Ok, can I be honest with you for a second? 

I used to dread summer PD. 

There. I said it. The binders we never opened again. The keynote that was inspiring in the moment and completely gone by August. The three-hour workshop on a strategy that sounded great until you tried it on a real Monday with real kids who hadn’t slept and had three tests that week. 

I have sat through a lot of professional development in my career. Some of it changed me. A lot of it didn’t. 

And somewhere in the middle of all of it, I started asking a different question. Not “Was this interesting?” but “Will I actually be able to use this?” 

That question changed everything. 

Summer Is a Gift — Don’t Waste It on Forgettable PD 

Here’s the thing about summer that nobody talks about enough: it is the only time in the school year when you have room to think. Real thinking. Slow, spacious, what-if kind of thinking. 

During the school year, we’re in survival mode more often than we’d like to admit. We’re reacting, pivoting, staying afloat. We don’t have the bandwidth to deeply learn something new and actually integrate it. 

But summer? Summer is different. Your nervous system gets a chance to downshift. Your brain gets to wander. And when you find the right learning — the kind that speaks directly to the real problems you’ve been carrying all year — something clicks in a way it just can’t when you’re in the thick of it. 

So the question isn’t whether to invest in yourself this summer. The question is: what kind of learning will actually travel back into the classroom with you in the fall? 

I have an answer. And I think you already know what I’m going to say… 

…The PD That Follows You Home 

The professional development that has stayed with me the longest hasn’t been about curriculum maps or data dashboards. It’s been the learning that helped me understand people — including myself. 

It’s been the training that finally gave me language for what I was watching in my classroom every day. The kid who couldn’t sit still wasn’t defiant — his nervous system was dysregulated. The girl who shut down during transitions wasn’t lazy — she was in a fear response. The student who lashed out right before lunch wasn’t a behavior problem — he was surviving. 

When I got trauma-informed, everything changed. 

Not just my discipline approach. Not just my classroom culture. My entire relationship with the work changed. I stopped feeling like a failure on the hard days. I started responding instead of reacting. I felt more effective, more compassionate, and — I won’t lie — a lot less burned out. 

So What Does That Actually Look Like? 

Let me walk you through some options that I wish I’d had earlier in my career — and that I genuinely believe can transform how you show up in the fall. 

If You Have Half a Day… 

Some of the most powerful learning I’ve experienced happened in a single focused morning — and Starr has several half-day sessions that prove exactly that. 

Depending on where you are and what you need most, there’s something for you: maybe it’s rethinking discipline through a trauma-informed lens or finally addressing the compassion fatigue you’ve been quietly carrying. Maybe it’s walking into September with a toolkit of belonging-centered strategies or shifting how your whole school thinks about safety and connection. Whatever the itch you most need to scratch, there’s a half-day designed for it. 

These sessions are practical, grounded, and built to travel home with you. 

 Starr’s half-day trainings are available in-person or virtually — flexible, budget-conscious, and ready to deploy. Explore the all of the options. 

If You Have a Full Day… 

One full day, invested wisely, can reorient the entire trajectory of your year. 

Starr’s full-day Building Resilient Classrooms training gives you the whole picture — the neuroscience, the heart, and the how. You’ll come away understanding not just why students do what they do, but exactly what to do about it. It’s the training I wish I’d had in year one. Evidence-based, deeply human, and built for Monday morning. 

 Interested in bringing a full-day training to your school or district? Reach out to discuss how to schedule your session.

If You’re Ready to Go Deep… 

Some summers, you feel the pull toward something more. Something that doesn’t just add to your toolkit but genuinely changes your professional identity. 

“10 Steps to Create a Trauma-Informed Resilient School” is Starr’s signature two-day certification training — and it is the real deal. 

This is where you earn your Certified Trauma and Resilience Specialist (Education) credential. It’s not just information; it’s transformation. You walk away with concrete, research-backed steps to shift your entire school system toward trauma-informed, resilience-focused practice. It answers not just the why but the detailed, unglamorous, glorious how. 

And here’s what one participant said — and I promise I’m not just putting a pretty quote in because I have to: 

“I loved the different resources and strategies that [the trainer] led us through. They were tangible, practical things we could use in the school setting.” 

That’s it. That’s the whole thing right there: tangible, practical, usable. That’s what sets this apart. 

Available in-person, live virtual, or self-paced on-demand — so it works around your summer, not the other way around. 

 Ready to become a Certified Trauma and Resilience Specialist? Learn more today.

One More Thing Before You Go 

I want to say something that doesn’t get said enough in PD spaces: 

You already care deeply about your students. That’s not the gap. 

The gap — for most of us — is having the language, the framework, the resources, and the community to match the level of care we already feel. We’re doing our best with what we know. This kind of learning just gives us more to work with. 

And when you come back in the fall with a fuller toolkit, a clearer lens, and the words to name what you’ve been experiencing all along — the classroom feels different. You feel different. And the kids? They feel it too. 

That’s not magic. That’s just what happens when an adult shows up more regulated, more grounded, and more equipped. 

That’s what good PD does. And that’s what summer is for. 

Here’s My Honest Invitation 

If you’ve been on the fence about investing in yourself this summer — let this be the nudge. 

Pick the option that fits your time, your budget, and the itch you most want to scratch. Start with a half-day if that’s what feels manageable. Jump into the certification if you’re ready to go all in. Or simply subscribe to Starr’s newsletter and get 15% off a certification course or StarrPASS membership — and spend the rest of the summer deciding. 

There’s no wrong entry point. There’s only starting. 

And I can promise you this: the September version of you will be very glad the June version of you made the call. 

See you in the fall — a little more rested, a little more ready, and a whole lot more equipped. 

With hope and solidarity, A fellow educator who found Starr — and stayed. 

The post Summer PD You’ll Actually Use Next Year appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

In those early years, when the brain is sculpting itself with each laugh, each question, each scrape and comforting word, how we show up matters in ways that textbooks barely capture. As early childhood professionals — whether you teach, nurture, guide, or lead a center — we witness so much more than ABCs and counting. We witness the entire human experience unfolding in tiny bodies and big emotions. That’s why learning is never just about what we teach; it’s also about how we understand the children entrusted to us. 

For educators today, taking that next step in professional learning isn’t a luxury — it’s a commitment to seeing each child with clarity and compassion. This is where trauma-informed practice becomes less of a buzzword and more of a lens through which we view every interaction, every challenge, and every triumph. 

Explore Starr’s Early Childhood Trauma Certification program 

Imagine a world where every early childhood space feels safe, predictable, and joy-filled — a classroom where a child knows their nervous system will be met with patience, not judgment; where the adult’s steady presence is the anchor that makes exploration possible. This is the heart of trauma-informed practice — not an add-on to your skillset, but an embodiment of your promise to children and families. 

Starr’s Trauma and Resilience Specialist – Early Childhood certification helps translate that vision into practical strategies rooted in science and connection. It invites professionals — preschool teachers, childcare specialists, directors, and assistants — to deepen their understanding of how stress and trauma show up in young learners, and equips them with tools to respond, not react. You’ll explore how trauma can alter brain functioning, learn proactive strategies centered on relationships, safety, and resilience, and build behavior support plans that honor a child’s needs. 

But perhaps the most profound takeaway isn’t the certificate on your wall — it’s the shift in how you see. You begin to notice the subtleties of a child’s expression, celebrate the small emotional victories, and bring intention to your calmest breath when the room feels loud and unpredictable. This isn’t just training — it’s transformation. 

Learning like this doesn’t just elevate your craft. It rejuvenates your heart for the work, reminding you why you walked into this field in the first place: to be present for a child who needs someone to notice, to understand, and to stay. It’s about nurturing your own professional and emotional resilience so that when challenges arrive — as they always do — you are equipped to meet them with grounded confidence. 

So here’s my invitation to you: embrace learning as an act of courage. Let curiosity be your compass. Each course, each resource, each conversation with a colleague is an opportunity to expand not just what you know, but how you care. 

Because at the end of the day, early childhood doesn’t ask us to be perfect — it asks us to be present. And the more we invest in ourselves, the more profoundly we show up for our children. 

The post Cultivating Curiosity: When Professional Growth Meets the Heart of Early Childhood appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

We ask our students to be curious, to reflect, to stretch beyond their comfort zones — but somewhere along the way, many of us forget that we’re learners too. Professional growth often feels like one more meeting, one more slide deck, one more hour to squeeze into a day already stretched thin. But what if growth didn’t have to be so heavy? 

What if learning could be lighter — smaller, intentional moments that refill rather than drain? 

Growth in Small Sips 

You know that feeling when you take the first sip of coffee and finally breathe for the first time all morning? That’s what bite-sized learning can feel like — a pause that nourishes your spirit instead of adding to the noise. 

Maybe it’s a short podcast that shifts how you see your students. 
Maybe it’s a reflective question that lingers long after dismissal: 
“What do my students need most from me right now — and what do I need to show up for them fully?” 

When we approach professional learning not as an obligation but as an act of self-care, we transform it. Growth stops being something to check off a list and becomes something that fills our cup. 

Because the truth is: the more we care for our own growth, the more capacity we have to care for ourselves and our students. 

Learning as Self-Care and Self-Reflection 

Educators are master givers — we pour, and pour, and pour. But if we’re not careful, we run dry. Continued learning is one of the simplest, most sustainable ways to pour back into ourselves. 

It’s not indulgent — it’s essential. 

Every time we invest in ourselves, we strengthen the model we offer our students. We show them that learning doesn’t stop after graduation, that curiosity and reflection are lifelong habits worth practicing. When students see us learning, struggling, and trying again, they learn that it’s safe — even brave — to do the same. 

Professional growth isn’t always about new strategies. Sometimes, it’s about slowing down and digging deeper into what matters most. 
It’s asking questions like: 

• How can I better understand my students through a trauma-informed lens? 

• How can I regulate myself before responding to a challenging moment? 

• How can my classroom reflect compassion, not just compliance? 

The best growth begins with reflection — the kind that reminds us who we are, and why we chose this work in the first place. 

Digging Deeper: Growth that Heals and Transforms 

That’s why Starr Commonwealth created the Certified Trauma & Resilience Specialist in Education. 
It’s not another “sit-and-get” PD — it’s a journey into the heart of what it means to teach, mentor, and lead with humanity. 

Through flexible, self-paced modules, educators explore how trauma and resilience shape the learning brain, discover strategies that build safety and belonging, and reflect on their own wellness and emotional capacity. Each lesson is practical, empowering, and restorative — like giving your professional heart a deep breath of fresh air. 

We tell our students, “Mistakes mean you’re learning.” But do we truly believe that for ourselves? When we model curiosity, humility, and courage, we remind our students — and ourselves — that growth isn’t about perfection, it’s about progress. 

Maybe your “bite-sized” step this month is trying one new strategy from a workshop, finishing the book that’s been sitting on your desk since August, or finally enrolling in that Starr course you’ve been eyeing because deep down, you know it’s time to nurture you. 

The Invitation to Return to Yourself 

Learning isn’t one more task to check off; it’s an invitation to return to yourself — to the “why” that called you into education in the first place. 

When you grow, your students feel it. 
When you heal, your classroom becomes a place of safety. 
When you take one small step toward learning, you model hope — and hope, in education, is everything. 

So take your growth one sip at a time. Start small. Start today. And remember: you are worth the investment. 

Explore the Certified Trauma & Resilience Specialist in Education — your next bite-sized step toward a stronger, more resilient you – because you deserve it!  

The post Bite-Sized Professional Growth: Nourishing the Educator Within appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

Instead of calling across the room, Ms. Harper knelt beside him.
“I see you’re not ready yet, buddy. Want to pick three blocks to keep building after snack?”

A pause. A sniffle.
And then — the tiniest nod.

That day, Leo didn’t just clean up blocks.
He practiced trust.
He learned that grown-ups could help him feel safe even when things change.
And Ms. Harper? She learned that connection beats correction every single time.

These are the everyday moments that make trauma-informed care in early childhood so powerful — quiet, intentional choices that whisper to a child’s nervous system, “You’re safe here.”

What “Trauma-Informed” Really Means (Especially for Little Ones)

When we hear “trauma,” we often picture big, life-changing events.
But in early childhood, trauma can look much quieter:

• A baby who cries without comfort
• A toddler who moves homes again and again
• A preschooler who watches adults argue or feels unsafe at bedtime

For children under five, their world is their relationships. When stress or fear becomes part of that world — and no one helps them make sense of it — their tiny bodies stay on alert. They learn to survive instead of thrive.

The good news?
Healing happens in relationships, too.

When children experience calm, consistent, and caring adults — at home, in childcare, or in the community — their brains and hearts begin to heal. Safety, predictability, and play are the medicine.

Seeing Through a Strengths Lens

At Starr Commonwealth, we like to start from what’s right with a child — not what’s wrong.
Every child, no matter their story, carries strengths waiting to be seen. Maybe it’s curiosity, creativity, empathy, or pure persistence. When we notice and name those strengths, we build resilience from the inside out.

Here’s what a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach looks like in practice:

• Instead of “Why is he acting out?” we ask, “What need is he showing me?”
• Instead of focusing on problems, we focus on potential.
• Instead of correction, we offer connection.

When we start there, everything changes — for the child, for the caregiver, and for us.

Everyday Ways to Build Resilience at Home or in the Classroom

Trauma-informed care doesn’t require fancy materials or clinical jargon. It begins in the ordinary:

Connect before you correct.
When a child misbehaves, start with empathy. “I can see you’re upset. Let’s take a breath together.”

Create predictable routines.
Morning hellos, goodbye songs, snack rituals — these small rhythms tell children the world is safe and steady.

Let them choose.
Even toddlers can pick between the red cup or blue cup, two songs, or two books. Choice builds agency, and agency builds safety.

Co-regulate.
When children can’t calm themselves, we lend them our calm. Slow your tone, soften your body, breathe together.

Use play as healing.
Play is how children tell their stories. When we join their world with presence and imagination, we speak the language of trust.

Celebrate micro-wins.
“Wow, you took a deep breath!” “You asked for help!” These moments reinforce growth, hope, and pride.

For Professionals: Creating Trauma-Responsive Environments

If you’re an early childhood educator, caregiver, or administrator, you already know—your presence matters as much as your practice. Here’s how to make your environment a place of healing:

• Design calm, predictable spaces: soft lighting, visual schedules, cozy corners.
• Equip and care for your team: reflective supervision, peer support, ongoing learning.
• Partner with families: honor their voice, culture, and strengths.
• Integrate multi-tiered supports: universal (for all), targeted (for some), intensive (for few).

Remember: trauma-informed care isn’t just about children’s behavior, it’s about adult wellness, too. A dysregulated adult cannot co-regulate a child. You can’t pour from an empty cup, so build routines that support your own calm and connection.

Why Certification Matters

Becoming trauma-informed isn’t a single training — it’s a mindset shift, a lifelong commitment to seeing every child through the lens of possibility. Starr Commonwealth’s Early Childhood Trauma Certification helps educators, counselors, and caregivers go deeper into:

• Understanding early childhood brain and emotional development
• Applying trauma-responsive, strengths-based strategies
• Supporting co-regulation and emotional safety
• Building resilient systems that protect and empower young children

Certification connects you with a network of professionals who believe, like we do, that healing happens when we lead with love, not labels.

A Closing Thought

Every day, adults like Ms. Harper make small choices that change the trajectory of a child’s story — not with grand gestures, but with grounded presence and grace.

Trauma may be part of a child’s past, but it doesn’t define their future.
When we lead with empathy, structure, and strengths, we don’t just calm storms — we teach children they can weather them.

Because the truth is: resilience grows in the soil of safety.
And that’s something every child deserves.

Learn more about how you can help nurture resilience in the earliest years through Starr Commonwealth’s Early Childhood Trauma Certification.

The post The Little Moments That Build Resilience: A Trauma-Informed Lens for Early Childhood appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

And here’s the best part: This holiday season, as a valued member of Starr’s community, you can bring the magic of Goodtimer home with an exclusive offer—up to 40% off!

Here’s how Goodtimer can help your child develop resilience and transform challenges into growth opportunities.

1. Set Clear, Achievable Goals

Goodtimer empowers kids by involving them in creating simple, kid-friendly house rules using the app or included children’s book. These rules set clear expectations, giving children the confidence to work toward achievable goals while reinforcing their sense of agency. A handy rules sticker offers a clear, visual reminder for little ones.

2. Celebrate Success and Learn from Mistakes

As children follow the rules, Goodtimer lights up glowing segments and rewards them with tokens once all 12 segments are activated. Tokens can be redeemed for family-chosen rewards like a movie night or a favorite activity.

When mistakes happen, flipping the Goodtimer pauses progress without punishment. This creates a safe space to reflect, learn, and bounce back stronger.

3. Tackle Missteps Positively

When rules are broken, simply flip Goodtimer upside down to pause the glow. This gentle signal encourages reflection and opens the door for a supportive conversation about better choices and social emotional learning. The app provides tailored tips, helping everyone refocus and move forward.

Why Families Love Goodtimer

Goodtimer doesn’t just encourage good behavior—it builds life skills that prepare children for success. Here’s why it works:

• Strengthens Emotional Resilience: Kids learn to self-regulate, recover from mistakes, and approach challenges with a growth mindset.
• Reinforces Positive Actions: Goodtimer focuses on celebrating success, building confidence and self-esteem with every good choice. Recognizing good behavior is one of the most effective motivators for kids.
• Engages the Whole Family: By turning goal-setting and rewards into a collaborative process, Goodtimer fosters a strong family connection.
• Customizable for Individual Needs: Parents can adapt Goodtimer to fit their child’s unique personality and developmental stage, offering actionable guidance when needed, making it a thoughtful partner for families.

Add Goodtimer to Your Parenting Toolbox This Holiday

This is your opportunity to make positive parenting even easier—and save while you’re at it! During the holiday sale, Goodtimer is available for up to 40% off.

Visit www.gogoodtimer.com to learn more and grab yours at this unbeatable price.

With Goodtimer and its new app by your side, you can turn challenging moments into opportunities to teach, connect, and grow. Let’s make great choices together!

The post Positive Parenting Made Easy: Turn Challenges into Wins with Goodtimer This Holiday Season appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

What’s New?

Our goal was to create a platform that enhances the user experience while addressing the challenges of navigating multiple systems. Here’s what you can expect:

One Account for Everything—No more juggling multiple logins across multiple sites! The new platform now allows you to access all your courses, resources, certifications, videos, and StarrPASS membership content using one account. Whether logging in to continue a course or exploring additional resources, everything is now available at store.starr.org.

Streamlined Navigation—We’ve redesigned the platform to provide a more intuitive, user-friendly interface. With a clearer structure, finding the resources you need—whether course materials, certification information, or other learning tools—is easier than ever.

Seamless Access—The platform’s redesign ensures a smoother experience and offers an improved user experience for navigating courses and learning materials. You’ll find it easier to move between lessons, access supplementary resources, and track your progress— with fewer clicks and more intuitive navigation. We aim to save you time and make your learning journey as straightforward as possible.

Simplified Certification Packages—As part of our platform update, we’ve streamlined our certification offerings. Previously, we offered silver, gold, and platinum packages of our trauma specialist certifications. These have now been combined into one simple certification package for each audience (education, early childhood, and clinical), including the course, certification, digital badge, and digital and printed resources. This new, comprehensive package ensures you have everything you need in one place, making the certification process clearer and easier to navigate.

Why These Changes?

You spoke, and we listened. We know how frustrating it is to manage multiple logins across different platforms and face challenges when accessing content quickly. We’ve worked hard to address these pain points and provide a more integrated and cohesive experience. The upgrade is all about making the learning process more efficient, saving you time, and giving you quicker access to the information that matters most to you.

What Do You Need to Do?

If you’re ready to explore the upgraded platform, here’s what you need to know:

Thank you for your patience and support as we continue to improve your experience. We’re confident these changes will make learning and accessing content easier, faster, and more efficient. As we transition to the redesigned platform, we’re committed to providing a smooth and seamless experience. However, if you notice anything missing or encounter any errors, please bear with us as we refine and improve the system. Your understanding and patience are greatly appreciated, and we encourage you to contact our support team at info@starr.org if you need any assistance or have any feedback.

Head over to store.starr.org and start exploring the new platform today!

The post Introducing Our Redesigned Store Streamlined Certifications: Access Everything in One Place appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

Courageous Choices is a comprehensive social-emotional learning (SEL) program that equips students with essential skills in emotional awareness, self-regulation, and resilience. Available in versions for K-5 and early childhood (Pre-K), the program addresses the critical need to build self-awareness and foster lifelong self-regulation strategies. This updated edition continues to offer CASEL-aligned tools for teaching social, emotional, and behavioral skills, grounded in trauma-informed and resilience-focused principles. Through Courageous Choices, students learn to manage emotions, improve behavior, and apply these skills in all areas of life, both in and outside school.

What’s Included?
Courageous Choices offers a rich suite of materials to support SEL in classrooms and behavioral health settings, designed for skill development, practice, and reinforcement.

• Guidebook: Printed and digital guidebooks per grade level
• Calming Corners Visuals: Tools for a self-regulation space in each classroom
• Google Slide Lessons: Ten digital lessons to introduce each SEL skill
• Posters: Display materials to support continuous skill reinforcement in the classroom
• Student Worksheets: Exercises for practicing and reviewing each skill
• Parent/Caregiver Strategies: Tools to encourage skill reinforcement at home

The post Transform Learning with Social-Emotional Skills appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

The post Building Sustainable Mindset Shifts Together: A Journey to Trauma-Informed Resilience appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

Focusing on brain development, science, and research about the nervous system provides a greater understanding of how new resilience-building interactions and experiences – not fear or punishment – resolve challenging symptoms, reactions, and behavior in children.  Certification supports confidence and motivates professionals to implement strength-based best practices to reduce challenging behavior, decrease anxiety, aggression, and rule-breaking behavior, increase academic performance, and enhance overall well-being.

“This makes so much sense. Yes, we have to address the child’s pain before behavior will ever improve. I can’t believe I never learned these concepts before taking this certification.”
– Elementary educator

There are three distinct Trauma and Resilience Specialist Certifications for competence and proficiency in particular fields: Clinical, Education, and Early Childhood. Clinical professionals such as social workers, counselors, and therapists master the SITCAP® model, a sensory-based approach to working with traumatized youth. Educators learn detailed and concrete actions to create supportive and restorative classrooms and school climates. Early childhood professionals like preschool teachers, childcare specialists, early childhood center directors, and staff learn how to make every interaction with children an opportunity to provide protective factors to promote optimal development.

“I feel so much more confident now. I know I am an excellent practitioner, but I have been desperate for concrete tools to use with the children in my practice.”
– Social Worker

Certification provides professional credibility and recognition for those who desire to learn and participate in a solution to address the national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. Your role in this is significant and impactful. Starr’s theory of change states that when trauma-informed, resilience-focused adults work within trauma-informed, resilience-focused systems, the overall well-being of all children will increase.

Check out our Certified Trauma and Resilience Specialist Certification and get 20% off during our Back to School Sale!

The post Lead with Confidence—Earn Your Trauma Certification Now appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.

Importance of Co-Regulation

Experiences in early life set the stage for a child’s ability to notice and regulate emotions and behavior. During early childhood, children’s brains continue to develop rapidly, which is closely linked to their capacity for self-awareness and regulation. Infants and toddlers who receive predictable, consistent, and nurturing caregiving develop brain connections and memories that help them recognize their needs and how they are met. This fosters trust in their caregivers, as their experiences demonstrate that someone will help them meet their needs. As they become preschoolers, children begin to connect how they have been cared for with what they can do to meet their needs themselves. Conversely, those who experience unpredictable or inconsistent caregiving might recognize their needs but struggle to start meeting them independently. They might display behaviors to attract adult attention or attempt to meet their needs but fall short.

Role of Co-Regulation

Co-regulation is essential for all ages, especially during early childhood. It involves regulating alongside the child rather than expecting them to manage their needs and emotions independently. In co-regulation, adults help children notice overwhelming emotions, bodily sensations, and needs and then work together to manage these experiences. For example, an adult might say, “Oh, you are feeling really angry; maybe that is why your hands and legs feel like they need to move. Let’s walk down the hall so they can move.” Alternatively, an adult might kneel to the child’s level and help them pick up fallen blocks, taking intentional deep breaths for the child to observe.

Engaging Strategies for Self-Awareness and Regulation

Let’s explore some engaging strategies for self-awareness and regulation that you can share with preschoolers. The effectiveness of these strategies lies in their interactive engagement between a calm, caring adult and the child. Children need to see, hear, and feel the strategy in action. They must first witness the strategy, then learn and practice it repetitively to integrate it into their memory for future use.

• Rainbow Breathing
  Do you know the colors of the rainbow? If you do, tell me some of them. If you don’t, I can start for you. Each time we name a color, we will take a deep breath in and then a deep breath out. For example, if we start with red, we breathe in red (deep breath through the nose) and then breathe out red (exhale through the mouth). Repeat with all the colors.
• Be a Tree
  Let’s pretend we are trees. Stand up very straight, as if your body is the trunk of a tree. Feel your feet on the ground and imagine roots growing down from them. Now, stretch your arms out wide and then up high and out wide again. These are your tree branches. Wiggle your fingers, which are the leaves on the branches. For your face, blink your eyes, wiggle your nose, and smile. These can be apples or acorns on your tree. Feel your feet, legs, and body strong like a tree trunk and your arms stretching like branches. Wiggle your fingers, blink your eyes, wiggle your nose, and smile once more. Look at you, a calm, confident, and beautiful tree!

Benefits of Breathwork and Movement

Breathwork and movement are quick ways to regulate emotions. Both naturally calm the body’s nervous system, making them beneficial for children. If a child is tired or reluctant to participate, these techniques can also help with engagement.

Read more: 5 Reasons for Teachers to Co-Regulate Emotions.

The post How Co-Regulation Supports Early Childhood Growth appeared first on Starr Commonwealth.