So many amazing things are happening in שׁוֹרָשִׁים (Shorashim– ‘roots’ for nursery) and שְׁתִּילִים (Shteelim– ‘saplings’ for kindergarten)! During the past two weeks we have been thinking about, what can we do to feel calm inside and stay in charge of our own bodies when we feel big feelings?
First, we heard a social story where the main character validated feeling big feelings as a part of life that everyone experiences and shared five strategies that can help someone return to a feeling of inner calm.
We introduced פִּינָת שָׁלוֹם (pinat shalom– the peace corner), the spot in our space that is designated for using calming strategies.
We took turns practicing the strategies. This one is called square breathing, which help someone take deep breaths.
Bottle shake:
Lemon Squeeze, involves tightening up from your feet up:
Some of the children shared their own calming strategies, like drawing a picture or taking deep breaths. On the first day that we introduced the strategies, one of the children came up to me and said, “I was feeling sad about something so I did all of the strategies”.
I look forward to seeing all of the ways we continue in our social emotional growth!
