A Breathing Exercise for Impulse Control
Impulse Control Defined Impulse control refers to the ability to think before acting and to forgo an immediate desire to wait for a later reward. For children, impulse control means developing social skills such as managing to wait politely for food to be prepared;...
Good Health Starts with Self-Regulation
Recently, my teacher sent me this article by Gabor Maté: How to Build a Culture of Good Health. Read it! It beautifully explains the holistic, relational, developmental nature of health that I think we’ve all experienced at some level but never had words for:...
The Dance of Interaction
I just read an awesome book called, The Dance of Interaction, A Guide to Managing Children’s Challenging Behaviors, by Jeanine Fitzgerald. Ms. Fitzgerald is a licensed mental health professional and certified Human Behavior Consultant and Specialist, with 35 years of...
Make Friends with TIME
What if your new mantra was: I have plenty of time? Say it to yourself a few times .... let it sink in to your body and mind as fact. Let yourself feel that you have plenty of time. Notice your internal response. Did you soften, widen, slow down, take a deep breath?...
Why Emotional Resilience Education & Training Should Be Core Curriculum
Stress and traumas, large and small, are a part of daily life in our new digital age. Online, we and our children witness regular devastation from crime and weather, wars and refugees, terrorism, teen suicide, cyber humiliation, addiction, abuse of all kinds, and...
Why Mindfulness Practices Are Worth Your Instructional Time
If you have not yet instituted regular rituals with your children that develop mindfulness, it’s time. The research from neuroscience, education, child development, and positive psychology all agree. Practices that cultivate self-awareness and the ability to self-care...
Naturally Self-Regulate for Better Learning, Behavior, & Achievement … Reminders from a Type A
I am a homeschooling parent, a skilled and knowledgeable movement specialist, and a brain science geek. I KNOW that less stress equals greater access. I teach self-care and regulation. I know that the endorphins released when we laugh, sleep, and move are natural...
How Stories Focus our Attention & our Hearts to Enhance Memory & Empathy
In our homepage powerpoint, we site the work of Paul Zak. His research shows how stories stimulate both cortisol, which focuses attention and oxytocin, which activates empathy. By actually changing brain chemistry, stories are powerful motivators and teachers....
Self-Regulation in the Digital World – A Necessary Balance
Our world is becoming increasingly digital. Technology is integrated into all aspects of our lives and has transformed how we engage in most of our activities - work, play, communication, entertainment, shopping, recording, and creating of all kinds. Scientists can...
Self-Regulation Happens in the BODY!
A recent article in Developmental Psychology and Committee for Children reports that children with higher levels of self-regulation achieve higher scores in reading, vocabulary and math. As any therapist, teacher or parent, who has knowledge of sensory integration...