NORTHEAST FLORIDA JEWISH LIFE
RETRAINING THE BRAIN
HOW MICHELE BLOCK GAN YELADIM EDUCATORS ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH By Nicole Blundy, Jewish Community Alliance
“Take your vitamins, eat your veggies, and you need to work out,” are common comments made about improving our physical health. However, we do not really talk about ways to stay healthy mentally. Due to the pandemic, though, more people are opening up about mental health. As a person that works with young children, I am retraining myself to think objectively instead of subjectively when talking about mental health and children. I have learned many ways to recognize and cope with my own triggers while helping children understand their emotions, feelings, and actions. From S.T.A.R. (Stop,
Take a breath And Relax) breathing to taking moments for yourself, these are all tools that ECE educators use to assist children in trying to understand what is going on in their growing minds. Children get new information every day which may cause them to be overwhelmed and anxious. They may not express it in the same ways as adults, but they feel it all the same. Think of how much conscious thinking it takes as an adult to go through everyday life. This requires a lot information processing and reflecting. A child is still learning how to navigate social
expectations. Having new experiences and not knowing exactly how to respond or proceed can cause their stress level to increase. Always acknowledge a child’s feelings by describing what you notice, i.e., “Your bottom lip is out, and you have tears. Your face is telling me you are sad.
Would you like a hug?” By observing and acknowledging, it is easier to respond to a child and partner with them to help them maintain good mental health. Nicole Blundy is a Lead Grasshopper Educator at Michele Block Gan Yeladim Preschool & Kindergarten.
PROMOTING SELF AWARENESS AND HEALTH IN EARLY CHILDHOOD THROUGH READING By Nicole Blundy, Jewish Community Alliance
Women’s health and self-awareness is a common topic of conversation today. For children, self-awareness can begin with learning their name, or recognizing themselves in a mirror. They will see themselves making faces or moving in different ways as they feel the control they have over those movements.
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One book I really enjoy when teaching self-awareness is titled, "Giraffes Can’t Dance" by Giles Anreae. In this book the children watch as a giraffe tries to move his body in different ways, to match the way other animals move. Is he able to move like them, or does he need to figure out how his own body is meant to move for himself? The tiny humans in my class have a great time trying to move like the
animals in the book, as well as in their own special ways. It is a fun way to talk about how we may like doing things the same or differently from one another. Some other books I would like to recommend that help keep the conversation going about self-awareness are: • "A Kiss on the Keppie" by Lesléa Newman (PJ Library) • "My Name is Aviva" by Lesléa Newman (PJ
Library) • "Chrysanthemum" by Kevin Henkes • "The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings" by Anna Llenas Whichever books you bring along with you on your self-awareness journey, I hope you keep the conversation going. It is so important to teach our little ones how special they are, in their own ways!
