Fostering Social and Emotional Skills Development in

Early Childhood

Biola University Carly Bedard, M.A.Ed

Objectives Importance of social and emotional skills Foundations for teaching social and

emotional skills 10:30-10:45 Break Social skills development Emotional skills development 11:40-12:00 Questions and Closing

Agenda

To understand the importance of intentionally teaching social and emotional skills in Early Childhood.

To learn practical strategies for forming positive relationships with children and families as a foundation for social and emotional skills development.

Objectives

To learn, and practice ways to help young children develop social and emotional skills.

To HAVE FUN!

Objectives

Important life skills

• School

• Common Core

• Family

• Work

Why Focus on Social & Emotional Skills in our Curriculum?

Why Focus on Social and Emotional Skills in our Curriculum?

“Social and emotional leaning can reduce aggression and emotional distress among students and improve positive attitudes towards self and others.” (Durlak et al., 2011)

“Research shows that children who suffer from poor peer interactions and adult-child relationships are at risk for school failure.”

(CA Preschool Learning Foundations, 2007)

“The developing brain is not neatly divided into separate areas governing learning, thinking, and emotions. Instead, it is a highly interconnected organ with different regions influencing, and being affected by, the others. This means, for example, that young children who experience emotional challenges are less ready for learning because brain regions related to memory are being affected by other regions governing emotion.”

(California Preschool Curriculum Framework, p. 39)

Why Focus on Social & Emotional Skills in our Curriculum?

(Adapted from Siegal, 2003)

Cortex

• Emotions • Learning

• Heartbeat • Breathing

• Logic • Reasoning • Impulse Control

What are some things that make you flip your lid?

What are some strategies that you use to reconnect your upstairs and downstairs brain?

Think Pair Share (Early Childhood Style )

The Teaching Pyramid

(Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003)

Intensive Individualized Interventions

Social Emotional Skills Teaching

Creating Supportive Environments

Positive Relationships with Children, Colleagues, and Families

Positive Relationships With Children

“Children develop best when they have secure, consistent relationships with responsive adults and opportunities for positive relationships with peers.”

(NAEYC Position Statement of Developmentally Appropriate

Practice)

Building Positive Relationships

Positive Relationships with Families and Students…

Are based on trust, respect, and support

Help you gain insight into your students and provide you with an opportunity to partner with families

Require time and effort

(Fox et. al, 2003)

Building Positive Relationships with Children

• Smile often throughout the day.

• Smiling is contagious!

Acknowledge each child with a smile and greeting upon arrival

Building Positive Relationships with Children

Converse with each child as much as possible

Play with the children

Building Positive Relationships with Children

Special one on one time

Write down 5 positive things about every child

Building Positive Relationships with Children

Give children ample attention and verbal acknowledgement for making positive choices

Authentic encouragement verses generic praise

HANDOUT

Positive Relationships with Families

Back to School Night

Happy Notes Home

HANDOUT

Family of the Week

HANDOUT

Phone Calls

Emails

HANDOUT

School Picnics

Classroom Volunteers

Invite Families to Chapel

Parent workshops

Parent Newsletters

Getting to Know You…

We appreciate you completing this information so that we can better serve

your child and your family!

Childs’ Name:______________________Nickname:___________________

Parents’ Names:______________________________________________

Other Family Members Your Child Lives With:

Name:__________________________Relationship:_________________

Name:__________________________Relationship:_________________

Name:__________________________Relationship:_________________

Name:__________________________Relationship:_________________

What is your child’s primary language:_______________________________

What other languages are spoken in your home:________________________

Has your child ever been evaluated for any of the following? (If yes, explain on a

separate sheet of paper and provide professional reports)

Visual concerns No Yes Developmental delays No Yes

Hearing concerns No Yes Cognitive delays No Yes

Behavioral problems No Yes Psychiatric/Social problems No Yes

Does the applicant take any prescribed medication or need any special medical

attention? No Yes

Condition_________________________________________

Medication_______________________________________

(PLEASE COMPLETE THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE BACK)

Has your child attended Preschool before: Yes No

School Name:___________________________Dates Attended:_____________

School Name:___________________________Dates Attended:_____________

What is your reason for choosing Calvary Chapel Preschool for your child:

Are there any home/ life circumstances that we should be aware of that may have an

impact on your child’s temperament?

What are your child’s strengths & interests?

Is there anything else you would like your child’s teacher to know about your

child?

Are you interested in helping in our classroom? If so, please indicate your

interest:

____Helping with cooking days

____Helping with holiday parties

____I am unable to help during the day time but I can help prepare materials

at home.

Mommy & Me Craft Night

Daddy & Me Craft Night

Grandparent’s and Special Friend’s Day

The Teaching Pyramid

(Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003)

Intensive Individualized Interventions

Social Emotional Skills Teaching

Creating Supportive Environments

Positive Relationships with Children, Colleagues, and Families

Clean, neat & orderly

Avoid visual clutter

Label where toys belong to help with clean-up routine

Provide boundaries for activities and play

Area rugs, tape, tables, trays

Include spaces for individual play

Mats, Hula Hoop

Classroom Community of Learners

Make sure that all children are represented in

the room and that diversity is celebrated

Physical Environment

Schedule and Routines

Daily Schedule

Balance of large group and small

group activities

Balance of teacher directed and

child-initiated activities

Post a picture daily schedule

Provide consistent routines

Plan for transitions

Additional resource

Classroom Rules

State the positive (desired action).

Keep the rules simple.

Provide a picture cue for each rule.

Model the behaviors you desire to see.

(Stormont, Lewis, and Beckner, 2005)

The Teaching Pyramid

(Fox, Dunlap, Hemmeter, Joseph, & Strain, 2003)

Intensive Individualized Interventions

Social Emotional Skills Teaching

Creating Supportive Environments

Positive Relationships with Children, Colleagues, and Families

CA Preschool Learning Foundations

Preschool Curriculum Framework

Standards for Social & Emotional Development in Preschool Classrooms

Social-Emotional Learning Foundations

Self

• Self-Awareness

• Self-Regulation

• Social and Emotional Understanding

• Empathy and Caring

• Initiative in Learning

Social Interaction

• Interaction with familiar adults

• Interaction with peers

•Group participation

•Cooperation and Responsibility

Relationships

•Attachment to parents

•Close relationships with teacher and caregivers

•Friendships

What are some strategies that you would use to teach the concept of rhyming?

Brainstorm With Your Table

Consider This

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach. “If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…….. ………..punish?“ …………teach? “Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically

as we do the others?” Tom Herner (NASDE President, Counterpoint 1998, p.2)

Literature

Puppets

Songs

Handout

Games

Circle Time

Social and Emotional Skills Teaching Strategies

Self-Awareness

Interactions with Peers

Group participation

Problem Solving

Social Skills

1.1 Describe their physical characteristics, behavior, and abilities positively (48 mo)

1.1 Compare their characteristics with those of others and display a growing awareness of their psychological characteristics such a thoughts and feelings (60 mo)

Self-Awareness

Through the Years Picture Mobile All About Me Art Activities

By: Christy Hale

Interaction With Peers

2.2 Participate in simple sequences of pretend play (48 mo)

2.2 Create more complex sequences of pretend play that involve planning, co-ordination of roles, and co-operation (60mo)

The Importance of Play

“Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as for promoting language, cognition, and social competence”

(NAEYC Position Statement of

Developmentally Appropriate Practices, 2012)

Play Skills

Dramatic play schemes (Home, restaurant, school, tea party)

Block play Provide materials for play schemes (people, cars, animals,

props) Make a city

Make a farm

Pretend City at your school (Library, school, restaurant, post office, grocery store, vet office)

Pretend City Grocery Store

Restaurant

Vetranarian

Restaurant Construction

Let’s Share…

What are some activities, games, or materials that would help encourage co-operative play within your classroom?

Group Participation

3.1 Participate in group activities and are beginning to understand and co-operate with social expectations, group rules, and roles (48 mo)

3.1 Participate positively and cooperatively as group members. (60 mo)

Thumbs up! Thumbs Down!

• Helping clean up when the song comes on

• Sharing the swings

• Throwing books

• Helping a friend who fell

down

(http://shareandremember.blogspot.com)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hugging !

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fighting over a toy

Building blocks with friends

Yelling

Giving a high five

_________________________________________________________

Name: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

__________________________________________________________

Are these friends being kind to one another?

Circlet the happy face J if they are or the sad face L if not

1. J L 2. J L

3. J L 4. J L

5. J L 6. J L

_________________________________________________________

Name: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

__________________________________________________________

How would this make you feel? Happy J or Sad L

Social Interaction

2.3 Seeks assistance in resolving peer conflict, especially when disagreements have escalated into physical aggression (48mo)

2.3 Negotiate with each other, seeking adult assistance when needed and increasingly use words to respond to conflict. Disagreements may be expressed with verbal taunting in addition to physical aggression (60 mo)

Problem Solving

TEACH what a problem is

PRACTICE identifying solutions

APPLY problem solving strategies

MODEL identifying and solving problems

Problem Solving

Problem Solving

Cool Down

Identify the Problem

Brainstorm Solutions

Go For It

Follow-up

(Gartrell, 2000)

Problem Solving With the Five Finger Formula

www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu)

www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu)

Problematize throughout the day

“We have 6 friends and only 2 apples for snack…What can we do?”

(Center for Social and Emotional Foundations of Learning, 2012)

Problem Solving

Understand Emotions

Emotion vocabulary & awareness

Self-Regulation

Impulse Control

Emotional Skills

Social & Emotional Understanding

3.1 Seek to understand people’s feelings and behavior, notice diversity in human characteristics, and are interested in how people are similar and different (48 mo)

3.1 Begin to comprehend the mental and psychological reasons people act as they do and how they contribute to differences between people. (60 mo)

Understanding Emotions

Emotions Vocabulary

Post a feelings chart

Discuss feelings and the physical signs of various emotions

Emotions Vocabulary

Ask the children to draw how they feel

Emotions Vocabulary

When speaking with a child, acknowledge the

feelings you heard them describe by labeling them for them “It seems like you are sad

As a teacher, verbalize your feelings throughout

the day “I’m feeling frustrated that I can not find the book I

wanted to share with you.” “I am so happy that today is share day!”

Emotions Vocabulary

Sing songs about emotions HANDOUT

2.1 Need adult guidance in managing their attention, feelings, and impulses and show some effort at self-control (48 mo)

2.1 Regulate their attention, thoughts, feelings, and impulses more consistently, although adult guidance is sometimes necessary (60 mo)

Self-Regulation

Impulse Control Activities

Red Light Green Light Simon Says Musical Instruments

Loud/ soft & play/

stop

Sing loudly/ softly

Games

Candyland

Chutes and Ladders

Cooking experiences

Freeze Dance

Hold Still Yo Gabba Gabba

Calming Techniques

Take 3 Deep Breathes

Count to 10

Calming Techniques

Sensory Bags- Rice or sand in bags or deflated balloons for the children to squeeze.

Stress Balls

Calming Bottles- Water bottles filled with gel or water & oil.

Tucker Turtle Takes Time to

Tuck and Think A scripted story to assist with teaching

the “Turtle Technique” By Rochelle Lentini, University of South Florida

Updated 2007 Created using pictures from Microsoft Clipart® and Webster-Stratton, C. (1991). The teachers and children videotape series: Dina dinosaur school. Seattle,

WA: The Incredible Years.

Tucker Turtle is a terrific turtle. He likes to play with his friends at Wet Lake School.

But sometimes things happen that can make Tucker really mad.

When Tucker got mad, he used to hit, kick, or yell at his friends. His friends would get mad or

upset when he hit, kicked, or yelled at them.

Tucker now knows a new way to “think like a turtle” when he gets mad.

Step 1

He can stop and keep his hands, body, and yelling to himself!

Step 2

He can tuck inside his shell and take 3 deep breaths to calm down.

Step 3

Tucker can then think of a solution or a way to make it better.

Step 4

Tucker’s friends are happy when he plays nicely and keeps his body to himself. Friends

also like it when Tucker uses nice words or has a teacher help him when he is upset.

The End!

Center for Social and Emotional Foundations of Learning

http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu

Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention

www.challengingbehavior.org

PBS Teachers

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/theme/socialskills.html

Web Resources

A teacher affects

eternity, he can

never tell where

his influence stops.

b Henry Brooks Adams

Thank you for EVERYTHING you do to make an eternal difference in the lives of children!

God Bless You!

For additional resources please email carlybedard@gmail.com