Over the last several years, I have been part of a local group called The High Plains Early Childhood Collaborative (HPECC) that aims to create a caring community where children are seen as valuable members. HPECC consists of childcare providers, program directors, and other early childhood professionals. This group came together with the help of Lincoln County Rooted in Relationships with a long-term goal of creating sustaining opportunities for social -emotional development in children ages birth to 8 years old. One of the primary activities of Rooted in Relationships is Pyramid Model implementation for center and home-based childcare providers. I began learning about the Pyramid Model when I started doing outreach with the local public school Pre-K classrooms. All classroom teachers and support staff were trained in the Pyramid Model Framework and utilized the methods in their classrooms. There are three tiers to the Pyramid Model as outlined by The…
Tag: social and emotional learning
Books for Spooky Big Feelings
Halloween may be scary, but there is truly nothing spookier than BIG feelings! The Children’s Room can occasionally cross over into the Twilight Zone of temper tantrums, crying children, and flying toys. These big feelings in our youngest patrons may feel like a monster challenge, but a range of emotions is natural for little ones to experience as they grow and develop. And, as every librarian knows, reading books that mirror their experiences can be a wonderful tool to help explore these shifting emotions.
Reading Picture Books through a Social and Emotional Learning Lens
Most children’s library workers have already heard of the concept called social and emotional learning (SEL). In many ways, its exact definition is self-evident: SEL is learning that seeks to address the social and emotional developmental needs of children.[1] Among many other benefits to children’s overall literacy growth, I believe that children’s picture books present rich opportunities for practitioners to extend understanding of specific SEL concepts. Although no single picture book can fully demonstrate all the complexities of SEL, here I have selected some of my favourite, recently published picture books and linked them to the 5 dimensions of SEL which are: Self-awareness; Self-management; Responsible decision-making; Relationship skills; and Social Awareness. The bolded definitions of each SEL domain below were taken from What is the CASEL Framework? Self-awareness: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts. Beneath written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld A child…