Teaching snapshot

​Jai notices that many children in his four-year-old group have difficulty with separation anxiety.  He locates the target skill related to this behaviour – emotional self-regulation.  He locates the Early Years Learning Outcome aligned with this skill – Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.  Jai uses ASELS to search for appropriate activities and resources to develop the children’s emotional self-regulation.  He devises a week's worth of activities to begin the topic and writes changes he will make to the environment related to the learning goal of supporting children's management of anxiety:

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Week 1 - 

Environment:

• Calm down area available for children to retreat to (including a tent with cushions, audio books & sensory toys). 

• Rainforest sounds gently playing in background on arrival. 

• Soft lighting in the room (blinds up, lights off). 

• Herbal tea party station on arrival for families and children to enjoy warm calming tea with other families, educators, friends, dolls and teddies. 

• Emotion posters on display. 

• Books on keeping calm available at tables and on the mat for the children to read/view.

 

Activities:

• Introduce children to the topic of keeping calm.

• Read a story about calming down from worrying thoughts.

• Present the Emotion Poster (found in 'Emotional Awareness' in ASELS).  Hold a discussion on emotions.  See whether the children can identify the worried emoji.  

• Hold a discussion about how worry feels and what things can cause us to feel worried.  Label worry as an uncomfortable emotion.

• Have the group brainstorm strategies to help them calm down when worried.

• Make a poster of the brainstormed strategies to act as a visual prompt.

• Sing ‘If you’re happy and you know it” and then add a new verse focused on feeling worried ‘If you’re worried and you know it and you really want to show it, if you’re worried and you know it…tell a friend/sing a song/make funny faces/visit the calm-down area…etc.  Use the brainstormed suggestions as a guide.

• Complete a short, guided meditation daily.

• Practice yoga daily.

• Repeat three positive affirmations multiple times across the day - “I can do it!”, “I’m brave”, “I’m confident”.

• Make worry dolls/warriors for the children to share their worries with and take their worries away.

• Make stress balls.

• Provide families with activities to do at home (use the calendar of activities in ASELS).​​​​​​​​​​​

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As Jai begins his week of learning activities, he uses moments of intense emotional expression as teachable moments (“Mohammed, you look worried that your mum has left.  That's an uncomfortable emotion isn't it.  I wonder what you can do to help yourself feel better”).  He coaches children when required (“Let’s do three belly breaths together to help you feel better Mohammed”).  He models this process to the group each day and provides them with the opportunity to rehearse breathing techniques, in preparation for their use in context.  Jai offers feedback to the children, assisting them to develop their ability to use correct belly breathing.  He reviews concepts learnt at mat time each day.  He has several visual resources around the room, which he discusses with the group on a constant basis, to assist with this process (“Everyone look at our Belly Breathing poster.  Let’s blow up a big imaginary balloon, just like the girl on the poster.  Doesn’t she look relaxed?”).  An Emotion Thermometer is another learning resource visible to the children in the learning space.  Throughout the day, Jai refers to the thermometer, making reference to which emotional zone he's in before asking children to identify the emotional zone the children are operating in.  He makes use of the calm-down area throughout the day, prompting children to visit the area when he feels they could benefit from some quiet time to relax and recentre.

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Sample documentation:

Outcome 3

Children have a strong sense of wellbeing.

Children become strong in their social, emotional and mental wellbeing.

This week we focused on developing the children’s emotional self-regulation to help them better manage anxiety and separation from caregivers.  When we can regulate our emotions, we become strong in our social, emotional and mental wellbeing and have better opportunities to learn and develop.  The children learnt relaxation techniques, rehearsed them daily, brainstormed strategies to calm-down, read books and sang songs on the topic, and created artefacts to support the learning.  (The above planning table is included in the documentation).