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Children’s Mental Health Matters
May 1 - 7, 2022
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Early awareness highlights the importance of caring for every child’s mental health and reinforces that positive social - emotional support is essential to a child’s healthy development. Join Howard County Office of Children and Families to participate in the campaign to develop a stigma free environment which can empower families to feel comfortable accessing help they may need now and in the future.
Follow the five days of activities (for pre-k and inf/toddler) described below. You can implement the packet during this week or schedule however works throughout the month of May to best meet your program’s needs. Each day's theme has complementary activities for parents to do at home. A parent letter template is available for you to use and modify based on how you implement the lessons and any additioanl information you want to share with parents.
Early Childhood Educators:
Earn a Professional Activity Unit by particiapting in the campaign. Click for details.
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Partners receive a FREE Bag of Mental Health Month Resources. To learn more, contact:
Introduction Packet with Community Resources
(Families to register for Basics Insights text messaging)
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Family Information
Parents are an important partner in supporting their child's social-emotional needs. To generate interest, each school receives a Children’s Mental Health Matters Family Resource Folder that can be raffled off to one family.
Parent invitation letter about the campaign, here.
Chalk Event for programs, parents and community, here
Flier with Family Workshops, here
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Supporting Children's Mental Health Throughout their Day
5 Activities to support social emotional development
This year’s theme revolves around supporting children’s social- emotional health throughout the day. You incorporate these five activities whichever way works best for your program’s needs. You can do in any order and choose to either do all during the first week in May or throughout the month. Each lesson has complementary information so that families can know what you are doing and have activities to support their children at home. Click on each lesson image for full lesson details.
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Bye-Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick
Objective: Creating a reliable morning ritual to ease or enrich emotionally challenging times such as morning drop-off, or arrival.
According to Gillespie and Peterson (2012), rituals are “intentional ways of approaching a routine, with careful consideration of the needs of the individual within the routine”. Think about what the children in your class feel connected to as a group, and as individuals. What can you do to help them feel welcome as they enter and start their day? This week as your school focuses on children’s mental health spend time creating morning rituals that help focus on feelings and emotions. As you go through your day, talk to the children about feelings, and give them new vocabulary words to express those feelings. Make sure to include families in your ideas and offer them ways to add these activities to their morning routines at home.
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The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Objective: Creating a reliable morning ritual to ease or enrich emotionally challenging times such as morning drop-off, or arrival.
According to Gillespie and Peterson (2012), rituals are “intentional ways of approaching a routine, with careful consideration of the needs of the individual within the routine”. Think about what the children in your class feel connected to as a group, and as individuals. What can you do to help them feel welcome as they enter and start their day? This week as your school focuses on children’s mental health spend time creating morning rituals that help focus on feelings and emotions. As you go through your day, talk to the children about feelings, and give them new vocabulary words to express those feelings. Make sure to include families in your ideas and offer them ways to add these activities to their morning routines at home.
Parent Letter Information to share with families to support children at home
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Circle Time - Teaching Feelings
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Baby Cakes by: Karma Wilson
An important part of social and emotional development for infants and toddlers is to develop a sense of competence and confidence. Reading the same book for several days in a row is a great way to provide opportunities for this - they point at and label pictures, learn new vocabulary words, become able to turn pages, talk about the story, predict what will happen next, talk about their own experiences in relation to the story and even make up their own story! Read “Baby Cakes” for several days in a row and use some of the ideas, activities, and teaching opportunities listed to enhance social and emotional skills.
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Llama Llama Red Pajama By Anna Dewdney
Llama, Llama Red Pajama is about how little Llama gets tucked in to bed and has a bedtime story. Then, Mama Llama leaves and little Llama has many strong feelings – scared, lonely, upset - when she does not come right away. Why did she have to leave? Will she come back? Towards the end of the story, Mama Llama returns and reassures little Llama “Mama’s always near even if she’s not right here.” This story is great for teaching about the children’s need for comfort, everyday experiences they may find frightful, adults offering support and what to do when children feel strong emotions or miss someone. The rhyming text and silly pictures make this book delightful to read aloud.
Reading the same book for several days in a row is a great way to provide opportunities preschoolers to develop a sense of competence and confidence, which is an important part of social and emotional development. Preschoolers become able to turn pages, point at and label pictures, talk about the story, predict what will happen next, learn new vocabulary words, talk about their own experiences in relation to the story and even make up their own story! Try reading Llama, Llama Red Pajama for several days in a row and use some of the ideas, activities, and teaching opportunities listed to strengthen social and emotional skills. Llama Llama Red Pajama read by author Anna Dewdney
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Feast for Ten Written and Illustrated by Cathryn Falwell
Objective: Meal times are excellent opportunities for conversations. Teachers and students will read this book about cooking a family meal. Teachers will talk with students about food. Teachers will prepare pretend food to have a “feast” in their classrooms.
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Bee-Bim-Bop! Author: Linda Sue Park & Illustratrated by Ho Baek Lee
Objective: Mealtimes are an excellent time for conversation among students and teachers. This lesson will provide an activity related to social/emotional growth and development during meal times. This lesson also provides opportunities to learn about meal times in different cultures. Teachers will read Bee-Bim-Bop to their class. The book can be read during meal times, or during large group circle time. The class will discuss cooking, the cultural significance of food, and intergenerational relationships. After reading the book, the class will use dramatic play materials to create their own pretend Bee-Bim-Bop meal. Teachers and students will engage in conversations surrounding the themes in the book during their own meal time. Directions for cooking the real version of Bee-Bim-Bop are also included at the end of the story.
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Transitions Throughout the Day |
Infant/Toddler Lesson & Preschool Lesson
Transitions are those times in the classroom schedule when teachers and children move or pass from one activity or place. Transitions occur many times during the day. Transition times are often challenging for children and teachers. Transitions can be frustrating for children especially when they are not prepared to move to a new activity, or they spend a lot of time waiting. Often this will result in children exhibiting challenging behavior.
In order to decrease challenging behavior, it is important for a teacher to plan for transitions. Planning enables transitions to flow easily and eliminates children’s wait time and frustration. The result is happier children and less challenging behaviors.
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Music
Social and emotional skills can be encouraged through music. Music can be used to: promote collaboration, share feelings, guide activities, and promote participation. Children can use music with parents in non-performative ways, singing songs together and bonding through music. Social competence can be developed through the use of music. Social competence is a skill needed for social adaptation. Social adaptation allows for a better understanding of the perspectives of others. Music activities can also promote self-regulation skills. Children can gain understanding through the perspectives of others.
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This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt, Illustrated by RG Roth
Social and emotional skills can be encouraged through music. Music can be used to: promote collaboration, share feelings, guide activities, and promote participation. Children can use music with parents in non-performative ways, singing songs together and bonding through music. Social competence can be developed through the use of music. Social competence is a skill needed for social adaptation. Social adaptation allows for a better understanding of the perspectives of others. Music activities can also promote self-regulation skills. Children can gain understanding through the perspectives of others. This Jazz Man is an excellent introduction to Jazz. Classes can engage in further discussions about the cultural significance and history of Jazz music.
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Questions about campaign, email lrhodes@howardcountymd.gov
or call 410-313-1440
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