I have been getting pretty excited around the laminating machine
Is it just me, or does a freshly printed, just come out of the warm laminator resource make you super happy
My weeks been filled with a whole lotta resources
I have recently added some new items to the store, with all the things I have been working on
Everything I make is generally made in response to a problem.
So what have been my problems of late?
Let’s find out!
Introducing the Test a Tool Kit!
My fav little pack of goodies, easy to print, easy to share with families. You can email this goodie to everyone you know and I won’t mind.
I got asked for strategies to help with emotional and body regulation for a child both at home and when out and about.
First off I think about how all of us respond to things differently, even if I brought up the big three feelings- anger, sadness, worry we would mostly feel and present it differently. When I’m angry I cry, however others may only cry when they are sad.
Therefore, I need a resource that not only suggests tools and strategies, but provides structure and a plan to help a child identify what tool actually helps their body feel good again, and when might that tool be helpful for certain feelings.
Tools are not guarantees of fixing something, they are just a tool in your child's toolkit of strategies that will help them cope and regulate through the ups and downs of life.
We all use tools everyday to cope or manage through the rollercoaster of Monday to Sunday, running, reading, drinking, hanging with friends, coffee breaks, listening to music to name a few
This tool kit is there to equip your child, build and find new tools that can help them both at day care, school, at home, and when on outings.
The best part for children is that once they figure out their tool kit, you’ll be able to share it with teachers, coaches, professionals and other family members so they can also help them.
Perhaps you’d rather just have the tools? I get ya, in some circumstances I have just printed the large tool cards out, laminated them, put a hole punch, and added a hinged ring. The loop of cards can be carried around and used to test different strategies throughout the day.
The 'Test a Tool Kit' aims to support you to work with your child to figure out what tools help their bodies feel better. The purpose of using the tools is for their body to feel good again. After completing the tool, the child may be at a place to process what the problem was that initiated the big feelings, may be ready to hear from you what you’d like to teach them, be ready to learn again in class or move onto something different.
So let’s get started
Step 1. Cut out the large tool cards and place them around the room with any items needed to complete the activity tool (something heavy, a ball). You may like to set up different tools on different days or try the tools over a couple of months.
Step 2. Cut out the small tool cards and place them also at each activity for any household members that find images useful to use for recording their entries in the Test a Tool Record sheet, make glue available so they can stick the smaller image into the record sheet.
Step 3. Hand out a Test a Tool Record sheet to each adult and child in the household.
Step 4. Encourage each household member to start at an activity and move around the room giving each activity tool card a go. Then encourage them to record their reflections on the 'Test a Tool Record' sheet
Step 5. Gather together after everyone has given the tools a go. Then encourage all to individually fill in 'My Tools for...' aligning each identified helpful tool to a feeling.
Test A Tool Kit can be used with the whole family, one child, a class, year level, there is heaps of flexibility