Topic for January: Self Control

 

 

Hello and welcome back to school! I'm sure parents are as excited about this time of year as we are; it's nice to be back in our routine. This month we are kicking off our Peace classes with the topic of Self-Control for students in grades Pre-K and K. We will be watching some of the Cookie Monster videos on self-control, whole body listening, and following directions and then putting those terms into practice with games and activities in the classroom. You can follow along by checking out the videos at home (if you're a Star Wars fan, you'll especially enjoy "Star S'Mores") and asking your child to tell you what they know about the topic. 

We will also continue practicing mindfulness at the beginning of each class. The kids are getting very good at belly breathing (also called "flowers and candles") to help self-calm. Today one little girl told me she used belly breathing over the break when she got mad at her mom and it helped her not feel so angry. That's why we practice every week, and you can encourage your child to use this and other self-control methods at home such as counting to ten, thinking about something else, or going to a calm-down spot in the house. Research has proven that as kids get a little older and more mature, these self-regulation skills learned early on will help them face increased challenges and make better decisions when it's most important...something we all want for our kids! For more information on that reserach, check out this review of the Cookie Monster series.

Happy New Year,
Jillian