Category Archives: EQ and life skills resources

Life Skills and EQ: Creating a Visual Routine and “how do you feel” chart.

EQ and life skills resources, Online Curriculum Week 3

Watering Whole @Home Curriculum Week 3

Have you had a chance to download last week’s visual routine?


Special thanks goes to kj designs who has illustrated this visual schedule especially for the Watering Whole!

Visual routines are a wonderful way to create structure and predictability to your days which will help with anxiety, reduce conflicts between you and your children and help with time management skills.
 
How are you feeling today?

This week we are sharing a downloadable from the creators of the feeling buddies curriculum that we utilise in our preschool:


 
 How Do You Feel Chart

You must be able to name it in order to tame it! Help children identify the emotion they are feeling with this handy chart.

These images were custom-designed based on Dr. Bailey’s extensive research about facial expressions and emotional recognition.

An essential tool for emotional awareness lessons!

Life Skills and EQ: Creating a Visual Routine.

COVID-19 specific support and materials, EQ and life skills resources


Last week in EQ we talked a little about the ways in which we can emotionally help our children cope during this extremely difficult time. One of the most important ways we can do that is by creating a “new normal” together using routines and play:

“The brain thrives on predictable patterns. Our daily and weekly patterns have been turned upside down without warning. Creating a new normal begins with a new daily routine. Families with older children can work together to co-create your new daily schedule (co-creating gives children a way to exert some control over the situation), while parents of younger children will create the schedule for them. Plan it, draw it, label it, post it somewhere obvious and refer to it often so children know what to expect.” – from the creator of the feeling buddies

At Watering Whole preschool we have a daily visual routine that the children like to check to see what activities are happening that day. Sometimes if a child is missing home we will take the child to look at the visual routine to see what activity is next and also when they will be going home again. This gives them reassurance and creates a sense of predictability and safety.



Let’s make a visual routine together this week as part of our life skills and EQ work. You have the option of drawing up some images yourselves or you could use the printables from this week’s resources provided to print out, colour in, cut out and stick up your own routine.

Download WWHP Visual Routine here.


Special thanks goes to Kjersti Smith from https://www.kjerstismith.com/ who has illustrated this visual schedule especially for the Watering Whole!

An example of a routine could be:

Wake up,
get dressed,
eat breakfast
stretch/exercise/play
Exploration/Learning Time
Snack
Free play
Lunch
Quiet time/nap time/reading time (read books together)
Project Time/guided play (art work/baking/puzzles/printables/science and nature etc)
Family Time (Dance party, sports, concert/show, etc)
Dinner Time
Bath Time and Brush Teeth
Story Time
Bed Time
 
Did you know Visual schedules will decrease anxiety, reduce conflict and power struggles, help build executive functions like prioritisations, flexibility and time management. 

Hand Washing Song

COVID-19 specific support and materials, EQ and life skills resources

As you all know hand washing has become highlighted of late as one of the main ways to stop the spread of the Coronavirus (and other germs too).

We at the Watering Whole have our very own song written by teacher Inger that we use when we are washing our hands. It’s 20 seconds long which is the recommended time to wash, it is sung to the familiar tune of Twinkle Twinkle little star, and the song lyrics remind us to wash each part of our hands so we are thorough!

Download Hand Washing song as PDF here