Back to School Tips from Our Team

From Kelly Martin: The heart map is a craft idea to help your child who has anxiety about returning to school. Draw a large heart on the paper. Divide the heart into sections. In each section, draw pictures and write words of all the things that are great about school, focusing on the positive things that your child likes: friends, recess, Halloween parade, story time etc. While you are working on this craft, encourage your child to talk about what they enjoy. Acknowledge any of your child’s feelings that come up.
(*not an actual client’s work)

From Katy McAlpine: “If your kiddo feels anxious about being separated from you during the first day or weeks of school, here’s a tip to help them feel connected to you! With a pen or sharpie, draw a heart or other shape of choice on your child’s hand and one on your’s. Remind them that you’re always connected by your love for each other and when they need an extra reminder at school they can look down at their hand and see their heart. You can tell them that you’ll be looking at your heart today too and thinking about them❤️”

From our Graduate Student Intern Kathy: Arriving at school 10-15 minutes early each morning is a great way to build a connection with your child and create a positive association with school. Spend this time together playing fun games like I-Spy, Alphabet Hunt, Would You Rather or a simple word association. You can even create a morning scavenger hunt as you walk to the door. These moments can help your child feel more relaxed and associate school with fun, positive experiences.

Taylor Ballard provides this back to school tip: “Going back to school and getting reestablished in routine can bring on a lot of uncomfortable emotions. Anger, nervousness, anxiety, are emotions that can dysregulate our nervous system and make going back to school even more difficult. To help rebalance our nervous system, sometimes we need a bit of shock. This tip is simple yet can be very effective at doing what our body needs… it’s Ice! Putting an ice pack on our chest, chewing ice, taking a cold shower or bath, letting ice melt in our hand can help shock our senses and reset those intense emotions. Taking deep breaths and leaning into the uncomfortable cold helps us ground into the sensation instead of the emotion and we can have a clearer head in deciding how we want to move forward. Feel free to get creative in how you use ice or the cold to reset your or your child’s nervous system!”
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Taylor of Tailored Therapy provides services inside Playroom Lubbock.

Today’s tip is by Shalea Addison of Rise Up Counseling Services in Seminole, TX. She also offices inside Playroom Lubbock. “A great way to provide stability for your family is to create daily rituals that build connection. Whether it’s having breakfast together, reading a bedtime story, or even taking a short walk after school, establishing a daily routine can strengthen your bond and allow you to connect with your child regularly. Start with a morning routine to help start your child’s day off right. Mornings can set the tone for the entire day!”

It’s time for a change.

Science says it’s time for a change. Educator burn out says it’s time for a change. Behavioral challenges in the classroom says it’s time for a change. There are ways to build accountability, empathy, and persistence in students—and the basic foundation is SAFETY in relationships.

Do you want sustainable behavioral changes?

Expanding academic capacities?

Optimizing learning and memory?

Improved mental health for both educators and students?

“Our education system is working from a model that views behaviors in isolation of the child’s body, mind, and relationships.” Mona Delahooke

Ask me about our “Integrating Neuro-Relational Approaches into School Culture” workshop customized for your campus and tailored to meet both educator and student needs and well-being. Presented by Kelly Martin, MEd, LPC-S, RPT-S, she guides participants in both an experiential and didactic learning environment.

• Discuss student behaviors through a neuro-relational framework

• Distinguish causes of behaviors and develop strategies for student support and preventative relational discipline protocols

• Integrate brain-aligned teacher and student practices into the classroom

• Examine the SECRET template and adjust, modify, and accommodate student’s needs to ensure feelings of safety and connection

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The “Integrating Neuro-Relational Approaches into School Culture” is best suited for a 6 hour learning experience for teachers, behavior support staff, and school counselors. Abbreviated versions can be adapted for administrators and other stakeholders in a 3 hour workshop.

Contact Kelly Martin for a quote: kelly@playroomlubbock.com

Kelly Martin is a dedicated and skilled Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor with an exceptional 16 year tenure in the mental health field. Kelly possesses a strong teaching background serving as a current adjunct professor at Lubbock Christian University in the Psychology and Counseling Department; a sought after workshop presenter and group facilitator who has facilitated over 26 professional workshops and 2 group backpacking trips in the wilderness; a previously certified Texas educator with 3 years of classroom experience; and a previously certified Texas School Counselor with 4 years of elementary school counseling experience. She is a certified Level One DIR Floortime clinician. DIR Floortime is a multidisciplinary model most commonly used with children with educational, social emotional, mental health, and/or developmental challenges.

Kelly’s enthusiasm for child well-being is evident through her private practice at the Playroom Lubbock, where she counsels and uses play therapy with children and adolescents; supervises counselors in training; and provides support to parents and caregivers. Her dedication to understanding and advocating for children's needs underscores her passion for fostering positive growth and connections in their lives.

Kelly’s unique blend of experience, education, supervision and experiential training positions her to continue making a meaningful impact in the field of education and counseling.

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Create an Emotional Climate for Learning and Cooperation

This article gives educators a brief overview of the strategies adapted from the book, How to Talk so Kids will Listen and How to Listen so Kids will Talk by Faber and Mazlish and listed in their article "How to Talk So Students Listen and Listen so Students Talk." Hopefully these strategies will encourage cooperation and foster a healthy emotional climate for learning. Try some of them on and see which ones fit!

1. Acknowledge Children's Feelings.

Kids are more likely to hear what we have to say after we first acknowledge their feelings instead of ignoring or denying them.

Instead of saying, "That's nonsense...You just need to study." Try responding and respecting his/her feeling which will lead to a discussion of the problem and a possible resolution. "Something about that word problem is frustrating you." "Oh, you sound angry at Michael. He did something that upset you."

2. Describe the Problem

Using a nonjudgmental tone, describe the problem instead of accusing/commanding.

Instead of "How many times do I have to remind you to raise your hand?" Try: "I hear an answer, but I don't see a hand." Instead of "You forgot to answer the last question. Do it now." Try: You've almost finished your assignment. I see some more left to go."

3. Give Information (without insult)

Make statements brief and impersonal instead of scolding, accusing, or threatening. Try: "Rulers are not for poking people. Rulers are for measuring." OR "When you do that, it could break."

4. Offer a choice

Many times you can offer a choice to the manner of their learning to give students more control over their learning process. For example: "You can choose to work on your vocabulary now or at the end of this assignment."

5. Say it in a Word

Instead of lengthy reminders, say it in a word. Instead of "How many times do I have to tell you to not put your foot in the aisle? Do you want someone to trip and get hurt?" Try: "Sara, your foot."

6. Catch a child doing something right and describe it

Give your students a shot of encouragement by noticing their effort and describing it. For example, if a student asks "Was I good today?" Instead of responding with "Very good!" try responding with "You helped clean up your desk after the science project and you had some interesting thoughts during our class discussion."

7. Describe what you feel

Afford yourself the relief of being genuine. You can model a way to be angry without being hurtful. Instead of attacking: "What is wrong with this class? Why does it take forever to....how do you expect to learn if...." Try: "I feel impatient when we don't get to work promptly. I would like to see all notebooks opened and everyone ready to begin when the bell rings."

8. Put it in Writing

Pass a note or send a note home to communicate a concern, reminder, or a care.

9. Solve the Problem Together

Conduct a class meeting. Gather information about how the students are feeling about a particular issue and possible solutions. Come up with some ground rules they could all agree upon.

Hopefully some of these quick strategies will increase respect and cooperation in the classroom. Thank you educators for being attuned and committed to all of your students' needs.