Parents w Kids At Home.

Social and Emotional Learning at Home

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​Focus on Behavior

For children behavior is a form of communication. This means everything they do is motivated by an underlying feeling or need. When our children don't want to participate in certain activities such as cleaning up or getting ready to rest, let them know we understand why and offer a solution that works for both of you.
TRY THIS:
​"I see you are frustrated that it's time to clean up. You are having so much fun with those blocks and you're not ready to put them away. Lets build one more tower, then we will put the blocks away."

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​Focus On Play

​You can still interact with your child while juggling other tasks. 
TRY THIS:
Set your child up with an activity to do while you work on your own tasks. Make it something that still allows you to see and talk to them. Although you'll be multi tasking, be sure to make eye contact and use specific language so they know you really are paying attention.
Use opening phrases like "I see you ...are putting all the blue blocks in a square." or "Now you are ...using the red blocks to build a tower."  
This lets them know you are watching and interested.

Focus On Routine

Children thrive when they know what is expected of them right now and what's going to happen next. Knowing what's going to happen next is a great motivator to get through the task at hand. 
TRY THIS :
"First we brush our teeth, then we get dressed for our day."
"First we put the blocks in the basket, then we can pick a book to read."

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Focus On Environment

You can use pictures to help your child remember his or her daily routines. If printing pictures is something unavailable to you, you can help your child draw pictures of their routines.
TRY THIS :
Take or draw pictures of them brushing their teeth or eating breakfast. Getting dressed for the day or cleaning up their toys. Together you can create a visual schedule to remember what's coming next in their day.

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Focus On Mindfulness

Deep breaths help all of us feel calm and centered. Making deep breathing fun for children is a great way to get them into the habit. 
TRY THIS:
Using pictures or real items, practice taking a deep breath and blowing out the air hard by "smelling a flower or blowing a leaf into the air." Ask how deep they have had to breath to smell the flower or how hard they had to blow to get the leaf to move.

Talking To Young Children

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Use Positive Statements: Tell children what they CAN do instead of what they cant do.
Give Simple Instruction: To many instructions at once can be overwhelming and confusing.
Model "I" Messages: Use language that expresses your feelings and the reasons behind them.
Ask Open Ended Questions: Talk to children, not at them. Ask open-ended questions that allow children to to explain their thought processes and stay curious.
Offer choices you can live with: Give children a choice whenever possible, but be ready to honor their decisions.

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Support Your Child's Learning

• Acknowledge and accept all of your child's feelings and emotions.

This allows your child to feel secure when sharing their feelings.

• ​Describe what you see your child doing rather than just saying "good job".

They want to know you see and appreciate their efforts.

• Help your child make connections to familiar experiences or information.

When your child is having a moment of pickiness, explain to them that trying new things can help them find other things that they love to eat.

• Use words that help build your child's vocabulary.

"This ice cream is delicious. It has a creamy texture."

• Repeat and extend thing your child says to you.

If he or she is looking at a book &says "I like lizards," you might say "I know you do. what do you like about them?"