Podcasts for Kids

Podcasts for kids?    !!!YES!!!

Podcasts can be a valuable learning tool 

                          and will support social emotional learning too.

Quality podcasts designed for children can improve Listening skills and build engagement by offering multitudes of topics. Kids learn about science, history, and culture. Listeners can hear  stories from around the world by an infinite number of diverse authors.

Speaking and listening are critical life skills. Listening to podcasts, especially together, Starts dialogue and builds conversation skills. It keeps us curious and encourages questions and exploration of new ideas.

Podcasts as a replacement for Reading? NO, but as an engaging literacy support? YES. Listening carefully, developing voice, creating mind pictures and fostering creative thinking are complex reading skills. Podcasts also expose us to new words and phrases which builds vocabulary. all of this leading to children becoming readers. 

How can podcasts support SEL? Communication, self-awareness, empathy, problem-solving, and self-control are all skills that typically fall under SEL. Listening to podcasts benefits children in the same ways that reading and thinking about good book does. Listening connect students to others who are like themselves, and also expose them to new people, places, experiences and ideas. Read Book Love for questions to help you talk about books (and podcasts!)

 Listening to podcasts together can foster strong relationships. if children and their important adults listen together the benefits increase. They are  a  fun media alternative that brings families together — no screens required.

Give podcast a try, you will be surprised at the benefits.

Share these  and other podcasts with kids to help them develop essential skills, develop their communication and literacy skills, and become confident and complex thinkers.

Check Out These Great Lists from  Common Sense:

Best Podcasts for Kids

Podcasts for Social Emotional Learning

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Need More Convincing?  Watch Bellow for some GREAT recommendations

Book Love

 

Books are a powerful tool in social emotional learning and development. The act of reading has been found to help children of all ages relax and feel happy. Young readers also report feeling more confident and better able to solve real-world problems. 

There are many beautiful stories written around specific SEL topics including empathy and effective problem solving, recognizing and managing our emotions, developing healthy relationships, and responsible decision making. 

However, ALL books can support social emotional development. Books connect students to others who are like themselves, and books also expose students to new people, places and experiences. 

Talking to children about the books they read is one of the best ways to support their literacy development. It is also a great way to connect and talk about important topics. 

Here is a short list to help you to start a book discussion with kids:

 

15 ~SEL~ Questions to 

Ask Your Child 

About a Book

Before reading, ask:

• Why did you choose this book?

• What makes you think this book is going to be interesting?

• What do you think it's is going to be about?

• Does this story remind you of another book, movie or experience you've had? 

• What kind of characters do you think you might connect with in this book?

During reading, pause to ask:

• Why do you think "_X_" happened? What do you think will happen next?

• If you were that character in that situation, would you do anything differently?

• Did this part change how you're are feeling? 

                        For example, "I heard you giggle! Does this part make you feel silly?"

• Where does the book take place? Would you want to visit there?

• Which character(s) might make a good friend?

After reading, ask:

• What was your favorite part of the book? Why?

• Who was your favorite character? Why?

• What was the most interesting thing you learned? Why does it interest you?

• Why do you think the author wrote this book? What book might you like to write?

• Did the problem in the story get solved? How do you solve problems?

A FEW of my favorite book lists:

77 Children's Books About Mental Health (ChildMInd)

Peter Reynolds' collection themes. SEL and MORE! 

Common Sense Books All Kids Should Read By Age 12

Goodreads Book List By Age

What Is SEL? This short video helps us to better understand key ideas:

Curious to learn even more? 
Here are a few great articles on the mental health benefits of reading:

Psychology Today

National Literacy Trust

NCBI Research

Summer Transitions

 

August is summer. The sun shines and the days are warm and wonderful! August is also our transition month. It connects us to September, our bridge into autumn. 

August is a good time to think about how we manage our transitions back to school and work. Parent, teacher or student, we all need to be mindful to make decisions to be our best self! With that, I offer my take on Do's and Don'ts for our summer break.

Do

Do Enjoy Find something good in every day. Look around and be thankful for the things around you, no matter how small. I am always thankful for family, the warm sun and blue waters!

Do Travel 🌎 You don't have to go far. Not everyone boards a plane to find new adventures. LOOK around for new places and opportunities to try something new right in your own hometown. EAT new food, or LISTEN to new music.  READ! Reading can take anyone to new places and introduce us to interesting people. Your town library has so many wonderful places to take you if you just ask. 

Do Sleep 💤 Sleep is a critical part of our wellness. Even as your schedule opens up, remember to maintain healthy bedtime and morning routines. Sleep deprivation is a real health concern. Our bodies need sleep to ensure healthy brain function and to maintain our physical health. Check out recommended hours by age here.

Don't 

Don't think that being nervous, or worrying,  is for little kids and new situations. Do you worry when trying new things? Remind yourself that summer is the perfect time to get out of your zone and make mistakes too!  So, try your new bike. Learn a new craft. Cook something interesting.  Jump in and then bring your stories back to school with you.

Don't be afraid to be bored! Take time to enjoy the outside. Look at clouds. Draw. Breathe. We are all so used to being busy that we easily forget that sitting still is also good for us. 

Don't forget to read and write, it will keep your skills sharp! Keep a journal or 🔏 write your own book. Tell stories to your family and ask them to share theirs too. Your brain needs to be challenged so use puzzles and games to keep it growing all summer long.

Don't save school preparation tasks for the last week of vacation.  Do you have a summer assignment? Will you need new supplies? Waiting can be easy to do and some people find it fun to do all at once, but is that going to increase your excitement, or make you feel overwhelmed? Be smart and make a plan that works for you and your family.

Don't forget that exercise, healthy snacks and a water bottle are important every day! It is fun to try new foods and healthy to relax. Remember to eat well and get moving too! Limit screen time and get outside. Take advantage of the weather and your extra time with family and friends. Your brain and body will reward you.

If we are thoughtful, our transitions into summer and then back into school will be smooth and full of positivity.  While I always look forward to new beginnings,  I encourage everyone to

ENJOY every day! 

Be well and we'll see you soon 🧡

Resources:

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Summer Journal

42 Summer Activities for Kids

Back to School Books & Resources

Slightly Off Topic~

Last summer I enjoyed days of intense writing through the Southern Maine Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project. When it ended I was different. When it ended, I felt strong, grounded and clear. When it ended I promised myself I would continue to write. I didn't. 

So now, every so often, I will write here with a different voice. There might be a subtle shift in point-of-view. On a blog primarily designed to share resources and thoughts around counseling and social emotional topics, this might feel slightly off topic, but is it? 

Writing IS social emotional. 

Writing has many benefits for emotional well-being. Writing can be a creative outlet where we feel safe to explore our thoughts and emotions, leading to stronger self-awareness and emotional regulation. Writing can also support goal setting,, helping the author to gain insight, reflect on progress, and make adjustments. Lastly, writing can help us learn to reflect and express ourselves which can help us to communicate better in other ways. Building a disciplined writing habit can even improve concentration, a skill we all need in the fast, instant gratification world in which we now live.

I write for myself. I write to encourage others. I write because writing is a powerful tool, an emotional outlet, and an art of communication.

❤❤❤

Notable Articles 

Reading Rockets Article: SEL and Writing

Edutopia Integrating SEL Into Writing

CELEBRATING GRATITUDE

 

 November                              a time of celebration  

Thanksgiving is a well-known November holiday celebrated by families and friends. There are many other days to celebrate in November, some are meaningful and serious and some are just for fun. 

Veterans Day

Native American Heritage Month

World Kindness Day

World Children's Day

Picture Book Month

World Jellyfish Day

National Sandwich Day

On each of these days, we take time to remember and be thankful for something.  November is also a good time to talk about gratitude. 

GRATITUDE  is the positive emotion of being thankful. It is being able to show thankfulness, and to return kindness for things you have or things someone has done for you.

GRATITUDE can be a very powerful tool that can keep us healthy, so

How can we practice gratitude?

Spend a few moments every day

thinking about the things in your life that you are grateful for

• Thank someone for the positive influence they have in your life
• Do something kind for another person to show that you are grateful
• Pay attention to the small things in your life that bring you happiness

Gratitude works a bit like your muscles and the more you work it out, the stronger it becomes.

Do you want to think about it some more?

Here are a few good read~aloud books on the topic of gratitude:

And a few more choices!

CHOICE BOARD

Recognize, Refuse and Report

 The Three R's and Bullying Awareness

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and we are learning to recognize, refuse, and report bullying behavior with the Second Step Bullying Prevention Unit. 

We learn to think about the difference between teasing, conflict, and bullying since there is often confusion between the three. They can look very similar. 

The more students, staff, and parents can be informed and caring bystanders, the safer our community will feel for all students.  Committee for Children has a fun superhero, Captain Compassion® if you would like to keep the conversation going with kids. 

Reading aloud together is a great way to keep the conversation going too! Below are some of my favorite books on bullying prevention and kindness:

Each Kindness J. Woodson                                The Invisible Boy P. Barton 

Enemy Pie by D. Munson                                    The Juice Box Bully Sornson & Dismondy

Sorry! by T. Ludwig                                              Mean Soup B. Everitt

Just Kidding by T.  Ludwig                                  My Secret Bully T. Ludwig

        Don't have the books? Google the titles and find a great read aloud online! 

This is one of my favorites 😊

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What Is Your Superpower??

 

Every child (and grown up) is super and special in their own way! We all have different strengths, challenges, and characteristics. The combination of those things is what makes up our super powers. It’s important to embrace these and show the world just how awesome we are!   

It's important for us to understand and appreciate the superpowers of our friends, schoolmates, family and neighbors... and our own too!

We all have abilities, or things we are able to do. Many people also have "disabilities", or things that might difficult or even impossible, to do without support or tools. Sometimes having a challenge to overcome makes us even more powerful~ that's why we prefer to say our different abilities are our superpowers, and not disabilities.

 Do you remember learning 

                        about the word EMPATHY? 

Empathy is being aware of other people's emotions and trying to understand how they feel or think.

Imagine what it might feel like to have a disability 

or a very different superpower. 

How would you like to be treated by the people around you? 

Do you want to learn more? Listen to this great introduction and let's work together to help everyone, with all types of abilities and superpowers, feel welcome and included.

THINK about YOUR strengths and challenges...

what are YOUR superpowers???