Why do some people laugh when someone else is hurt or when they are ‘in trouble’? Very often, people interpret laughter to mean that someone took pleasure in an action - or they found something funny. However, the idea that laughter indicates enjoyment or humor is not always correct. Let’s explore the harmful views surrounding laughter and discuss what laughter really means.
Read MoreJoining children in play can be a tricky process. While we often think about play in terms of “pretend play” or “cause and effect”, we’re sometimes missing out on play schemas! Play schemas are repeated actions that children engage in during play. Does your child love to drop things and watch them fall? That’s a play schema! Have a child who enjoys watching wheels spin? That’s a play schema!
Read MoreWhen children experience anger, we often turn to books to provide a safe space to explore this emotion. But what if the books we’re choosing are instead promoting shame? Guilt and shame are emotions that can seem similar but are oh so different. They’re also both developing in our young preschoolers. Children who experience stronger emotional states are at increased risk for experiencing the shame-anger cycle.
Read MoreAs soon as I realized that sensations were the missing link to helping children understand (and ultimately regulate) their emotions, I immediately started searching for how to actually teach these concepts. Imagine my surprise when I realized there really aren’t many resources out there - especially for preschoolers!. I felt lucky enough to learn a little about interoception from some amazing occupational therapists. But there was very little that could easily be applied by parents and teachers.
Read MoreSensations are *kinda* a big deal around here, as are books. So it only makes sense for there to be a book list for discussing sensations! Books provide a safe place for children to explore and learn about more challenging concepts. Realizing that there are multiple books written on this topic helps children to realize they’re not alone - many children (and adults!) are learning about sensations.
Read MoreEmotional regulation is the ability to influence and change how we respond to a situation. In the preschool classroom, young children spend their time playing in groups. While building creations in blocks center, children are expected to regulate their emotions so that when upsetting or frustrating things happen, they can problem solve in a safe fashion.
Read MoreYou’ve read the research, you’ve learned the skills, maybe you’ve even been to the classes. You know ‘emotional regulation’ and all the things to do when children experience strong emotions. But when do you do when a child rejects or refuses to take deep breaths or move to the cozy corner? So many of these strategies require a child does something and when a child is emotionally overwhelmed that’s often not possible!
Read MoreFiguring out the unwritten rules for who is using an object and what items are available for play is a formidable task. Every day children are frustrated and confused when others take *their* items just because they weren’t using them. Luckily, we’ve broken this process down into one simple, visual, and concrete rule.
Read MoreWalking down the hallway, I can hear the frantic screams and cries of a child, “I’M CALM, I’M CALM, I’M CALM!!!!!”. I walked in to find Sarah standing in the middle of the classroom, tears streaming down her face and screaming at the top of her lungs. She was anything but calm and yet here she was, declaring to the world that she was the epitome of ‘calm’. Sarah believed she was calm because she had a surface level understanding of emotions. Are you making the same mistakes when you teach emotions? Check out the vital component that might be missing.
Read MoreResearch suggests that approximately 10% of preschoolers experience anxiety (Egger & Angold, 2006 as cited in Milan, Godoy, Briggs-Gowan, & Carter, 2012). Children with anxiety can experience increased difficulty making mistakes – especially if they fall more into the ‘perfectionist’ category. But let’s remember, these are preschoolers - it is expected for them to make many, many, many mistakes.
Read MoreFor some children, making mistakes is unbearable. Many children are unable to admit that they made a mistake at all (it was usually someone else’s fault). As a parent, teacher, therapist, caregiver, it is heartbreaking to witness young children being so hard on themselves. Everyone makes mistakes and yet at times those mistakes can feel so big and life-altering. Children can learn that mistakes are expected and a natural part of life and we have a list of book recommendations to start those conversations!
Read MoreFor some children, allowing others to add their thoughts and ideas to the play can be an intimidating and anxiety producing process. Allowing others to contribute thoughts increases the chances that the play will deviate from the initial plan and also makes things less predictable. Practicing adding thoughts and ideas together collaboratively gives children an opportunity to experience success.
Read MoreWaiting, as frustrating as it can be, is a fact of life. For a young child, waiting is just pure agony! Of course when a preschooler isn’t happy, most people around aren’t too thrilled.
Read MoreOrmie the Pig usually starts as a fantastic lesson on flexible problem solving. Until one day, when this video became a prime opportunity to discuss perspective taking…
Read MoreMany individuals still operate under the mistaken idea the repeated phrases are just that - repeated phrases. From this viewpoint, these echolalic messages are ‘random’ and don’t serve any communicative function. More recent research and information shared by individuals who use(d) echolalia themselves paint quite the different picture. All information shared, including echolalic phrases, has a meaning and is communicated for a purpose.
Read MoreEcholalia comes from the word “echo”. Similar to an ‘echo’, echolalia occurs when someone repeats back a word or phrase said by someone else. In addition to repeating back the same words, the speaker also often imitates the same tone and inflection.
Read MoreVisuals are a wonderful way to support independence, increase comprehension, and support task completion. Unfortunately, all too often, we spend the time putting in place carefully created visuals and yet we receive the feedback “we have the visual, but it doesn’t work”. We tend to believe that visuals have this magical power to transform our children overnight, forgetting that the power isn’t just in the visual, but in our ability to teach the meaning behind the visual.
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