This week, our Summer Social Skills Groups focused on {Self-Regulation - Identifying Small, Medium, and Big Problems}! Below we will share a short excerpt from a homework packet parents of our group members received. Learning social skills (or any behavior) is a team effort!
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Problems come in different sizes, and our reactions (which come from emotions) come in different sizes. Socially, it is expected that the size of the emotion + reaction matches the size of the problem. If this is off balance, OVER or UNDER reactions may occur, which can often create additional problems. Don’t we all struggle with that sometimes?
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As we work to build self-awareness in our early learners, children may eventually gain enough self-regulatory capacity to hear those word in their brains and in the moment think, “Stop, and think. This is a {small} problem. A {small} solution is to breath and stay calm.” This level of self-awareness could be years and years away, but think of your role of parenting as planting seeds of understanding:
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Parenting tip: It is very helpful and essential to model this type of thinking behavior for your child(ren). As small or medium problems emerge in your life, talk to your child about what you’re noticing, how you feel, and how you are reacting. The more times you can point out your own thinking and behavior, the more opportunity you give to your child to learn what goes on inside the mind. This will help them to learn to think inside their own minds when problems arise, as they often do!
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Have questions or want to learn more? 📩 info@hsvba.com // www.hsvba.com
