The power of our thoughts... Grades 4 - 5

As part of our self- regulation exploration in Grades 4 - 5 we tuned into the power of our thoughts to trigger strong emotions. I used a personal example of seeing pictures on social media of a party "I wasn't invited to." Jumping to conclusions, having potentially inaccurate thoughts, can trigger strong emotions which in turn can trigger urges and impulses to do things we may regret or that will make a problem worse. We often talk about the part of the brain, our prefrontal cortex (PFC), that helps us to control those urges and impulses but with it not fully developed until age 25 we have to use lots of other strategies!

One strategy I introduced in Grade 5 is the 3 C's. Catch the thought - by tuning into where the strong emotion came from. Check the thought - is it true, do I have evidence for that and finally, Change the thought. As students head towards Middle School and peers become increasingly important this is a good strategy to keep in their toolboxes as small slights or perceptions can quickly turn into big dramas. Of course this is all developmentally appropriate but hopefully, our continued focus on mindfulness can help! To read more: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/headroom/cbt/catch_it.pdf

Self-regulation in Grades 3 - 5

In Grades 3 - 5 students have been learning about the Zones of Regulation and how tuning into our own emotions, how our body feels and our amount of energy can help us to self-regulate.

• I know that all feelings are okay and they often change.

• My body and face give clues to how I’m feeling.

• It’s important to be in control and recognize when I’m not doing what’s expected.

• Others around us have thoughts and feelings about us when we are out of control or doing the unexpected.

• I have strategies to bring me back to the green zone to do my best learning and get along with others!

Students also tuned into their "triggers"; events or situations that often activate their own strong emotions. From "being hungry" to "something being unfair," students did some wonderful self-reflection to help them plan strategies for their triggers.

Zones of Regulation- what zone are you in?

Children need to be taught explicitly how to regulate their actions when they experience strong emotions. When they can do this, it leads to increased self regulation control and problem solving abilities. Children can learn to recognize their emotions when they pay attention to the responses they are having in the mind, heart and body. In our lessons the students have been exploring how our thoughts create emotions and are learning ways to manage their emotions through self-regulation strategies (taking a walk, getting a drink of water, taking a mindful breath. The Zones of Regulation chart can be very useful to students to help them to recognize when they may no longer be in the green zone. Children still need our help in modelling and demonstrating who to deal with emotions that happen throughout the day.