Learning Guides

My Incredible Talking Body: Learning To Be Calm

All intellectual property rights in this Work are, and shall remain, vested in the Author, Rebecca Bowen.

My Incredible Talking Body: Learning to Be Calm is a tool for becoming mindful of the body’s signals about feelings, encouraging acceptance of emotions, and developing strategies for calming down from strong or uncomfortable feelings. It is designed to be read interactively to engage children in exploring the ideas and strategies with a supportive adult. 

Our incredible bodies talk to us by providing important signals to keep us healthy. Just as they tell us when we need to eat, drink, or sleep to stay physically healthy, our bodies also give us important information about what we need to be emotionally well. Intense emotions such as anger and anxiety often trigger a strong response causing tight muscles, racing hearts, and fast breathing. Sadness may trigger the release of brain chemicals that result in feelings of heaviness. Unchecked, these signals may lead to stomach aches, headaches, and other physical symptoms that leave a child feeling sick or worn out. 

Without the tools to calm down, children may get stuck in their feelings, becoming afraid to go to school or withdrawing from favorite activities, or they may act out emotions with unwanted behaviors. When children learn to listen to their bodies for signals about feelings they are empowered to self-regulate by using calming strategies and as a result they are able to retain more control over their behavior...

Continued in: My Incredible Talking Body: Learning To Be Calm.