Learning at Home Pre-Kindergarten Week 23

Social-Emotional Development

Belly Breathing

Belly breathing is also known as deep breathing or abdominal breathing. This is an effective strategy to interrupt the ‘fight or flight’ response triggering the body’s natural relaxation response. Use this strategy to help your child take a moment and relax.

• Ask your child to lie on their back and close their eyes breathing normally
• Ask them to place one hand on their belly and the other hand on their chest
• Tell them to inhale through the nose and into their belly. The hand on the stomach should move upwards and the other on their chest should be still
• Tell them to inhale for a count of 4 and hold for a count of 4
• Ask them to exhale and tell them to push all the air out from their belly
• Do this 3 times

Cognitive Development

Guess the Emotion

When you have regular conversations with children about their feelings. It helps them become more emotionally intelligent as they are; better able to recognize other emotions and manage their own emotions keeping them calm. Have some fun with your child in identifying different emotions with this engaging game.

You Will need:
• An elastic that can fit comfortably around their head (a headband or a baseball cap placed with the backstrap at the front will do the trick)
• Some emotion cards or print outs (see below)
• Cardstock to glue the printout on for durability

To play:
• Cut and glue all the emotion cards onto the cardstock
• Once completed mix the emotion cards you have glued to the cardstock and place them face down
• Each player picks a card without looking and tucks it into their elastic headband facing out for the other person to see
• Now the player with the headband must guess what emotion is on their head. They can ask questions such as “Would I feel like this if I won a game?” The only answers you can give are a yes or no.

Source: https://childhood101.com/which-emotion-am-i-exploring-emotions-guessing-game/

Language Development

The Feelings Song

Music and singing are creative and exciting ways to enhance language and expressive skills. Sing ‘The Feelings Song’ with your child by clicking the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J7HcVLsCrY to reinforce that all of the emotions they feel are Okay! Lyrics below.

Sometimes you feel happy
Sometimes you feel sad
Sometimes you feel excited
Sometimes you feel mad
You might laugh today
You might cry today
You might feel many different feelings
And they’re all okay!
You might feel worried about the first day of school
You might feel nervous to jump into the pool
You might feel surprised when they jump out at you
Sometimes you feel happy
Sometimes you feel sad
Sometimes you feel excited
Sometimes you feel mad
You might laugh today
You might cry today
You might feel many different feelings
And they’re all okay!
You might feel angry when he takes your bear
You might feel thankful when he shares
You might feel embarrassed when you trip and fall down
You might feel happy with your friends all around
Sometimes you feel happy
Sometimes you feel sad
Sometimes you feel excited
Sometimes you feel mad
You might laugh today
You might cry today
You might feel many different feelings
And they’re all okay!
You might feel lonely if there’s no one with you
You might feel hopeful that your wish will come true
You might feel silly when you play outside
You might feel proud when you win a prize
Sometimes you feel happy
Sometimes you feel sad
Sometimes you feel excited
Sometimes you feel mad
You might laugh today
You might cry today
You might feel many different feelings
And they’re all okay!
Sometimes you feel happy
Sometimes you feel sad
Sometimes you feel excited
Sometimes you feel mad
You might laugh today
You might cry today
You might feel many different feelings (x3)
And they’re all okay!
They’re all okay! (x2)

Physical Literacy

Feelings Yoga

Get active through ‘Feelings Yoga’ with your child. An easy way to relax the mind, and body while acknowledging that children are also filled with various emotions.

1. My grateful pose – Standing tall in a mountain pose, looking up and taking your arms straight up to the sky, and touching your palms together.
2.  My finicky pose – Standing on one leg, bend your knee of the leg you are not standing on and place the sole of your foot on the opposite inner thigh or calf, and balance.
3. My excited pose – Stand tall with legs hip-width apart, feet facing forward, and straighten your arms alongside your body. Step your feet out wide, bend your upper body, with hands reaching out to the floor.
   4. My frustrated pose - Come down to a squat with your knees apart and your arms between your knees. Touch your hands to the ground.

Creative Activity

Painting with Music

Painting with music allows children to process and interpret sensory information and enables them to create their own impressions. Children begin to understand things they hear and can shape how they feel and what they do.

What you will need:
• Paint
• Paint Brush
• Blank canvas to paint with
• Music – any kind
Method:
Place all the items out on a table, easel, or floor mat. Choose music to paint to and watch your child create their artwork. During this process ask them how they feel, and what colours make them feel calm, angry, sad etc. Have conversations about the finished product and let them tell you the story of their emotions while they painted.

Additional Resources

https://www.almanac.com/kids/at-home - free stories and activities from Animal Heroes to Weather Watchers

https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/ - get virtual access to mars for those interested in space and the planets in our solar system.