Primary School Resource
Regulation ToolkitMany regulation activities for children.
How Can a Regulation Toolkit Help?
People learn to fuel their bodies regularly to gain homeostasis, we can also help that equilibrium state by using activities to regulate often. Through play, attunement, and interaction, children can notice their feelings and learn to regulate using healthy ways to respond, thus supporting positive behaviour.
Resource for 5-11 olds
Persuade Me…
To be ready to learn, we all need to feel safe, calm, and interested. Regulation is a bunch of skills to learn and is a team effort. Role modelling and co-regulation are paramount for children. Firstly, children need help to organise their feelings and co-regulate when they are in distress. Secondly, when a child feels safe and through experiences, the child learns how to identify feelings to respond using healthy ways.
In other words, instead of thinking of age, decide if the child who is displaying distress (challenging) behaviours knows how to organise their feelings. And do they know how to respond to those feelings in a pro-social manner?
A recent survey highlights there has been a rise in challenging behaviour resulting in less time to learn the good stuff (developing physical, cognitive, emotional, social and pro-social knowledge and skills). Sadly, this is also having an impact on educator’s well-being.
“In May 2023, 58% of teachers reported that between 1 to 10 minutes of time were lost due to misbehaviour per 30 minutes of teaching time. Comparing across survey waves, the proportion of teachers reporting that more than 10 minutes of teaching time was lost due to pupil misbehaviour per 30 minutes of lesson time increased from 10% in June 2022 and March 2023 to 25% in May 2023.” 2024 National Behaviour Survey
Colleagues who support children and young people will know there are many factors to consider for this rise in challenging (distress) behaviours. And to safeguard children and young people, suspension numbers should be as low as possible, rather than increasing.
In 2022/23, suspensions in secondary school increased by 9% and the most common reason for suspension was persistent disruptive behaviour. In 2022/23, suspension in primary schools decreased by 3% and if the schools are teaching students ways to respond to whatever is driving the behaviours, this could have a long-term advantage for secondary.
Just suppose we try something different? What if we try regulation activities throughout the day to proactively prevent the overflow of distress? If this resonates with you, you could be interested in Raising Children Together Regulation Toolkit.
Raising Children Together Regulation Toolkit
The toolkit is an easy-to-use resource for settings that support children. If you want a demonstration, please contact us and Michelle will get back to you.
Interactive Activities
Using 3-10 minute regulation activities on the smartboard increases engagement and is accessible to the whole school. Each activity attunes to the student’s interests and layers the regulation with sensory, fine, and gross motor responses.
What is included?
The resources are designed for 5-11yrs old, however, it depends on the child – right? Stage not age 😁. As well as the interactive activities, there is a downloadable hard copy full of suggestions that include
- Breathing exercises
- Sensory exercises
- Movement
- Thoughts
- Games
The whole school can enjoy a pick and mix of regulation activities and can be used in assemblies, wrap-around care, clubs, and even with parent participation.
If you want to learn more about how it uses evidence-based research, please check this article.
What does the research say?
Ted Talks are an excellent resource that taps into leading researchers, academics, and practitioners who offer their experiences, knowledge, and opinions. This Ted Talk is by Dr Jacqui Barfoot from the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Queensland. She is an experienced Occupational Therapist and Postdoctoral Clinical Researcher.
EVIDENCE-BASED Research
Raising Children Using Research
If you are interested in evidence-based research that has helped shape the regulation toolkit, you can read any of Raising Children Together’s articles.