Promoting Social Emotional Competence

Promoting Children’s Success: Alternatives to

Anger and Impulse

Adapted for Kindergarten-Grade 1 from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning by Genetta Gross, Margret Thorstenson, Melissa Binkley & Elizabeth Vorhaus

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The single best childhood predictor of adult adaptation is not school grades, and not classroom behavior, but rather, the adequacy with which the child gets along with other children.

-Willard Hartup, President of International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development

Remember…Social Skills are Important!

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Review…When Do We Teach Social Skills?

Identifying Feelings in Self and Others

• Learning words for different feelings• Empathy training • Learning to recognize how someone else is feeling

• Facial cues• Body language• Tone of voice• Situational cues

• Learning that all feelings are valid but should be expressed in an appropriate manner

• Learning how to control anger, relax, and calm down

Controlling Anger and Impulse• Before children can learn to problem solve, they must learn to control anger and impulse

• This involves three concepts:• Recognizing anger in

oneself and others• Knowing how to calm down• Expressing anger in

appropriate ways

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Discussion: Learning to Calm Down

• With your co-teachers, define “calm” and “tense” in developmentally appropriate terms for your classroom.

• How could you teach these emotional states to children?

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Take 3 deep breaths…1..2..3

Adapted from Incredible Years Dinosaur School

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Relaxation Thermometer

Turtle Technique

Recognize Recognize

that you that you

feel angry. feel angry.

““Think” Think”

Stop.Stop.

Go into shell. Go into shell. Take 3 Take 3 deep deep breathes. breathes. And think And think calm, calm, coping coping thoughts. thoughts.

Come out of Come out of shell when shell when

calm and calm and think of a think of a solution.solution.

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Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Tuck and Think

• A scripted story to assist with teaching the “Turtle Technique”

• By Rochelle Lentini• March 2005

Created using pictures from Microsoft Clipart® and Webster-Stratton, C. (1991). The teachers and children videotape series: Dina dinosaur school. Seattle, WA: The Incredible Years.

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Tucker Turtle is a terrific turtle. He likes to play with his friends at Wet Lake School.

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But sometimes things happen that can make Tucker really mad.

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When Tucker got mad, he used to hit, kick, or yell at his friends. His friends would get mad or upset when he hit, kicked, or yelled at them.

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Tucker now knows a new way to “think like a turtle” when he gets mad.

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He can stop and keep his hands, body, and yelling to himself!

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He can tuck inside his shell and take 3 deep breaths to calm down.

Step 3

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Tucker can then think of a solution or a way to make it better.

Step 4

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Tucker’s friends are happy when he plays nicely and keeps his body to himself. Friends also like it when Tucker uses nice words or has a teacher help him when he is upset.

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The End!

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Super Turtle LetterDear Parent,

Billy did a great job today handling frustration and not getting angry when we ran out of his favorite cookie at snack. Instead of getting upset, Billy took three deep breaths and decided he would try one of the other cookies. That was a great solution and he really liked the new cookie too!

You can help Billy at home by: Asking him what he did at school today when we ran out of his favorite cookie. Ask him how he calmed down. Comment on what a great job he did. Tell him that you hope that he will do that again when he gets frustrated about something.

Thank you so much!Mr. Phil

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“Turtle” Yoga

Other Appropriate Ways to Express Feelings

• Exercise (taking a walk, jumping jacks)• Writing or drawing feelings• Listening to music• Do something relaxing • Read• Talking it out with someone you trust• Do something constructive (study, clean)• Have a “Chill Out” or “Feelings Corner”

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Activity: Anger Management Action Plan• With your co-teachers, discuss how you will introduce anger management/impulse control skills to your classroom.

• Think about including:• Turtle technique• Feeling thermometer (tense/relaxed)• Other ways to express feelings

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Questions?