Supporting Self-Regulation in Children

5 Things to Know or Do:

1. Self-regulation, the ability to manage strong emotions, behaviors, and reactions, is a skill that continuously develops from infancy to adulthood.
2. One of the most significant ways adults support the development of self-regulation in children is through role-modeling. Children learn by watching the adults around them.
3. Self-regulation improves social and academic outcomes because it allows children to focus, control impulses, compromise, express emotions in a healthy way, make positive decisions, and problem-solve.
4. Changes in routine, exhaustion, or illness can affect a child’s ability to self-regulate. Remember, behavior is communication, and the lack of self-regulation may be a clue that something is wrong.
5. Matching behavior expectations to a child’s age and stage of development can help the child avoid frustration.  Ask yourself “Is this a can’t or a won’t?”- Does the child not have the skills or understanding to do what is asked?

 4 Children Read Alouds

1. My Body Sends a Signal: Helping Kids Recognize Emotions and Express Feelings - Natalia Maguire. "How to teach kids about emotions and feelings? Like teaching them everything else - using clear words, familiar situations, exciting pictures and a lot of hands-on activities (games, puzzles, coloring pages, etc.). The book includes a cute story that kids can relate to, beautiful illustrations that capture children's attention, calming-down activities for kids, instructions to adults on the follow-up activities, emotions cards, feelings cards, coloring pages and related short stories to teach kids empathy." 
2. What Should Danny Do? - Adir Levy. (Fairfax Library) "What Should Danny Do? is an innovative, interactive book that empowers kids with the understanding that their choices will shape their days, and ultimately their lives into what they will be. Written in a "Choose Your Own Story" style, the book follows Danny, a Superhero-in-Training, through his day as he encounters choices that kids face on a daily basis. As your children navigate through the different story lines, they will begin to realize that their choices for Danny shaped his day into what it became. And in turn, their choices for themselves will shape their days, and ultimately their lives, into what they will be."
3. I’m Just a Kid: A Social-Emotional Book about Self-Regulation - Chandele Morris. "In I’m Just a Kid, Ben’s big emotions can be overwhelming, but with a little help from Mom, he learns how to engage more mindfully, self-regulate, and develop emotional resilience."
4. It’s Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel - Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. (Fairfax County Library) "Learning not to hit? Having to wait your turn? Sitting still? It's hard to be five!  But Jamie Lee Curtis's encouraging text and Laura Cornell's playful illustrations make the struggles of self-control a little bit easier and a lot more fun. Kids will laugh in recognition of siblings, classmates, and friends—and maybe even themselves."

3 Sites to Visit

1. How Can We Help Kids With Self-Regulation (Child Mind Institute) See webpage for link to article in Spanish
2. How Toddlers Learn Self-Control from 24-36 Months (Zero to Three)
3. Trouble with self-regulation: What you need to know by Amanda Morin (understood.org)

 2 Videos to View

1. Cookie Monster Practices Self-Regulation
2. Executive Functioning Skills: Building Self Regulation Skills - Behavior Intervention Services at FCPS
3. Additional videos created by FCPS BIS around understanding executive functioning, compromising, being flexible, managing feelings and more can be found here.

 1 Point of Research to Access

1. Promoting Self-Regulation in the First Five Years: A Practice Brief

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