This year has been a precarious one. For teens, who even under “normal” circumstances experience a wide range of sometimes-overwhelming, often-fluctuating, intense emotions, it is imperative they have a safe space to express themselves. In Dream Up Now™, authors Rayne Lacko and Lesley Holmes encourage teens to explore their inherent creativity with guided activities for drawing, listening to music, and putting pen to paper as they process emotions, discover more about themselves, and pursue what they want out of life.

To give you a peek into the activities laid out in the book, in this issue of Upbeat News, we share an excerpt that features one set of emotions: anxiety and passion. Read that here.

For more resources that encourage self-awareness and self-discovery, read on for information on related books. Also check out the downloadable How Am I Feeling Today? poster, which encourages students to talk through their emotions with themselves rather than bottling it inside.

“Violet the Snowgirl kept me captivated until the last page! This short story allows children to see that it is normal to have a variety of feelings, and it models how to deal with their range of emotions. I love that this story is creative in showing how to deal with loss through an age-appropriate event other than a death or divorce.” —Kristin Dunker, director, Vermilion Association for Special Education

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