. For more calming apps for the classroom, click .

12. Create workbook or separate calming worksheets that students can work on when in need of finding peace.

Via: @ thecounselingteacherbrandy

You can certainly create your own workbooks filled with puzzles, coloring, and brain teasers, but you might also consider purchasing some from The Counseling Teacher Brandy in her TpT store.

13. Small bubbles tubes might just do the trick for some students.

Via: @ teachingwithmissle

Blowing bubbles is a great calming activity for many students - and adults!

14. Provide mindfulness books for your students to browse through.

Some great options include:

15. Often times, students just need a private place to unwind and feel safe.

Via: longafterthebellrings

16. Teach students how to use a breathing ball.

Cheap breathing balls are available on Amazon . As students breathe in, the ball expands. As they breathe out the ball closes. Repeat as necessary!

17. Create a unique Calm Down Cave!

Via: teachingwithhappiness

This cave was developed inside of a classroom closet to feel extra cave-y, but it's the resources in this set-up that are really mind blowing! There are emotional visuals and an affirmation station included in this Calm Down Corner!

18. Develop a virtual calm down corner for students working from home.

Via: @wanderlustteacher.nc

Some parents/guardians may choose to create their own Calm Down Corners at home, but teachers can also provide virtual options. The virtual option may be in the form of a Bitmoji Classroom , or it could simply be a running list of calm down options/links in a word document.

19. Create a digital Calm Down Corner in Google Slides!

Via: @ thebalancedteacher

For more information on how to use this resource, visit @ thebalancedteacher on IG for a video walkthrough. You can download this resource from TpT.

20. Stress balls are a useful addition to any calm down corner.

Stress balls are used to channel energy into squeezing something squishy. This safe manner of releasing anxiety is an effective tool for many students and adults too. Grab a large pack of stress balls for $10 .

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20 Inspiring Calm Down Corner Options for Your Classroom

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Teachers are creating Calm Down Corners in their classrooms for students who need a separate space and special tools to recenter.

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Various timers for a calm down corner

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These relaxation scripts for children can be used to guide children, adolescents, or adults to relax using quick and easy relaxation techniques.

Please note that these kids relaxation scripts are intended to be used with the guidance of an adult. Ensure that a parent or guardian reviews these scripts and is available to supervise their use. Some of the scripts are more appropriate for older (school age) children, while others can be used with younger children. Please review the scripts to determine which ones are suitable for and understandable to your child. Relaxation is safe and effective for people of all ages, provided it is used wisely. Do not use these relaxation scripts if you need to be awake and alert, and only relax when it is safe to do so.

Relaxation scripts for kids are much the same as relaxation for adults, relying on simple relaxation methods. These scripts are effective for those who are new in learning relaxation or for those who enjoy brief and simple relaxation techniques. They and can be used as a quick method of relaxation for kids or adults.

These free relaxation scripts can be used to learn to relax or record your own relaxation audio CD. Learn to relax or find your relaxation style with these scripts.

Here are some free relaxation scripts for kids:

Relaxation for Children Relaxation for children that guides children or adults to relax using simple breathing and progressive relaxation techniques. This script is intended to be used with the guidance of an adult.

Breathing Relaxation for Children This breathing relaxation for children is for anyone who is learning to relax. Both children and adults can use this breathing relaxation exercise as an easy relaxation technique.

Relaxation to Stop Being Afraid of the Dark This relaxation script is for children or adults who are afraid of the dark. It begins with visualization and calming phrases to bring comfort and relaxation, and ends with passive progressive muscle relaxation. Listen to this relaxation script before bed to fall asleep comfortably.

Guided Imagery for Writing an Exam This guided imagery script will allow you to visualize the process of studying for and writing an exam. Visualizing success will promote increased confidence, concentration, and memory. Relaxation can also improve the ability to learn by eliminating some of the anxiety that interferes with taking in new information.

Relaxation to Decrease Fidgeting This relaxation script will help you to decrease fidgeting with your hands. This exercise will allow you to reduce anxiety to create a feeling of calm and be still, even when faced with stress.

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These relaxation scripts for children can be used to guide children or adults to relax using quick and easy relaxation techniques.