Introduction: The Importance of Early Childhood Educators Welcome to the second installment of “begin to ECSEL School Stories,” our latest blog series where we explore common challenges that early childhood educators face on their journey to support children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development. Early childhood teachers are tasked with one of the most important jobs in […]
Introduction: Challenges in Early Childhood Education Early childhood is foundational to one’s development. These years shape the people that children will become – our future generation. Early childhood educators and leaders have one of the most important yet difficult jobs. They are tasked with meeting the unique needs of each individual child, guiding children on […]
In this blog, you will learn what is Causal Talk (CT) and Causal Talk in the Emotional Experience (CTEE), how to implement these strategies, and why your own well-being is important to that of the children around you. Did you know that any time you talk with children about their own feelings, the feelings of […]
In this article, you will find 3 lesson activities you can use immediately to start child-led, process-based learning with your children. Jump to activities. The mind of a child is an incredible thing. They view the world around them through a unique, imaginative lens, full of wonder and excitement. Children are constantly taking in and processing new […]
Welcome back to the third of our 4-part series focusing on how we can help young children in the process of unpacking their backpacks that are overflowing with emotions, both big and small. Last time, you followed along with us as we supported Annie on her journey towards identifying and understanding her big feelings in […]
Welcome to our 4-part series focused on helping young children unpack those heavy backpacks toppling over with big and little emotions, and how we can help ourselves in the process. In this first part, you will learn why it is important to help kids identify emotions, and recognize the physiological signs related to emotions, and […]
It’s the night before the first day of school. Your child is feeling so excited about their new classroom, making new friends, and meeting their teachers for the first time. They have been asking all the big questions: Will I like my teacher? What will my classroom look like? Will I make friends? They even […]
Making new friends is so important- it can be rewarding and exciting, but it can also be scary, prickly, and intimidating. Friendship looks different for everyone – it doesn’t always mean liking the same things, having the same interests in common, or participating in the same kinds of play all the time. Young children, especially, […]
Take a moment and reflect: what is our first response when our child has an angry emotional outburst? Is it to stop the behavior? Or is it to understand what’s behind the anger, help them understand what’s behind the anger, and how to manage it? In a recent article in the Boston Globe Magazine, educator and parent Deborah […]
Imaginative and creative play is important for every child. Having fun exploring and discovering their world whether indoors or outdoors is essential in developing the foundation for social, emotional, and cognitive skills. In fact, play is a child’s work. ~Dr. Donna Housman Founder of Housman Institute and creator of begin to ECSEL At long last we can finally […]
In a recent webinar, Dr. Housman spoke to a group of over 3,000 early childhood professionals on “The Power of Emotional Intelligence from Birth to Age 8.” The webinar was framed around the impact the pandemic has on children, as well as educators and caregivers. As we move toward our “new normal”, and a new school […]
As co-teachers at a begin to ECSEL school, we have experienced countless moments where ECSEL language, tools, and techniques are so vital to shaping children’s emotional learning and overall character development. One of our favorite tools to use in our classroom is Our Emotions Board. When should I use Our Emotions Board? Whether it be a transitional tool in […]
Join our begin to ECSEL educator and coach, Emily, regarding 5 common child scenarios, and sentence examples and advice to get children back on track to learning! As a begin to ECSEL educator, I often find that the most teachable moments are not outlined in a science lesson or correcting a child’s pencil grasp, or even a Venn Diagram activity, but in identifying, […]
Sometimes it seems like a young child’s favorite words are “why” and “no.” Why do we have to go to the store, why do we have to leave the park, no I don’t want carrots for lunch, no I don’t want to wear pants. We can give them any variation of answers…because we need food […]
With the New Year on our doorstep, we look at all educators have been through and see how much attention and work needs to be focused on educators’ mental health and well-being. This will not happen with the flip of a switch. In fact, this will undoubtedly require a process of unlearning old habits and […]
Children are born ready to learn and it is not only traditional skills that we need to teach from a young age, we also need to foster children’s understanding of their emotions and those of others from the very beginning.1 By reaching children in their earliest years we have the extraordinary opportunity to shape children’s […]
