The Stress-Free Me! Educator’s Guide and illustrated poem books, Stress-Free Me! Finding Your Calm, contain information and activities to manage stress for children.
The intent of these books is to help children ages 8 to 14 understand that there are times in everyone’s life when something occurs that causes fear, stress, or uncertainty, but there are many effective coping strategies to manage these emotions so that it will not overwhelm or incapacitate them.
If children can learn new strategies and rehearse these methods to manage their feelings, they can be empowered by their own success.
The strategies in the Finding Your Calm book are actual suggestions used by the authors who are licensed school and professional counselors. Their own children and grandchildren have utilized these suggestions as they, too, have worked through unfamiliar scary, frustrating, or challenging situations. The poem and attractive illustrations will appeal to students and show them techniques for handling stressful situations.
The Classroom Experiential Activities in the Educator’s Guide are useful and practical exercises for groups and individuals:
- Reading to a Child
- Managing Stress and Demonstrating Emotional Control: Experiential Small Group/Classroom Activities
- What Stresses You Out?
- Working Through Stress
- Control Squares
- Relaxation Exercise
The authors realize the value of helping children develop positive coping skills to deal with stress before it becomes debilitating. Early intervention is imperative in assisting children to develop effective coping strategies before negative and self-defeating responses can influence their social, emotional, and academic experiences.
The Educator’s Guide is 34 pages and the poem book is 12 pages.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
What the Research Says About Stress and Anxiety 2
What Interventions Work? 4
Developing Positive Adult/Child Relationships 4
Additional Resources for Adult Stress Management 6
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Strategies 6
Growth and Fixed Mindsets Strategies 7
Mindfulness Training Strategies 9
Breathing Breaks 10
Teaching Children About How Their Brain Works 13
Virtual or Onsite Calming Rooms 14
Tapping 15
CASEL 15
Bloomsights.com 16
Classroom Experiential Activities 17
Reading to a Child 17
Managing Stress and Demonstrating Emotional Control: Experiential Small Group/
Classroom Activities 19
ACTIVITY: What Stresses You Out? 21
ACTIVITY: Working Through Stress 23
ACTIVITY: Control Squares 25
ACTIVITY: Relaxation Exercise 27
References 29
About the Authors 33
“Stress Free Me! Educator’s Guide is something that is sure to catch the attention of the SEL world! I love that it spotlights the positive impact a relationship between an adult and child has on children’s self-efficacy, and coping skills. When students have a stressful moment and turn to the poem book Stress-Free Me! Finding your Calm they will see that everyone has moments of fear and anxiety, but they can work through them with the help of a caring adult!
– Brooke Heiter, 3rd Grade Teacher and After School Program Director
“Rhonda, Sameen, and Sarah provide great insight, as well as valuable tools to help educators/counselors build positive relationships with their students as well as those who take care of them. The companion poem book is a must for those that want to increase their toolkit for building relationships with students. It provides great insight into the “why” behind the stresses and anxiety they face.”
– Ben Polonowski, MA, LPC, NCC, School Counselor
