The Essential Resilience & Wellbeing Toolkit for Early Years & Younger Children


Book Description

"A fun, must- have resource for all early years practitioners seeking to help young children to thrive. Supporting the mental wellbeing of younger children will enable them to thrive emotionally and socially, and learn to cope with life's adversities as they grow older. This huge range of fun, easy-to-use activities are drawn from evidence-based approaches including mindfulness and CBT. Part 1 explains why resilience is vital in the early years, outlines the effects of low self-esteem and explores building confidence, regulating emotions and developing problem-solving skills. Part 2 is full of fun activities for individuals, small groups or whole classes use and includes: Finding strengths; Relaxation tools; Face your fears; Feelings cards; Mood marbles; What lit the fuse?; My good deeds ladder; Mindful moments; All about me; Helping hand. Part 3 contains a wealth of information leaflets and tips for parents, carers and professionals on how to provide help at school and in the home."--Back cover.




An Ambitious Primary School Curriculum


Book Description

This book offers comprehensive guidance to support those involved in primary education in developing the curriculum to meet the requirements of the new Ofsted (2019) framework. It addresses key issues such as the purposes of the curriculum, how to organise the curriculum, and the balance between knowledge and skills. It also goes beyond basic requirements, emphasizing the importance of a creative, child-centred and enquiry-based curriculum which is suited to the context of school communities. Responding to the increased emphasis on the quality of pupils’ education, the book supports trainees, teachers and school leaders in developing and implementing an ambitious and diverse curriculum, including working with all stakeholders and offering practical strategies and solutions. It empowers practitioners to reclaim the curriculum by designing one which reflects the values and context of the school.




Toolbox of Wellbeing


Book Description




Mindfulness in Early Years


Book Description

This book is an accessible companion for all early years practitioners to explore how mindfulness can be integrated into an early years learning environment. It presents topical theory and research, giving practical advice on using mindfulness as an everyday pedagogical tool to improve the emotional wellbeing of children, families and staff members. Providing a step-by-step approach for adopting mindfulness practices, the book offers photocopiable resources, information on mindfulness techniques and opportunities for critical reflection to help create a ‘mindful early years curriculum’. Chapters follows the four pillars of Calm, Acceptance, Relational Approach and Empathy, and include: The benefits of adopting a mindful approach in the early years The importance of staff wellbeing A template mindful curriculum for practitioners to adapt and use Case studies of effective mindful practices Resources, activities and techniques to create your own mindfulness toolkit This delightful book will be a source of inspiration for early years practitioners, early years teachers and those who are interested in introducing and embedding mindfulness into early years practice.




Wellbeing and Resilience Education


Book Description

Wellbeing and Resilience Education engages with the immediate impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the theoretical and applied elements of wellbeing and resilience education. It explores the implications for students, teachers, and teaching from a transdisciplinary and international perspective. Featuring thirteen chapters written by 27 academics from across the globe, it includes new transdisciplinary research by organisational psychologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, policy experts and education researchers. The book comprises a wide range of topics including: appreciative inquiry, educational leadership, refugee education, resilience education, designing online courses, teacher wellbeing and community responses during the Covid-19 pandemic. This timely volume will be of interest to academics, initial teacher educators, postgraduate students, school leaders and policymakers researching the field of wellbeing, resilience, education, schools, and schooling.




Vibrant and Healthy Kids


Book Description

Children are the foundation of the United States, and supporting them is a key component of building a successful future. However, millions of children face health inequities that compromise their development, well-being, and long-term outcomes, despite substantial scientific evidence about how those adversities contribute to poor health. Advancements in neurobiological and socio-behavioral science show that critical biological systems develop in the prenatal through early childhood periods, and neurobiological development is extremely responsive to environmental influences during these stages. Consequently, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors significantly affect a child's health ecosystem and ability to thrive throughout adulthood. Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity builds upon and updates research from Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity (2017) and From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000). This report provides a brief overview of stressors that affect childhood development and health, a framework for applying current brain and development science to the real world, a roadmap for implementing tailored interventions, and recommendations about improving systems to better align with our understanding of the significant impact of health equity.




Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8


Book Description

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.




It's OK Not to Be OK


Book Description

It's OK not to be OK acknowledges and explores common mental health disorders such as depression, eating disorders, and anxiety. Get the low down on these issues, why they happen, and discover ways of looking after mental health in our fast-moving world. This book will help children and young people develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and grow into well-rounded, healthy adults.




The Hugging Tree


Book Description

The Hugging Tree tells the story of a little tree growing all alone on a cliff, by a vast and mighty sea. Through thundering storms and the cold of winter, the tree holds fast. Sustained by the natural world and the kindness and compassion of one little boy, eventually the tree grows until it can hold and shelter others. A Note to Parents and Caregivers by Elizabeth McCallum, PhD, provides more information about resilience, and guidelines for building resilience in children.




Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators


Book Description

The first self-care book designed specifically for the early childhood field, Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators is filled with helpful strategies and tools that you can implement immediately. Recognizing that self-care is not one size fits all, the authors present culturally responsive strategies drawn from diverse early childhood staff working in a range of roles across communities and contexts. By tying the importance of educator self-care to goals of social justice and equity, this book advocates for increased awareness of the importance of self-care on both an individual and institutional level. Through key research findings, effective strategies and personal anecdotes, this accessible guide helps readers understand and engage with the critical role self-care and wellness-oriented practices play in creating strong foundations for high quality early learning programs.