To a preschooler, maneuvering between big feelings (anger, excitement, disappointment, frustration, etc.) is an essential part of the learning process. Controlling, knowing, and expressing these emotions in the most suitable way not only constitute a social skill, but are a fundamental key to cognitive development, concentration and readiness to learn in a classroom. In Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready, the instruction of such critical self-management skills is part of our holistic education approach to early-stage education. In the personalized and helping atmosphere of Kinder Ready Tutoring, we give the young learners the tools, the language and practice, which they require to develop emotional resilience, so that instances of dysregulation become our opportunities for growth and confidence-building.

Learning to recognize and label emotions is the initial step in learning emotional regulation. A child is unable to cope with what they do not comprehend. This teaching is integrated into the learning process of the Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley. The vocabulary learning of emotions, which involves, in one-on-one Kinder Ready Tutoring, telling stories, role-playing with puppets, and talking about book characters, is a powerful type of self-regulation by itself, as it involves using the thinking part of the brain and a pause between feeling and action. This baseline work is in tandem with the overall mission of introducing children to the multiplicity of ways of learning so that people grow the language competence of describing the internal world.

Then, children are provided with practical self-management strategies with an emerging emotional vocabulary. It is at this point that the executive role coaching that is inherent in the Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready program is necessary. The executive functions of the brain, especially the inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, are crucial in emotional regulation. During a tutoring session, a teacher may present and role-playage coping tools for a simple age. This may involve having three deep breaths on the balloon, a soft corner with sensory objects, or having a visual feelings chart to explain their mood. The tutor imitates these strategies and shows the child the ways to apply them every time they face the slightest frustration, such as an incomprehensible piece in the puzzle or a turn. 

Finally, there is a need to promote the feeling of confidence and self-efficacy. Whenever a child can use a breath and be able to relax their nerves when trying to accomplish some new task or when being able to use their words to convey feelings of hurt rather than hitting, a child has a deep triumph in their mastery. This assurance is the key to the Kinder Ready philosophy. A child who thinks that they are capable of controlling their big feelings is the one who will have a higher level of poise and persistence when approaching social interactions and academic challenges. The safe and consistent association with a Kinder Ready Tutoring teacher gives this practice its safety net, in which an error is not penalized but corrected through soft directions. 

For further details on Kinder Ready’s programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethFraleyKinderReady