Self-Regulation
"Self-regulation is the ability to control one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals and respond adaptively to challenges" (What Is Self-Regulation in Psychology and Why It Matters, 2026).
Teachers, parents, caregivers are the first models to children and how they learn to manage big emotions and hard situations.
Examples from Teachers
- Verbalizing when feeling overwhelmed or frustrated and what you are going to do to regulate emotions. Ex. "I'm feeling frustrated, I need to take a breath."
- In cooperating strategies to regulate emotions with breathing techniques. Choose a different technique every week.
Example 1
Teaching breathing techniques to build child's confidence to use on their own when needed.
Example 2
Practice taking turns while playing games with classmates.
Example 3
Learning when to appropriately use a calming corner or safe place when feeling frustrated.