Emotion literacy for children

Program details

Program description

This program supports early childhood teaching teams to support children’s emotion literacy and emotion regulation in the 2 years before school. It does this by drawing on emerging research that enquires into the range of emotions experienced, the function of different emotions and the variety of ways that adults can support children to understand and regulate their emotions. It identifies strategies such as co-regulation that helps educational teams scaffold children towards self-regulation, as well as explicit teaching around mindfulness and other regulation techniques that are shown to be effective and appropriate for children in the 2 years before school.

The program offers a series of self-paced webinars with accompanying material and the opportunity to participate in online network communities of practice to deepen and share practice across the state.

Webinar topics include:

• Children's anger: What it is, why they experience it and how we can support them to express it appropriately and regulate it
• Children's sadness: What it is, why they experience it and how we can support them to express it appropriately and regulate it
• Children's fear/anxiety: What it is, why they experience it and how we can support them to express it appropriately and regulate it
• Children's shame/guilt and embarrassment: What it is, why they experience it and how we can support them to express it appropriately and regulate it.

Each webinar will also look at the opposite/antidote positive emotion and how it can be cultivated.

Detailed cost

• Webinars: $500 (excluding GST). Price includes a 12-month subscription to 4 pre-recorded webinars for an unlimited number of educators in a service.
• Webinars plus 2 live online network meetings: $1000 (excluding GST). Price includes access to ongoing Facebook moderated closed group.
• Webinars plus networks plus 4 one-hour team or individual coaching sessions working on specific goals and strategies: $2,500 (excluding GST). Cost and offering is scalable to service budget and goals.

Implementation considerations

• Target population: early childhood teachers and educators.
• Program/practice descriptions and details: the webinars are pre-recorded and self-paced which means that teams can access them at times most convenient to them, and as many times across the year as they wish. Accompanying documentation will be provided to support team’s engagement with the content presented.
• Program adaptability: the program is offered online and can be accessed across Victoria. The webinars have unlimited user capacity, and networks can be offered across the year.
• Staffing: it is recommended that teaching teams are provided with a total of 4 hours of backfill so they can engage in the webinars and reflective activities. If participating in network meetings, it is recommended that a further 5 hours of backfill is provided.
• Tools and systems: the webinars and networks are delivered online so services need to have access to a device with internet connection.

VEYLDF alignment

Item uses these practice principles

• Reflective practice
• High expectations of every child
• Respectful relationships and responsive engagement
• Integrated teaching and learning approaches

Item responds to these sub-outcomes

Children become strong in their social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.