Teaching Self-regulation to Children

Back in 2014 I wrote about the value of Chapin's book, "Helping Young People Learn Self-regulation" that includes physical, emotional, and cognitive strategies. Self-regulation is a set of skills necessary for academic success, emotional control and healthy social interaction. I have used the theory and activities from this book for the past few years mostly in small tier 2 groups with students who need more support to manage stress related behavior.

This new Self-Regulation Smart Guidance resources has 10 interactive skill-building lessons. Use it on your computer or Smart Board to teach and reinforce the skills Chapin outlined in his first book. (Note: There is also a teen version of the book.) This tool can used for individuals, small groups, or classrooms. The technology provides an engaging format and the detailed lessons give specific talking points and scripted instructions. It is easy to download all the lesson plans that include high quality worksheets for each lesson. The lessons must be taught in the order they are arranged on the DVD. Chapin emphasizes learning to regulate the body must always come first, followed by emotions, and finally cognitive skills. The lessons on the DVD use language that explain strategies in kid friendly terms. For example, use soft words like some rather than extreme words like always. I am trying out these new lessons on my third and fourth grade self-regulation tier 2 groups. Both these resources are published and available through https://youthlight.com