Big Feelings, Bright Smiles: Kindergarten Adventures with FYBS!
As a K team, our initial reaction to the videos was as we could have predicted. Students were instantly captivated by the characters’ playful personalities! The realistic scenarios were perfect models for situations that our students might find themselves in and gave great examples of how to process and cope with different feelings and experiences. The immersive videos pulled the kids in as they first demonstrated the use of the strategies and then guided students through participation with a multi-modal approach. After the first several videos, students began to form attachments to the characters, often talking about them as if they were their classmates. Before long, students were observed suggesting the use of Feel Your Best Self strategies to their friends to help process challenges, shift feelings from heavy to light, and make connections with their peers!
The students have loved visiting the transformed calming areas that we have created in our classrooms! In these redefined spaces, we included the visual representation of the puppets with the Feelings Forecast and the different strategies depicted with icons. We also added some hand-made resources that we have created to help students demonstrate these strategies, such as a “Turn the Dial” and “Push the Clouds” visual, because everything in kindergarten makes more sense with a fun visual. Students are beginning to be able to recognize the icons and their strategies and can demonstrate the use of those strategies with prompting, which is so rewarding to witness!
Through talking with the FYBS Program Implementation Coordinator, Molly, we have learned more about when it is and is not an appropriate time to encourage a student to use the strategies. Now, we understand that these approaches are better taught and practiced when a student is calm, rather than pushed on them mid-meltdown. I mean, do you really feel like belly breathing every time you are upset?! By modeling the use of these different techniques and practicing them while calm, students seem to be entering that “melt-down” mode less frequently. When they are experiencing heavy feelings, they are better prepared to use a strategy from FYBS before hitting peak escalation.
Overall, our kids have been smitten with the characters, and we see a positive impact on their overall demeanor while at school! Another huge win for kindergarten teachers is that with less meltdowns and more guided practice, we have fewer interruptions to our instruction. Every kindergarten teacher knows that any program that requires lots of prep and even implementation time is a nightmare to fit into our busy schedules. FYBS is a huge win for us all, because its quick videos fit perfectly into our busy days! Additionally, the scripted resources in the Facilitator Guide clearly break down the lessons into an easy-to-use format. We can’t wait to extend our practice to include the puppets and storybooks, which we know will further benefit and engage our students! If you’re looking for an easy-to-use program to help your young learners navigate some big feelings, we highly recommend FYBS!
-Kindergarten Team, Norris Elementary School, East Hartford, CT
