Children living with uncertainty and insecurity often have difficulty focusing on learning. They might demonstrate disrespectful or defiant behaviors, act out, or act with aggression. As an educator, you may provide the only stability in their otherwise turbulent world. "Making It Better" explains trauma-­informed education, an approach…

Makes suggestions to help leaders of adventure and experiential learning activities deal with participants' emotions and issues of emotional safety and risk: acknowledge the situation, be clear about what is being done, monitor individuals' actions in the group, make sure the activity is physically safe, and be aware of participants' conscious and…

Discussions regarding young children and secure schools often focus on children's physical safety and external stressors such as chaotic families, dangerous neighborhoods, and terrorism. Less attention is given to the emotional security of children in schools, a necessary prerequisite to learning and healthy development. The most effective way to…

Stuffed animals provide comfort and security to children, and many Head Start teachers are putting this knowledge to work in the classroom. This article shows how to incorporate stuffed animals and puppets into the Head Start curriculum to help children deal with conflict resolution, separation anxiety, grief and loss, safety, and cultural…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module explores the attachment process and the long-term effects of attachment difficulties in the first years of a child's life. The module's learning objectives address: (1) ways of identifying the basic concepts…

When students do not write well in stressful situations, traditional instruction such as grammar exercises, sentence combining, and imitation of sentences will not be especially useful. Students are not often aware of their linguistic insecurity or of how insecurity affects language usage. The writing lab, however, creates an ideal setting for…

Suggests that, rather than exposing young children to media coverage of national tragedies and disasters, caregivers should read aloud to children from picture books that convey stability, calmness, and reassurance. Includes tips for helping children cope with tragedy, guidelines for selecting books, and an annotated list of 25 books that can help…

This curriculum resource book provides a collection of practical ideas that preschool educators can use to provide developmentally appropriate learning experiences for children attending a high quality preschool center. The ideas are designed to concur with the format of standards C-L set forth in the related document: "Standards of Quality and…