Character Education: Self-Regulation

Today we had our first lesson on self-regulation. What is self-regulation?

Self regulation has two sides: First, it involves the ability to control one's impulses and to stop doing something, if needed... for example, a child can resist his immediate inclinations to blurt out the answer when the teacher poses a question to another child. Second, self-regulation involves the capacity to do something (even if one doesn't want to do it) because it is needed, such as awaiting one's turn or raising one's hand. Self regulated children can delay gratification and suppress their immediate impulses enough to think ahead to the possible consequences of their actions or to consider alternative actions that would be more appropriate. While most children know that they are supposed to "use their words" instead of fighting, only children who have acquired a level of self-regulation are actually able to use them".

It's an important component of the Kindergarten program. A part of self-regulation is being aware of our bodies and behaviour and being able to modify them based on the situation at hand.

Today we learned about the "engine" that is inside of us. Our lesson today explains our level of energy in 3 kid-friendly ways: slow, fast, and just right. Today we learned about what each level looks like. Fast is when we are running in the classroom, acting silly, screaming across the room, etc. Slow is when we're lethargic, sluggish, and just need a little boost. Just right is well, just that! Attentive and doing what we're supposed to be doing. We will continue to learn about our "engine" levels, how we can identify which one we're at, and how we can change levels to adjust appropriately to the task :)

Today we introduced bins that can help us alter our engine levels to "just right". The theory behind altering our engine levels is by using our five senses. Of course, we couldn't include all of them, but this is what I've come up with :) I've created 2 bins to help students get to "just right".

The first is called the "Calm Down Bin", and it's filled with all kinds of things that will help us chill out a bit :) It includes the following:

• a soft teddy bear (to cuddle with)
• pad of paper and crayons (to relax and draw a picture)
• squeeze toy (balloon filled with sand, to get out any aggression)
• lavender-scented rice with gems (evoke our senses)
• mini windmill toy (blow out any excess energy) 
• glitter 'calm down' jar (shake it to get out any excess energy and watch the glitter settle)

The next one is called the "Rev Up Bin", and it's filled with a couple of things students can do to help peak their energy. Unfortunately we couldn't include pixie sticks or redbull, so this is what I came up with :D

• coffee grounds (no, not to eat, but to smell... it works!)
• paddle ball (to help us concentrate and get us moving a bit)
• the game "Perfection" (to wake us up a bit!) 

Of course, the calm down bin will be used more than the rev up bin, and we will be helping students to identify how their engine is running and direct them to the appropriate bin. We have also helped try to minimize any distractions in the classroom (natural colours, comfortable environment) and keeping it as organized as possible.