Nurturing Emotional Literacy

Nurturing Emotional Literacy helps people to recognise, understand, handle and appropriately express their emotions. How we manage our emotions and the positive impact that 'emotional literacy' can have on improving standards in schools has been overshadowed recently by the attention given to the three 'Rs'. This handbook seeks to redress this and looks at the importance of the fourth 'R' - Relationships. The author offers advice, guidance and support to help people become more successful by managing their emotions effectively. Specific ideas for working with children, teachers, parents and carers, makes this book ideal for all concerned with developing 'the whole child'.

This book focuses on developing important qualities such as emotional awareness, confidence and self-motivation. It outlines simple steps to teach your child how to manage their feelings, behave appropriately and learn from their experiences. Packed full of tips, examples and fun activities, this easy-to-follow guide will give you the tools and confidence to nurture your child's emotional and mental wellbeing right from the start. Perfect for parents and carers, this book will also be a source of inspiration to teachers, teaching assistants, counsellors, psychotherapists and anyone wanting to boost a child's emotional wellbeing. Packed full of tips, examples and fun activities, this easy-to-follow guide will give you the tools and confidence to nurture your child's emotional and mental wellbeing right from the start. Perfect for parents and carers, this book will also be a source of inspiration to teachers, teaching assistants, counsellors, psychotherapists and anyone wanting to boost a child's emotional wellbeing.

`As someone with an interest in emotional literacy and in developing emotional literacy work in schools, I found this book an impressive resource. I would recommend it for those interested in this area, those working within schools on emotional literacy, and for school staff interested in developing their schools as emotionally literature organizations′ - Debate `This is an authoritative and scholarly book that does not attempt to offer a simple fix-it solution but one that should lead to an informed and workable approach that will address the needs and circumstances of individual schools as such . I would recommend it as an essential read for anyone contemplating the research or promotion of emotional literacy in school′ - Special Children `There is much to encourage exploration by schools, educators and managers in an informed way. Helpful appendices list experienced agencies schools may approach in their work on emotional well-being′- Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties `The book provides a useful guide to ways in which school policies for promoting emotional wellbeing can be developed′ - Times Educational Supplement, Teacher `This book is written in a refreshingly well-balanced style and it deserves a similarly even-handed review. Katherine Weare never exaggerates a point or pretends to have found the Holy Grail. Instead; each argument is carefully counter pointed by a caveat′ - Nurturing Potential `This is a handbook for teachers and LEAs with clearly headed sections, useful tables and list of resources and contacts. There are helpful suggestions for auditing emotional literacy in schools, deciding whether to use off-the-shelf programmes, tailoring programmes to the school′s own needs, and working with the wider community′ - The Psychology of Education Review ′Visionary and easy to read. This vision resides in the authors′ convictions about the vital role schools can play in developing and widening the literacy of emotions... worth reading... opens up a picture of what can achieved in schools in the best interests of the children′ - Young Minds Magazine `Katherine Weare brings a good track record to this useful handbook. The full list of contacts, sources of support and resources and the useful bibliography are clearly a product of her comprehensive knowledge of the field in UK and beyond. They provide a solid platform for future researches′ - Journal of In-Service Education Emotional literacy refers to our ability to understand and use information about our own and others′ emotional states, with skill and competence. It is increasingly accepted in schools, and this book shows how it is central to mainstream education. The author defines concepts and terms in ways that make sense to practitioners, outlines the scientific evidence behind the concept, explores ways in which schools can become more emotionally literate, and demonstrates the educational benefits. The book is a practical and up-to-date account of ways in which schools can use emotional literacy to realize their goals of school improvement and effectiveness, increased learning, more efficient management of teaching and learning and improved relationships. Katherine Weare shows how emotional literacy can help address persistent educational problems, such as emotional and behavioural disturbance, school exclusion, and teacher stress and disaffection. Emotional literacy is relevant to mainstream education, is most effective when it permeates the whole school culture, ethos, relationships and management. It is as relevant for secondary as it is for primary students, and applies to teachers and parents as well as to students.

Emotional literacy has been placed at the heart of good practice and this book provides clear guidance and lots of practical strategies for how to implement this ethos in your setting.

Nurturing Emotional Resilience in Vulnerable Children and Young People is a guidebook that provides a framework and practical strategies to support children’s emotional resilience at a whole-school and more targeted level. Underpinned by research into the concept of resilience, the book centers around the ‘Resiliency Rainbow Toolkit’; a ready-to-use theoretical model that draws upon a range of ideas and approaches that act as a resiliency building programme. This practical and interactive programme can be used by educators and counsellors alike and offers creative and engaging ideas for building emotional resilience in children. Each section of the toolkit provides learning objectives, facilitator notes, discussion questions and student activities and is designed to: support students in identifying their own resiliency levels and support network enable students to recognise and increase their existing strengths and values encourage students to examine their talents, interests, dreams and aspirations introduce strategies for boosting less strong areas such as supportive friendships teach students ways to cope with stress and difficult situations. The programme is a strengths-based psychological intervention that draws upon ideas and approaches from Attachment Theory, Educational Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness. This guidebook can be used alongside seven fully illustrated storybooks that each focus on a different aspect of emotional resilience. It outlines ways to use these beautifully told and visually appealing stories to nurture emotional resilience with children, and discusses some of the key metaphors in the main story How Monsters Wish to Feel. The guidebook and storybooks will be invaluable tools for anyone working to build emotional resilience with children and young people. Storybooks that accompany this guide are: How Monsters Wish to Feel: A Story about Emotional Resilience (ISBN: 9781909301849) The Boat Star: A Story about Loss (ISBN: 9781138308824) The Boy Who Longed to Look at the Sun: A Story about Self-Care (ISBN: 9781138308923) The Day the Sky Fell In: A Story about Finding your Element (ISBN: 9781138308886) The Girl who Collected Her Own Echo: A Story about Friendship (ISBN: 9781138308893) The Hot and Bothered Air Balloon: A Story about Feeling Stressed (ISBN: 9781138309029) The Tale of Two Fishes: A Story about Resilient Thinking (ISBN: 9781138308848) The guidebook can be purchased in a set alongside the seven storybooks (ISBN: 9781138556454). The seven storybooks can also be purchased as a set (ISBN: 9781138556478).

Use these proactive tools to support children's emotional wellness and resiliency. Providing an approach for nurturing emotional development in youngsters between 4 and 19 years, this book and CD-ROM provide an activity and worksheet–packed resource for professionals. Implementation of an emotional literacy initiative within the whole school curriculum or in therapy sessions becomes practical for the facilitator and fun for the participants. This book is ideal for working with young people in a classroom setting, within small groups, or in a therapeutic context. The author provides: Practical activities and resources Illustrations, stories, and cartoons Assessment and record-keeping advice

Emotional literacy and health and wellbeing have been placed at the heart of good practice by the Every Child Matters (ECM) agenda and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England, and the Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland, and this book provides clear guidance and lots of practical strategies for how to implement this ethos in your setting. Offering an explanation of emotional literacy, why it matters and how to make it happen in practice, this book looks at ways to promote and develop emotional literacy with young children through: - Circle Time - drama - storytelling - physical education - outdoor play - active learning It highlights the benefits of this ethos for all, and looks at how the emotionally literate setting supports inclusion and promotes achievement. Full of case studies of children aged 3 to 8, ideas for practice, photographs, points for reflection, photocopiable materials, and accompanied by a wide range of downloadable material available on the SAGE website, this is an indispensable guide for the early years practitioner. It is highly relevant to those looking at the transition from Early Years to Primary education, as well as the social, emotional and behavioural needs of young children.

This book looks at the physical and emotional environment where children learn and develop, and shows ways in which practitioners can successfully create and achieve an emotionally literate and fully inclusive provision. It provides strategies to help children balance body and mind through positive mental health and physical well-being.