"Name it to Tame it!"

Sometimes at school we say "name it to tame it" to encourage the act of naming how we feel or what we want. Just saying aloud to someone how you feel can take some of the stress and urgency out of the emotion. It also reminds us to effectively communicate what we need and consider what others need as we work to make space for everyone in our community.

This can be challenging and it takes practice, so it's great to start practicing early. We know that skills we learn early often stick with us throughout our lives. We strongly believe that teaching this important skill early will support students in their lifelong skill development. We encourage you to model this to your children by talking about yourself, your values and your priorities. Talking about your emotions and the startegies you use to calm down when upset is very powerful for kids. For example, "I am feeling stressed so I am going to take a few breaths to calm down." This can help them to grow the skill to share with you who they are, what they need and how they feel.