Strategies to Enhance Emotional Resiliency in Young Children

1. Strategies to Enhance Emotional Resiliency in Young Children

2. PEAR Programs, Education, Advocacy, Resources

3. (PEAR)-Programs, Education, Advocacy, Resources • Provide interactive learning • Teaching tools to develop confidence in and out of the classroom • Evaluation and follow-up to determine effectiveness of knowledge learned

4. The ABC’s of Social and Emotional Development of Young Children • A=Affirmation • B=Basic Needs • C=Construct the environment at an age appropriate level

5. Examine your own approach… • Ask yourself? –What does the child need or want? • How should I approach this challenging behavior? • How can I aid the child to express his thoughts or feelings?

6. Look at your own ability to self-regulate… • What do I do when I am stressed or confused? • How can I master a particular task at work or home? • What is driving me to be upset or distraught?

7. The Early Years • Birth to five years • Sensory stimulation, bonding and attachment, trust vs. mistrust, security, independence, social acceptance with peers, emotional intensity, and differentiation.

8. Toddler developmental milestones… • Typically, toddlers want to master skills and tasks independently. However, their sense of mastery stems from their perception of being able to express their wants and needs in order to obtain what it is they want and often demand what they need. • Toddlers live from one moment to the next.

9. Toddler milestones continued… • They often perceive themselves as the director of their own lives and you as the teacher or caregiver are in a supporting role. In an attempt to maintain control, they assert themselves in defining how and when your services are needed. -Debby Golonka, MPH, May 25 2007, Healthwise.

10. Social and Emotional Developmental milestones for three year olds… • Three year olds • More willing to be apart from parents • Enjoys playing with others • With encouragement develops the ability to take turns and share • Age of pretend modeling characters from TV or stories

11. Three Year olds continued…. • Make believe friends (imaginary friends) • May need help knowing what is real and what is fantasy • Work out conflicts • Age of pretend modeling characters from TV or stories • Gender differences in activities

12. Social and Emotional milestones for Four year olds…. • Begins to understand the difference between reality and fantasy • May demonstrate empathy for others • Begin to demonstrate interest in sexual differences, may compete with parent of the same sex for the attention of the other parent.

13. Social and Emotional Developmental milestones for five year olds… • Able to manage feelings in social situations with greater independence • Can calm down on their own or try strategies like negotiation and compromise to resolve conflict before seeking adult help • Improved skills for forming and maintaining friendships with adult and other children

14. Continued five year olds… • Develops relationships with trusted adults but prefers a closeness to a few special people • Self esteem and self awareness of skills and knowledge • Expresses thoughts and feelings in complex terms • Being accepted by “the group” is becoming more and more important!

15. Emotional Resilience-ER • Having an understanding of one’s feelings in order to share, express, label, and determine what an individual wants or needs. • How do you build ER in your own relationships?

16. How do you build ER? • Provide a nurturing and safe environment • (calm tone of voice, awareness of child's needs) • Less reactive, more reflective and proactive • Self-soothing messages, teaching self-talk) • Permission to explore their feelings and ask for what they want and need

17. Emotional Resilience can build social skills… • Provides confidence • Capacity to develop and sustain positive peer relationships • Increases ability to effectively communicate emotions • Provides problem solving -”Center on the social and emotional foundation for early learning”

18. Learning ER styles:Four approaches to aid children to express thoughts and feelings.. • Active Listening • PRIDE • CARE • Biomes-Beyond Behavior management (BBM)

19. Active Listening • Group Activity: • ”The tale of two stories” • Two Volunteers • Process experience

20. Active Listening • Use empathy, compassion, and reflection: • Steps: • Stop what you are doing, • look at the child, • give full attention, • listen to what is said, • reflect on what you heard and/or what you see • (REFER TO HANDOUT)

21. Role Play with Bari and Susan Volunteer needed to demonstrate coaching case scenario and process situation • What did you observe? • What kinds of behaviors would this approach best be suited to address? • What are the pros and cons? • How would this apply in your classrooms?

22. PRACTICE, PRACTICE… • 1) Get into PEARS • 2) Turn to handout, choose a scenario • 3) Practice • 4) PEARS coach PEARS (use observer sheet to affirm strengths you see)

23. WHAT IS PRIDE? • Praise • Reflection • Imitation • Description • Enthusiasm

24. P R I D E • Sheila Eyberg, clinical psychologist • Used to build and sustain relationships • Used to assist children to label and express thoughts and feelings • Used to further language development • Refer to handout

25. PRIDE Guidelines: • Be intentional when using PRIDE language with children • Can use one in a one sentence interaction as you observe the child at play • Can use during a block of time devoted to addressing behaviors

26. Role Play with Bari and Susan-volunteer needed! • What did you observe? • What kinds of behaviors would this approach be suited to address? • What are the pros and cons? • How would this apply in your classrooms

27. Practice, Practice, Practice! • 1) Get into PEARS • 2) Turn to handout, choose a scenario • 3) Practice • 4) PEARS coach PEARS (use observer sheet to affirm strengths you see)

28. C.A.R.E • Child Adult Relationship Enhancement • A system of interaction with children that teaches the three “C’s”: Compassion, communication, and confidence • Focuses on three “R’s”: building positive Relationship; Reinforcing positive behavior, and Redirecting negative behaviors.

29. C.A.R.E. • Especially helpful for children who: • Have difficulty following directions; • Sustaining attention; • Non-compliant behavior; • Emotionally challenged; • Special needs: emotional, social or physical

30. C.A.R.E. Language • Positive interactions that utilize the 3 ‘P’s’:praises, paraphrasing and “play-by-play” (similar to steps used in PRIDE) • Ignoring or avoiding negative behaviors and interactions;

31. C.A.R.E. GUIDELINES • By using your enthusiasm, you will encourage the child to be positive and enthusiastic; • Teacher works to “catch the child” in a positive behavior and then get excited; • Focus on positive behaviors • Teacher provides feedback on appropriate behaviors

32. Role Play With Susan and Bari and volunteer • What did you observe? • What kinds of behaviors would this approach be suited to address? • What are the pros and cons? • How would this apply in your classrooms

33. PRACTICE, PRACTICE… • 1)Get into PEARS • 2) Turn to handout, choose a scenario • 3) Practice 4) PEARS coach PEARS (use observer sheet to affirm strengths you see)

34. Jenna Bilmes-BBM • Beyond Behavior Management • Six Life Skills; umbrella for all strategies! • What are the six life skills to create pro social behavior for children?

35. Beyond Behavior Management • Attachment • Affiliation • Self-Regulation • Problem Solving • Initiative • Respect

36. Six Life Skills • Attachment-Safety, recognizing authority, feeling cherished • Affiliation-sense of belonging, “they like me here!” And “I am a part of the group.” • Self-Regulation-”I can do what is asked of me, I am in control of my emotions and behaviors; • Problem-Solving: “I can take care of myself in conflicts” • Initiative-”I can ask for what I want” • Respect-”I am special, everyone is unique!.”

37. Evaluation and Summary • Please take a moment to complete the PEAR evaluation form attached to your handout • We look forward to working with you again soon! • -Bari Kraus and Susan Kleine