This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Adele! This month we are giving away the first four books in the Kids Can Cope series. These books offer kids a wide range of practical strategies they can use to cope with difficult feelings and situations. One lucky reader will win:
To Enter: Leave a comment below describing how you help kids cope with challenges.
For additional entries, leave a separate comment below for each of the following tasks you complete:
Each comment counts as a separate entry. Entries must be received by midnight, February 21, 2020.
The winners will be contacted via email on or around February 24, 2020, and will need to respond within 72 hours to claim his or her prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. Winners must be US residents, 18 years of age or older.
© 2020 by Free Spirit Publishing. All rights reserved. The view expressed in this post represent the opinion of the author and not necessarily Free Spirit Publishing.
My students cope by reading books and then talking about them and making connections on how to relate and deal with the issues at hand.
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I work in a Early Head Start class. We give the children the vocabulary needed to learn about emotions, and role model the appropriate ways to deal with strong emotions.
Our students are dealing with so many challenges these days. They need coping skills now more than ever. Schools and teachers seem so pressed for time. Social and emotional skills tend to fall by the wayside. This series of books can simply address a variety of issues students may be experiencing. Also, the illustrations seem very inviting as discussion points, especially for children who are less (or non) verbal or for very young students. As a life skills instructor, I could help groups or classes of students address and cope with difficult feelings and emotions.
My students and I discuss life events and what is on our minds and how we can cope with them during either Morning Circle or Afternoon Circle. We do an afternoon circle to come back together at the end of the day to discuss our day and the events that unraveled throughout.
This set would be helpful to use with children at the elementary level to help them deal with everyday struggles in a school setting.
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Following and sharing in Facebook. Great books to have and share with colleagues.
I believe this will be an awesome addition for our school, not only for the kids but for all our staff and teachers. I would love this!
God bless,
Marilyn Alonso
I am a youth services librarian at a small public library. I do several story time programs about emotions and feelings each year, and try to keep our collection full of good books that help parents and other caregivers guide their kids through challenging emotions, behaviors, fears, worries, etc. When I have a parent/caregiver and child to help, I try to speak directly to the child and model for the parent. I let the child know that their feelings are their own, and ok and however they feel, they are not “wrong”. So many parents are are apologetic when their kids are shy – this is a constant work in progress.
I focus on breathing as a first step so that my students learn how to pause before reacting. Then I address their specific issue over time using books and other emotional sef regulation strategies.
These look amazing! I can’t wait to check them out.
I belief all of us have faced these situations at one point or another in our lives.
Still as adults we face challenges everyday. By giving our children the right coping skills and
helping them see they are not alone. Books have a way of not just opening up our minds but they reach beyond that. The illustrations the story itself. That is what makes a great author and illustrator they can relate and the human bond to the readers.
I am a Music Specialist, so I teach the whole school. I have incorporated emotional regulation into every aspect of my program. I have built Mindfullness into my routine with the children (which really helps me get through the day too). My students really enjoy our ‘Leaf Breathing’ and as we exhale we whisper positive affirmations to ourselves!
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The best thing anyone can do is be present and understanding.
When a child feels emotional, you need to give them your full attention. If we appear to be distracted, and do not give them our full attention they may feel even more out of control. Being present looks like giving them full focus, not checking emails or doing something else.
Model active listening. After they are done speaking, restate what they just said in their own words not yours. This helps them to feel heard and understood. Also ask related questions. Help them work through positive next steps.
I utilize CBT with children. I have them find evidence for their thoughts to help reduce anxiety. I also use guided imagery for exposure therapy to help reduce fears. ie. visualizing spiders and being calm.
I write Picture Books that deal with complicated socioeconomic issues, such as homelessness, poverty, and food insecurity. As well as a series dedicated to Autistic children and assisting in relating to neurotypical children.
As a school counselor I meet with students that are dealing with some difficult challenges. We talk about what coping skills we can use for school and home so that we have list of what works for them to calm themselves down.
As an elementary school counselor, I help kids cope with challenges in individual counseling, groups and classroom guidance. I love using books to help with talking points. Kids love having characters in stories they can relate to.
Simply starting a conversation asking open ended questions is how I begin to assess the challenges a child has to overcome.
I can help children cope with challenges by listening to them verbally and non-verbally, through observations of daily monitoring following their cues of emotional feelings, screenings, and assessments. Once a child knows that as an manager that I am there offering my support to them and the teachers the child/ren will build trust which creates a relationship in working with child and parent.
I work in schools (4!) doing school counseling. Usually, I help children face new challenges in a variety of ways, trying to be mindful of what each student likes/dislikes. Many times, we read a book about someone facing a challenge, sometimes we will talk about a challenge the child has already faced and succeeded at. Other times, we discover the what is most frightening about the new challenge and teach a skill that the child needs. We talk about the “proud” the child will likely experience after doing what seems impossible. It really depends on the child and his/her needs. Thanks for asking!
I have intervention groups at all levels in my elementary school. Not only am I trying to build their academic skills, but I’m building relationships with kids and trying to help build their self confidence to do and/or be anything that they want.
I personally talk with children to see what the problem is and then we talk about to handle the situations if it happens again or if something different might happen. I would love to have some books for them to read while we wait to talk because some kids are not ready to talk right away.
WE have infused coping skills throughout our school with classroom lessons ( 5 minutes to talk about it’s importance at the beginning of each class), PSA’s on the morning news show, information for parents in every newsletter, Parent Workshops on how to help their children at home, and calm down kits for every classroom and staff member at our school. It has been a challenge to implement all of these strategies but the data has shown that our kiddos have the SKILL TO HELP THEM DEAL! Adding this series to our bibliocounseling will help us continue enriching our students coping skills!
I help kids cope with challenges through discussing a growth mindset! I utilize activities and many books at all age levels as an elementary school counselor. We’re working hard to remember that mistakes are okay and we are growing our brains!
Our center is a bit unique, we are located in a wonderful campus that houses families experiencing homelessness. Our organization is a trauma informed care center that focuses on recognizes trauma in the guests we service. One of our goals as educators is to not only recognize trauma in our youngest guests but to guide them through a healing process through giving them the tools to cope, thrive, heal, and grow. My team teaches through empathy, compassion, love and understanding. These books seem like they would be a great addition to our school and what we strive to accomplish.
Myself and my team of early childhood educators help kids to cope with difficult experiences every day! Everything from frustrated self-help issues to friendship conflicts, not to mention separation anxiety and other social/emotional feelings that are sometime OVERWHELMING to our whole day. We utilize a lot of different strategies based on the situation, age of the child and personal aptitudes of that child. Any and all resources that will help adults and children in these difficult times is worthwhile.
Just followed you on Instagram – love the book Decisions, Decisions:… I always tell students to make good choices y Tomas buenas decisiones!
I put a name to feelings so EL students can recognize, name the feeling and understand that challenges are universal
Teach children strategies to build their resilience through strengthening their protective factors – Initiative, attachment, and self-control.
I am a Kindergarten teacher and social skills are a big part of our day, including skills to deal with various challenges in the school environment and beyond. We have restorative circle three times a week where we discuss problems and ways to solve them. Picture books and role-play are vital to our teaching. This series seams to be a great addition to our social skills library.
I work at Head Start ages 3-5 yr old preschoolers. I am the Education, disabilities, Mental health Coordinator. First, I like to observe children and then engage with play if possible. I want all children to know that they always have that one person that thinks they are the greatest child in the world. I try to guide if they need assistance to problem solve, give them them the vocabulary to express their feelings and it’s ok to have feelings. We are teaching breathing techniques,Tucker Turtle, role playing,scenarios, and reflect at the end of the day.
We will usually sit down and take a couple deep breaths to try and relax. After this we discuss what has happened and what we can do to different to get a better outcome. Usually all it takes is a few minutes time to relax and regroup!
I help children by teaching them self awareness and coping skills. Once they become aware of strengths and things that trigger emotions or behavior, goals are implemented to began the intervention process to positive behavior.
I help kids cope by teaching them that they are cared about always. We work out the challenges daily in our sociol group at school. I love giving them help.
I help kids cope by validating their feelings first. Connection before any correction! Once they feel listened to and understood, the battle is nearly over 😊
As a Life Skill teacher I am faced with students that have a wide range of abilities. sometimes it is
just being able to tell them they just can’t do this skill yet, but we can get there
together and with some help from others. This series seems absolutely appropriate
for these students and I would love to be a winner.
Thank you for all the great stuff you share with us teachers.
Sue
I am always looking for different strategies to teach our emotional support students. You never know what will work for one student or another…
Our program work with children 0-5 years old and we use a lot of calming strategies such as breathing activities, co-regulating strategies, social story books to help children cope with challenges.
Get down at their level and talk with them about the challenge and what can be down to over come the challenge. Use scaffolding technique. Reading books about challenging behaviors.
I help kids cope by teaching them how to calm down. We practice deep breathing, grounding techniques, and using “Calm Down Kits” filled with sensory objects. After calming down, we discuss our feelings and ways to handle problems in the future.
We use a curriculum called “AIM”. It’s a social emotional program to help students identify and implement positive behavior.
I teach Special Needs 3-5 year old students, some of which are non-verbal. We work with identifying emotions using stories, pictures, and song. We do our best to maintaint a welcoming and supportive envirionment (with lots of hugs and cuddles upon request). Our students often do not understand why they are feeling the way they are and do not have the words to even describe the feeling. We also provide safe spaces for calming down or just getting away from the hustle and bustle of the room. Breathing strategies, communication methods, and calm reassurances are a part of our daily routine.
These books look like a great way to add to our toolbox!
I am a school nurse and often times I see children after they have been in a fight and need to be assessed. This is an awesome time to help kids cope with their emotions! I allow kids time to calm down and when it seems like a proper time to have a discussion I introduce some coping mechanisms such as walking away, coloring or talking to a trusted friend. The school I work in can be brutal at times and many children lack basic coping mechanisms, I try in my role to reinforce the coping mechanisms they already know about and practice and introduce new ideas they may not have thought of. The children seem to be perceptive of these discussions.
I work as an LPC for a school district in Texas. I see students who are in kindergarten through seniors in high school on a daily basis. Each of my students has their own behavioral battles, and these books look amazing – something I could really use to help in different areas! Especially the younger students, b ut with older students, as well, who have a difficult time expressing their emotions, so are challenged in learning coping skills.
I’m a mental health counselor who works in schools with students to develop SEL, I use reading & art to help student learn, develop & discuss social & emotional issues in a safe way.
I teach my students to identify how their uncomfortable emotions feel in their bodies and then skills to use in that situation. I like to give my students several coping skills that they are able to choose from and create their own coping skills book.
Our district implemented the Second Step program a few years ago so we start our day off w/this, related stories, video, discussions, etc. Also, a home connection page is sent. I also start our year off and continue to refer to all of us as friends! 🙂
Our district has implemented Second Step and daily we start off w/this lesson, plus read related books, share videos, have talks and call everyone in room ‘friends’. 🙂
provide a quiet space in our classrooms for children to take a break and breath, plus it has soft blanket, a weighted blanket and some books to look at if child chooses.
I work with students who are gifted identified. Students who are gifted have different emotional needs but often need help self-regulating emotions. I try to weave in the emotional piece during our academic lessons- what to do if…
First of all, I have enjoy the content of these newsletters immensely. Thank you.
I assist children with coping skills by offering them the respect THEY deserve, and offering the respect with dignity is extraordinarily huge in this endeavor. If I hadn’t learned over the years how to offer that to myself, and then, others, I would be unable to share this perspective with our children.
I formally retired from the early childhood/elementary classroom last year, and yet, I still find myself drawn to being with children, my own four young grandsons and many others. I feel responsible to engage this generation and generations to come, to offer a living legacy based on the premise of not only why I chose to become a teacher in the first place, yet also to enable a transformation for newness, while honoring the “old” ways to be revived. Such as, commandeering the element of respect along with compassion and kindness, not only for the classroom but as an everlasting life skill. These are genuine attributes for being humanly spiritual. Also, gratitude for yourself and others, in a way that honors the uniqueness of each of us; what we look like, the color of our skin, our frailties and our elegant gifts.
Children thrive on routine, with healthy food and exercise inclusively. Technology assuredly has its place for learning, yet placing it appropriately within a foundational routine is a piece of “best practice”. Offering choices is included in this offering of respect with dignity. Children love to make choices when given the opportunity to do so. It becomes part of their tool chest of life skills. They learn about positive outcomes and consequences in this model. This builds self-esteem and motivation for learning and wanting to learn. Therefore, promoting reciprocity. One cannot learn without being the teacher. A good teacher is on a continuum of learning.
It’s all about the process, not the product. The product is inevitable when foundational tools are naturally instilled.
The other piece that I have found to be profoundly essential for assisting with coping skills, is just being yourself, along with lots of humor and silliness.
Creating a space where the child is invited to take ownership and “live” in that space comfortably with some challenges shows courage and fortitude as well.
I really love sharing Sensory Integration techniques for transitions and to get the brain cells moving along with the body. Crossing mid-line exercises, brain breaks, visual tracking exercise, the use of chimes, music, and even tuning forks I have found useful in the classroom. A multi-sensory experience for children, and, actually, for any of us, stimulates brain growth and body awareness.
Then, of course, there is the matter of the heart. Children inherently know if someone is being authentic with them. When this occurs, the bonding of connection creates an organic container for flexibility, trust, malleability and a willingness to take risks. Joy ends up being the ultimate outcome, along with love.
Ya just gotta consider “the whole” child when offering coping skills and it starts with doing that for yourself. Self-reflection creates the “master teacher” to the degree one is open and willing to receive it and keep in the flow of change. Merely acquiring an M.A. in Education is only a slice of the pie.
Critical thinking for children and teachers ensue when questions are asked and answered with a divergent quality to them. What can I do everyday that will make me the best that I can be and promote the best I can offer?
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Leia Meryt
Each child is unique and difficult situations are uniquely handled as well. For my most troubled little man, it’s gentle hugs and quiet talk to redirect the emotions.
Direct teaching in self regulation skills (i.e. imessages, deep breathing strategies)
I help children cope by establishing a safe environment where they feel comfortable to talk and then tailoring my support based on their needs
I model talking about my feelings to demonstrate and normalize that we all experience both joys and challenges and can grow our capacity to cope!
To help students cope with big feelings, we first teach students how to identify feelings. After they can identify feelings we teach students skills to regulate their big feelings.
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Talk to the child privately.
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I help students to cope by listening and letting them work through their feelings.
As a school nurse in a marginalized Milwaukee community, I strive everyday to help students overcome adversity and embrace vulnerability. A majority of students have encountered trauma, whether physically or emotionally, throughout their childhood; in turn, this dramatically impacts mental health and social functioning. Children have an amazing capacity to model influences of those around them. In my role, I aspire to exhibit and preach concepts like mindfulness and self-control, thus demonstrating to students the benefits of acknowledging and managing one’s emotions. When kids understand how to cope with challenges, not only do they become more successful learners, but also are empowered to break through glass ceilings and social obstacles to foster healthy relationships and a more promising future. With more resources available like this book series, the message and morale I am attempting to build would be profoundly reinforced.
At Head Start we help children cope with difficult feelings and or challenges by teaching them breathing techniques, talk about their feelings or draw how they are feeling. We also help children to understand their feelings and emotions by acknowledging how they are feeling through conversations.
I work with kiddos who can’t cope appropriately Monday- Friday! These books would be really helpful!!!
Marilyn
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This sounds like a great resource for any classroom!
Hi, one way I help kids cope with challenges is validate their feelings. It’s ok to be scared or uncertain.
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As part of our daily routine we talk about how their night went – feelings seem to be a big part of the conversation. Then we try to see what we can do to help like drawing or writing about what is on our minds.
Majority of the kids I serve are experiencing historical, generational trauma, on top of the everyday adversities they face. Truancy is at a high rate, yet there is a percentage of kids that still make it to school everyday regardless of their issues. The kids I work with are resilient, their ears are open, they are listening to the hope and optimism we speak. They have the ability to hear that change is possible, they can make choices and behavior changes, and they can learn to respond differently to situations.
We use many social stories and self regulation teaching.
I try to help talk them through it. We talk about what is it that is challenging, then talk through possible solutions. And positive praise when the challenge is overcome.
I try to have a listening ear and patience so I can help them with their stress. I also try to support the teachers working with these children to avoid burn out.
I help children cope with challenges by listening, listening, listening. I am a reading specialist, but sometimes I feel like a counselor! My students feel so comfortable around me that they open up about all sorts of things.
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My daughter has a tool box to help her when she gets anxious or upset. It has a sensory jar and other ideas to help her.
I always try to prepare my child ahead of time before challenges arise.
Students with ASD have unique challenges with Anxiety. Not one size fits all. I’m always looking for resources that might speak to a student’s unique challenges.
Tipton Adaptive Daycare helps kids cope with challenges through a variety of strategies that focus on skill development in multiple domains, including frustration tolerance, delayed gratification, conflict resolution, and social skills. Rather than solve problems for the kids, we provide scaffolding, prompts and visual cues to assist them with developing the skills needed to solve challenges on their own.
Working in a preschool room, these are all great topics we discuss that the children are going through on a daily basis.What better way to teach them other than through books? We normally use art related activities to express our emotions.
I like to read a good book such as The Hundred Dresses. Then ask for comments from the class on what they felt as this book was read. Some pretty deep hurts come out and some class members look at their friends with new eyes as empathy is born.
It’s difficult to know the best way to help students via online teaching, but I try to be positive and give them opportunities to talk – with me and others who might have had similar experiences.
I use many different coping strategies like smell the flowers blow out the candles.
I like the smelling the flower blow out the candle. However, we switched the candle to a pinwheel. The children love it. I had each classroom to make one. I was concern with the candles in homes. I was at a conference and they used a pinwheel.
I am an Early Care and Education teacher trainer and consultant. I teach workshops to early childhood professionals that aides them in using proper techniques to teach children about emotions, self-control and self-regulation.
I help kids cope with challenges by educating them and providing them with information to develop strategies to cope.
I think the books really help. The content of the book validates their feelings and their classmate’s reactions also validate their feelings because they can see that the material resonates with their peers. Many of the books uses CBT and DBT techniques.
I would like to enter this.
In classroom Counseling Lessons, I help students learn coping skills, ways to calm down, and how to take deep breaths in different ways through activity sheets, books, video clips, and calm down tools.
I work as a school social worker and help kids, teachers and parents find ways to help kids managing their big emotions every day. I love books as a way to help with this because it shows kids that they are not alone in needing to learn ways to handle hard things. I would use these books every day!
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I use lots of different strategies to help kids cope including: size of the problem, physical coping skills, talking and journalling, and social stories similar to the challenge or problem they are facing.
I love the Free Spirit Materials. It is great for the lower cognitive students to relate to.
I created a chart to help a Kindergartener make better choices at rest time. I worked with the lunch mom to give him options and using a smiley face every 10 minutes. If he earns 7 smiley faces he gets a choice of preferred activities in a menu.
We cope with challenges by talking about them. Reading books. We discuss what is challenging in group time and we also talk about them one on one if the child wants one on one time. I also discuss with the children my own challenges.