Tips & Tools Archives - Page 3 of 25

Resilience through Transition – An Art Activity for Classrooms or Families

This activity is designed to support students (and adults too!) with all that this new school year brings. The changes are happening fast, and there is still much unknown. This is an opportunity to slow down and emotionally process the changes internally. William Bridges (author of Managing Transitions) calls this internal process a “transition.” As we navigate the change, the transition starts with the feelings associated with losing something familiar, something we thought of as normal, or something we cared about. The activity can be adapted for your family or classroom. It is one way to build connection and …

Rethinking Rewards: Alternatives to Offering Incentives

Teachers, you have been accomplishing incredible feats this year! It is mind-boggling how your job has changed because of the pandemic and online teaching. Though some of your students are thriving, you may be worried about many who do not seem engaged and who aren’t completing assignments. It is easy to think that rewards may be the answer that you just need to provide the right incentives to get your students to be engaged and completing their work. Despite solid research showing that rewards decrease internal motivation, passion, and interest, the draw to use rewards and incentives is strong. They …

Holding on to Hope (For Teachers)

This year has been rough. An undeniable understatement. Hope seems hard to reach, especially when our resilience has been tested these in these long challenging months since last spring. Yet hope is an antidote to despair. And while acknowledging the emotional toll of these times is crucial, equally crucial is our ability to hold onto a belief in positive future possibilities. Hope can sustain us, and gives our hard work a purpose that fuels us with energy and optimism. The same is true for our students. Students who are high in hope have greater academic achievement, stronger friendships, more creativity …

Harnessing Hope (For Parents)

Hope is the belief in a positive future. It is an optimistic, exciting sense of what is possible. In this time of global health crisis, economic uncertainty, racial reckoning, and physical disconnection from other human beings, the day to day challenges of doing everything differently make it difficult to hold onto hope. Yet hope is an antidote to despair. It can give us the energy to persevere and can offer a sense of purpose, calm and connection. Parents are children’s first hope builders. Your presence, connection, and attitude can help your child be more hopeful. They look to you to …

Four Ideas for Stressed Parents

We are parenting more hours a day than ever before. In-person school, in-person play dates and visits with family and friends are things we hope to resume in the near future, but they aren’t providing much relief for parents at the moment.

Have you noticed any of these issues coming up for your kids?

stressing out over seemingly small things, like tech issues during on-line school or having to ask the teacher a question
more disorganized than usual and having difficult time keeping up with assignments
less physically active
less social and more isolated
on screens much more than usual

…

Tips for Teaching Online

Here are some ideas that have been proven to make a positive difference for teachers and students doing online learning.

Brain breaks and self-regulation breaks – For both adults and children, research finds that taking breaks every 20 or 30 minutes rejuvenates working memory and calms our nervous systems. Embed regular self-regulation activities to get students to stand up, stretch and move, into the flow of your online days. 5-minute brain breaks can be led by students, allowing them to feel both more engaged and more of an integral part of the classroom community.Here are a few brain-break and self-regulation …

Contributions Kids Can Make to Support their Community during Challenging Times

Ideas for Children to Contribute During Protests

Make posters and signs to put in the yard or to give to protesters

Organize their own demonstration or protest

Make food or provide drinks and snacks for people who are protesting

Write letters to community, city, regional or state officials and elected officials

Research organizations that do work in a field of their interest. Create a plan to share out to friends and family. Fundraise and/or donate to those organizations.

Stage a toy protest, chalk your walk, and other ideas – 5 ways for kids and families to peacefully protest from home…

21May 2020 by Pase Garrett

7 Ideas for Learning About Feelings

Feelings and emotions, Tips & Tools

Learning to understand, name and express feelings is important for self-regulation. Developing this skill helps children feel better about themselves, form healthy relationships, and navigate life’s challenges with more resiliency.

When we name our feelings, we’re accessing the thinking part of the brain. This act of labeling the feeling gives us that little bit of space from the feeling itself, which helps calm down the emotional center of the brain. This integration in the brain helps us makes sense of our experiences so that we can respond rather than react. Dan Siegel explains this integration, Name it to Tame it, …

18Apr 2020 by Pase Garrett

La reparación es una poderosa herramienta para el aprendizaje y la conexión

Conflict, Connection and love, Mutual Respect, Tips & Tools

Como padres podemos sentir mucha presión para hacer las cosas “bien” y hacer que nuestros hijos sean ‘felices’ todo el tiempo. Eso simplemente no es posible, y hay ciencia del cerebro que demuestra que los errores son una poderosa oportunidad de aprendizaje tanto para adultos como para niños. El Dr. Daniel Siegel y la Dra. Tina Faye Bryson, en su nuevo libro El poder de aparecer, nos animan a aceptar los errores que cometemos. El proceso de estar presentes con nuestros hijos, resolver problemas y hacer una reparación, puede acercarnos.

Los padres pueden pensar que no debemos …

02Apr 2020 by Pase Garrett

Desarrollar conexión

Connection and love, Feelings and emotions, Tips & Tools

Durante este tiempo de ‘quédese en casa, manténgase seguro’ muchos de nosotros están pasando tiempo con nuestras familias y queridos. Pero con tanto compañerismo, ¿estamos sintiendo más conectados los unos con los otros?

En Sound Discipline ensenamos, apoyamos, y conversamos sobre conexión con los educadores, los lideres de la escuela, y las familias porque ser conectado hace la aula, la aprendizaje, y la vida más enriquecedora y seguro. Cuando un niño falta la conexión, lo puede manifestar como problemas con mal comportamiento: buscando atención, bullying, o rechazo a participar. A veces los adultos puedan experimentar una falta de conexión y …