Mental Health
What is my child learning?
Key learning targets:
Your child is learning to focus attention on his or her body and to look for clues about how he or she is feeling.
Your child is learning to manage strong feelings by saying stop, naming the feeling, and using different ways to calm down.
Your child is learning steps to help solve problems. Saying the problem without blame is the first Problem Solving Step.
Your child has been learning skills to help him or her be a better learner and get along with others.
Your child is learning another skill for learning: being assertive. Being assertive helps children communicate what they want and need in a way that is respectful towards others.
Your child is learning to identify other people's feelings based on physical, verbal, and situational clues, and that people can have different feelings about the same situation.
Your child is learning to notice and understand feelings in him or herself and others.
Why are these skills important?
Understanding that everyone can experience different feelings and perspectives helps children get along better with others.
Learning how to show compassion for others helps children take action on their feelings of empathy.
Identifying how others feel and understanding that feelings can differ help children have empathy for others.
Being assertive helps children communicate what they want or need in a way that is respectful towards others.
Using the problem solving steps helps children solve difficult problems, like dealing with negative peer pressure.
These important skills will help children be more successful in school, at home, and later in life.