Momentous Institute has been building and repairing social emotional health for nearly a century. Almost anywhere you look, the research confirms what we know to be true – that people with solid social emotional intelligence are happier, healthier and more successful.
All lessons are built on safe relationships and move up through self-regulation, awareness of self and others, empowering students to be change makers themselves. We wrapped-up Safe Relationships in the first six weeks of school and have moved on to the next step in our Social Emotional Learning: Self-Regulation.
Self Regulation breaks down the importance of the Brain-Body connection, Breath work, Feelings, Body, and Impulse Control. In October we learned about the roles the brain and breathing play in self-regulation. Next up: Feelings!
As children grow, their capacity to handle their emotions improves, but most young students still have a way to go before they can do this effectively. One of the best ways to support development of this skill is to acknowledge your child’s feelings - even if you don’t agree with them. When your child is angry, a simple statement like, “I can see you’re angry” can be enough to diffuse the intensity of that emotion. You can follow up with a boundary statement like, “I can see you’re angry. It’s not okay to hit someone when you’re angry.” Finally, consider offering your child a choice. This might sound like, “I can see you’re angry. It’s not okay to hit someone when you’re angry. If you need to hit, you can hit a pillow or your mattress.” When the strong emotion has calmed down, try talking to your child about how the intensity of their emotion changed with time. When a child is in the middle of an emotion, they often can’t see that the world will ever be right again. Helping them think about their own experience of returning to calm will help them remember that even strong feelings pass.
What Is It?
Feelings are emotional states or reactions that stem from circumstances, mood, or relationships and are not permanent, but change throughout the day.
Why Is It Important?
It's important to learn about feelings because kids need words that tell exactly how they feel.
