Here is a free self calming deep breathing activity. Print and cut out the deep breathing cards. The child can take 4 deep breaths trying to breath in through the nose (smelling the flowers) and out through the mouth (blowing out the candles). You can print the activity at https://www.yourtherapysource.com/freecalmbreath.html [subscribe2]
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy published research analyzing 275 parental responses to 3 questions on history intake forms regarding concerns and hopes for their children’s outcomes in OT with a sensory integration approach. The results indicated that parents had four types of concerns for their children: 1. self-regulation 2. interacting with peers 3. participating […]
Here is a nice FREE app for little ones who needs some guidance with self regulation and motor planning. It is called Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame Street. There are 5 different scenarios that include showing a monster getting frustrated with completing a skill. The child has to tap, pop bubbles and more to […]
Here is an excellent article entitled Developing Young Children’s Self Regulation Through Everyday Experiences. It is a 6 page articles with a thorough description of self regulation and how teachers can support the development of it in young children. You can read the article here.
Pediatric therapists and early childhood teachers frequently assess a child’s ability to self regulate. Child Trends has released an excellent document on assessing self regulation. Included in the document are several simple questionnaires to determine a child’s ability to self regulate. The paper recommends that children participate in out of school programs to help improve […]
More research is being published in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly on self regulation skills in young children. The researchers studied 1298 children from birth through first grade. After controlling for at risk factors such as ethnic minority status, low maternal education, low family income and chronic depressive symptoms in the mother, children with strong […]
Self regulation is the ability of a person to tolerate sensations, situations and distress and form appropriate responses to that sensory input. Simply stated, it is the ability to control behavior. In children, self regulation matures just like other developmental processes. Children get older and learn to think before they act. Research continues to develop […]