Activities

Educators can foster children's self-regulation by:

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• reading a range of texts on emotions and self-regulation.

• practicing yoga.

• singing songs which provide steps or reminders for self-regulation and resilience.

• talking explicitly about emotions and self-regulation, particularly during incidental teaching.

• practicing meditation.

• using games as an opportunity for children to rehearse self-regulation, such as playing 'Pass the Parcel', 'Musical Chairs', 'What's the Time Mr Wolf?' and 'Red Light, Green Light'.

• providing explicit instruction in emotions and self-regulation, including brainstorming red zone emotions and effective calm down strategies.

• creating a safe and predictable environment, including the use of routines, visual schedules and social stories.

• personalising the learning, such as including children's names and photos in social stories targeting self-regulation, sharing personal stories about self-regulation and drawing self-regulation strategies which are effective for the individual.

• engaging children in discussions about self-regulation.

• planning engaging activities that support self-regulation, such as:

  • the use of puppets to brainstorm strategies, role-play, introduce and revisit the concept of self-regulation,

  • creating bubble mixture and blowing bubbles to practise using slow deep breathing,

  • using self-regulation during the opening of a pinata,

  • creating a bubble bath mixture to soak and relax feet in.

• participating in Playworlds which explore self-regulation.

• providing a literacy enriched environment with a focus on self-regulation, including posters with images and print focused on self-regulation.

• building partnerships with families, such as:

  • sharing children's artefacts on self-regulation,

  • sharing information on the learning and how to support children's self-regulation in the home,

  • providing activities to complete at home to enhance the learning. 

• providing resources to support self-regulation, including emotion thermometers, cue cards and visual reminders.

• demonstrating self-regulation and resilience through role-play.

• exploring self-regulation through music, such as creating a calm-down song.

• engaging in mindfulness activities, including mindful drawing, painting, walking and breathing.

• practicing breathing techniques throughout the day, including belly breathing.

• providing opportunities for the children to explore self-regulation through art, such as:

  • colouring, drawing, painting,

  • making glitter jars and watching the glitter settle once disrupted,

  • creating comfort bears or worry/warrior dolls,

  • creating artefacts which can act as a tool or visual reminder for self-regulation, such as stress balls, lavender bath bombs, sensory toys, calm-down flash cards, posters and emotion thermometers.

• providing a calming learning environment, including:

  • playing relaxing music,

  • minimising visual distractions and clutter,

  • providing a calm-down area, which includes calming resources, materials and visual reminders for self-regulation.