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(Sammy the Golden Dog) Manage Emotions in Preschool – with Jeana Kinne

    Helping preschoolers with their emotional development is by far one of the most important things we can do for them. Learn an easy strategy to help your preschoolers manage their emotions using an adorable stuffed animal dog named Sammy.

    Today my guest is the wonderful Jeana Kinne. She has a master’s degree in early childhood education and she’s the founder of JD Educational and the creator of the Facebook page Easy Preschool Activities. But, she’s probably best known for is the author of the amazing children’s book series Sammy the Golden Dog!

    With this series, Jeana helps kids handle and express their emotions in a healthy way. Want to learn how she does that and how her books can help you do that too? Tune in!

    How It All Started for Jeana

    Jeana has worked in a variety of early childhood education fields, and her focus was infants and toddlers with special needs. She’s also worked as a preschool teacher, director, parent educator… 

    The one thing all these fields had in common was the fact that most parents and teachers needed support to help kids manage their feelings in a positive and more productive way. 

    Jeana has used sensory kits and sensory boxes, but she always felt these methods were lacking. Parents and teachers would learn how to use them and then they’d teach kids how to do it too – but it always felt more like talking at kids rather than with them. 

    Jeana understood that kids needed a curriculum that would teach them how to process emotions, how to calm down, communicate, and problem-solve. With her first book, Soothing Sammy, she set out to do just that. She had so much fun writing the first one she just kept going! Today there are four books in the Sammy the Golden Dog series.

    The Three Pillars of Emotion Management: Calm Down, Communicate, and Problem-Solve

    When your boss annoys you, you don’t throw a tantrum by falling to the floor and screaming. Yet, our kids do just that, because that’s all they know – they don’t have the words to communicate their feelings. They also don’t have the coping mechanisms we do that help us calm down. And they certainly can’t look into the future, solve problems, and plan ahead. 

    Because our kids don’t have those three skills, it’s our job to teach them. Sammy teaches kids the most common feelings and the words they can use to express them. He also teaches kids to calm down, and in the end, he passes on problem-solving skills. The books help parents and teachers by offering useful questions that they can ask their kids, such as: “What happens if this happens next time? What can you do instead? Who can you ask for help?”

    Problem-solving is essential because if they don’t know or remember what to do next time, then they’re going to have another meltdown.

    Helping Kids Develop Their Problem-Solving Skills

    The prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that is in charge of problem-solving, isn’t fully developed until we are 25 years old. In that accelerated process of development, our job as teachers is to facilitate kids’ thought processes. We do that by asking them all these questions, maybe setting a timer, or using visual aids. 

    The important thing we as adults can do is help them remember what to do next time they’re in this situation. The kids aren’t able to come up with it themselves, but we need to encourage them by creating associations, positive reinforcement, and sensory reminders.

    How Soothing Sammy Works in Practice

    Social stories help kids navigate and understand social scenarios. The Sammy series employs those methods, but it also includes visual and sensory tools. 

    Sammy is a golden retriever who lives in a small house. The story takes kids through a visit to Sammy’s house and he gives them different sensory components to calm down, such as a drink of water, a bowl to squeeze, a song to hear, or a picture to look at. At the end of the book, the kids are happy, and the adult asks them problem-solving questions. 

    But, the fun doesn’t end with reading. At the end of the book, there are instructions on how to make a Sammy corner in your house or preschool classroom. You get a box, stickers, and the stuffed animal – Sammy. When you create that safe space and introduce kids to Sammy, meltdowns and tantrums can be handled by asking kids: “Do you need some Sammy time? Would you like to visit Sammy? Maybe Sammy can help you with that?”

    This positive association encourages kids to redirect and manage their emotions. You also have a designated spot where kids can cuddle with the toy, use the time to calm down, and process their feelings. 

    Sammy the Golden Dog: Best Friend for Both Teachers and Kids

    Sammy also gives parents and teachers a really simple way to communicate to kids what they need them to do when kids are overwhelmed. No child wants to listen to an adult yell at them while they’re overwhelmed. But, if you give them simple words like Soothing Sammy, they immediately know what you’re trying to communicate.

    That way, Sammy becomes a positive trigger for kids to calm down and understand that Sammy can help them feel better. 

    There are also Sammy songs, a two-week curriculum on how to actually introduce Sammy to a preschooler, coloring pages, emotional activities…

    It’s a very comprehensive and simple toolbox to teach the kids and help them remove negativity from emotions. With this book series, you set up your kids for success and help them develop extraordinary emotional intelligence!

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