Information, ideas and thoughts for parents to use in navigating through the early elementary years.
When children struggle with nightmares it can be exhausting for everyone involved. This attached article helps break down some strategies to help your child manage their nightmares.
https://www.parents.com/kids/sleep/issues/nightmares-6-steps-to-stop-scary-dreams/
Often families ask for resources/ideas of what to do when they see difficult behaviors at home but not at the school setting. I am attaching an article that helps explain the difference and gives some great tips.
Going through the grief journey after losing a loved one is very difficult for everyone in the family. I recently discovered two websites to help you talk with your children about this very difficult topic. The first resource is specifically for losing someone from cancer and the second one is more general.
Hello families,
I found this amazing article that highlights the importance of letting your child be more independent and I thought you would enjoy it. The link is attached here: https://www.parents.com/kids/development/little-things-you-can-do-every-day-to-make-your-child-more-independent/
Happy August! I found this amazing TED talk that I thought families would enjoy. Read the excerpt below for a preview.
"What if I was to tell you that a game of peek-a-boo could change the world?" asks seven-year-old Molly Wright, one of the youngest-ever TED speakers. Breaking down the research-backed ways parents and caregivers can support children's healthy brain development, Wright highlights the benefits of play on lifelong learning, behavior and well-being, sharing effective strategies to help all kids thrive by the age of five. She's joined onstage by one-year-old Ari and his dad, Amarjot, who help illustrate her big ideas about brain science. (This TED Talk was produced in collaboration with Minderoo Foundation as an educational tool for parents and caregivers around the world and is supported by UNICEF.)
Self-Care is so important for all of us. I recently came across this interesting article that I wanted to share with all of you. I hope you enjoy it and remember to utilize even small moments of self-care in your everyday life!
Attached is a link to a self help developmental checklist that might help you navigate through the ages and stages when children will begin to be able to do various skills.
Common Developmental Traits by Age
(Adapted From Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4–14, 3rd edition, by Chip Wood, CRS, 2007)
All children go through developmental stages as they grow. These stages of development are fairly predictable but children go through the stages at different rates. Although these are general characteristics, how quickly a child goes through these stages depends on many things, including the child's personality and environment. It’s common and normal for some children to arrive at a developmental stage a bit later or earlier than their peers. Each age is unique.
Managing screen time for children is a constant struggle that families share with us. Below you will find links that provide recommendations for how long children should be on screens.
Here is a link to common sense media which is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
It often occurs that parents struggle to help their child when they are dishonest, the article below helps navigate this developmental stage that all students work through.
I wanted to share this article that I recently found. It gives some helpful tips for parenting your 6-8 year old and lets you know where they are developmentally.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle.html
As parents we have all seen our kids melt down after a day at school. This article gives some tips on how to help your child.
https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/why-kids-fall-apart-after-school-and-how-to-help
Often students struggle with executive functioning skills. Here is an article to help your child learn how to improve in this area.
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-executive-functioning-issues-in-your-child
Welcome to another new school year! It is common for children to have many feelings as they start the new school year. Here are a couple of interesting articles on how to help children and families cope with seperation anxiety.
https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/blog/2017/08/10/parental-separation-anxiety
Looking forward to a wonderful year ahead!
Dear Families,
The students have been learning about the Zones of Regulation during my classroom lessons. We have worked on identifying the four Zones, having a working knowledge of them as well as coming up with tools to help aid in self-regulation. Self-regulation is something that everyone continually works on throughout their lives. We all face situations in which our limits are tested. The Zones language and tools give students the ability to more easily name their feelings and manage them.
The Zones offer a system to categorize our feelings into one of four different colors. This framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and improving their ability to problem solve conflicts.
The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heighted and intense emotions. These may include: anger, rage, terror and elation.
The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions, however students have more control when they are in the yellow zone. Emotions in the yellow zone include: frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, nervousness and annoyance.
The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state that is optimal for learning. Emotions in the green zone include: happy, focused, ready to learn, calm and content.
The Blue Zone is used to describe low and slow feelings. Emotions in the blue zone include: sad, sick, tired, and bored.
All of the Zones are natural to experience, but the classroom lessons focus on teaching students how to recognize and manage their Zones' feelings based on the environment that they are in. The students will most likely be in the yellow zone, with heightened emotions, when they are on the playground. However, when expectations change and they are back in the classroom that same heightened emotion would not be conducive to a learning environment.
The students will also explore the tools that would be beneficial to them in each zone. We will discuss many calming options that are choices for the students. These include: taking deep breaths, exercising, stretching, talking to someone, taking a break, going for a walk, coloring, thinking happy thoughts, and using fidget tools. The students then think about which tool would be beneficial for them in each zone. This self-awareness helps students remember these tools when they are needed to help manage their emotions.
For more information you can visit Zonesofregulation.com and if you have any questions please feel free to email me at; jkleiner@sau66.org.
Sincerely,
Jackie Kleiner
I am attaching a link to a slide show that my colleague Laura Alamo and I created for the PTA. We presented on the topic of self-care: giving yourself as a busy parent the opportunity to pause.
I hope you enjoy it during this busy holiday season!
Take care,
Jackie
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sA4fyfKCqCvA1m0FAAlT8zkAnJTvXEEQSeC9NqgetSc/edit#slide=id.p
I am passing along some resources that were shared with me by a colleague. They focus on anxiety regarding returning to school.
Child Mind Institute- Back to School Anxiety During Covid
Dear families,
Last weeks incidents in DC may have prompted some questions from your child. It is important to listen to your child should they come to you with any questions and/or concerns. In order to help you with this conversation, I found a couple of helpful resources for you to reference as you navigate a discussion with your child.
Please reach out with any questions.
Sincerely,
Jackie Kleiner
HMS Counselor
