Ms. Anna

School Psychologist

Hi everyone! I hope you all are healthy and making the best of your time at home. I miss all of my preschool friends so much!

This time is tough for all of us, so please don't hesitate to reach out if you would like to consult. I have office hours daily from 10-11 AM and 1-2 PM. My email is russoa@cantonma.org

I'm happy to help, and I'd love to hear from you!

Until we meet again, here are some social emotional strategies and videos to enjoy at home.


Parent Resources

Here are some of the best articles I've found to help with parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Coronavirus Parenting: Managing Anger and Frustration from the Child Mind Institute

Single Parenting During the Coronavirus Crisis from the Child Mind Institute

Helping Siblings Get Along When You Have To Stay at Home from PBSKids for Parents

How to Coach Kids Through Big Emotions from PBSKids for Parents

Big take aways: use reflective listening (e.g. “You seem sad that your sister took your toy”) help kids connect their emotions to feelings in their body, and help them problem solve how to fix problems.

Here are some easy social thinking strategies that you can work into your daily routine:

  • Practice identifying feelings while reading and watching videos. Ask your kids to guess how characters may feel based on their facial expressions.

  • Use the language of “Group Plan”. Ask children to explain the “Group Plan” before you start new activities. For example, if you are going on a walk together, the group plan may include staying close to grown ups and looking both ways before you cross the street.

  • Play the “What Am I Thinking About” game. Our children have been learning about “Thinking With Your Eyes”. Take turns guessing what others are thinking about based on what they are looking at.

  • Remind kids of their "Personal Space Bubble". You often hear our kids exclaim "You're popping my bubble!" when friends get too close. You can also use this concept to explain social distancing... "Right now we need even bigger personal space bubbles to keep us healthy when we are outside"

  • Sing our Whole Body Listening song with your child before starting a new activity

Whole Body Listening Song

(to the tune of Frère Jacques)

Eyes are Watching

Ears are Listening

Lips are Closed

Hands are Still

Feet are really Quiet

Heart wants to Try it

Thinking with our Brain

Thinking with our Brain

Social Thinking Strategies

Here are some easy social thinking strategies that you can work into your daily routine:

  • Practice identifying feelings while reading and watching videos. Ask your kids to guess how characters may feel based on their facial expressions.

  • Use the language of “Group Plan”. Ask children to explain the “Group Plan” before you start new activities. For example, if you are going on a walk together, the group plan may include staying close to grown ups and looking both ways before you cross the street.

  • Play the “What Am I Thinking About” game. Our children have been learning about “Thinking With Your Eyes”. Take turns guessing what others are thinking about based on what they are looking at.

  • Remind kids of their "Personal Space Bubble". You often hear our kids exclaim "You're popping my bubble!" when friends get too close. You can also use this concept to explain social distancing... "Right now we need even bigger personal space bubbles to keep us healthy when we are outside"

  • Sing our Whole Body Listening song with your child before starting a new activity

Whole Body Listening Song

(to the tune of Frère Jacques)

Eyes are Watching

Ears are Listening

Lips are Closed

Hands are Still

Feet are really Quiet

Heart wants to Try it

Thinking with our Brain

Thinking with our Brain

Learning About Emotion Words

Sesame Street's "Word on The Street" series has some really great videos to build social emotional vocabulary:

Confidence

Respect

Jealous

Courteous

You can also test your knowledge with their "Name that Emotion" video!

Calming Videos

We could all use some extra relaxation these days. Try these strategies out with your preschooler!

Balloon Guided Meditation

Learn to Belly Breathe with Elmo

Melting Your Feelings

Social Emotional Stories

Reading is one of the best ways to teach kids about social skills. Since we can't go to the library, the StoryTime Family series on YouTube has read-alouds with some great social emotional themes. Here are some of my new favorites:

Perfectly Percy by Paul Schmid- Problem Solving and Persistance

Be A Friend by Salina Yoon- Friendship and Individuality

Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller- What does it really mean to be kind?