Social Stories

You might have heard the teachers talking about social stories over the last few weeks, or had a folder sent home with a story for your child. We have been hard at work creating social stories for each child at Buckle My Shoe West Village! Social stories are a way of helping children learn, especially concepts that might be challenging. Because children learn through visual aids, repetition, and stories, we thought we would create an individualized story for each child. Almost all of the stories are done and the ones we have started reading have been influential. On our curriculum morning Friday, we will be presenting on all of the social stories we have made and how they relate to our focus of identity for the last few months. We hope to see you there! 

I come from a therapeutic background. My last year of graduate school studying Dance/Movement therapy, I interned and then worked in a therapeutic preschool. One thing that I saw work time and time again for even the most difficult children was social stories. Starting at BMS, I wanted to bring the wonderful therapeutic power of social stories to these children, even though this is a very different setting than a school only for special needs kids. After all, we can all benefit from a little individualized help and guidance! Since our school is small, we have been able to spend time really personalizing each social story to match up with goals that we have for the children; things like having listening ears, sitting during lunch time, or learning colors. It's been great speaking with so many of you over the phone and in person to come up with those goals together. 

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions about the social stories or new goals for your child. The social stories are an ongoing project- things can always be added to them! 

We can't wait to see you on Friday for the breakfast.

-Miss Alana

How are you feeling?

An important part of our identity at any given time is how are are feeling. This week, we are starting our focus on identity in earnest, starting with emotions. Even adults can be confused with their emotions at times, so imagine how confusing learning the nuances of emotions can be for the children! That's why we are creating space for them to learn, explore, and express their emotions at school.

We do a few different things to demystify emotions for the children. We make a point during circle time and throughout the day to ask each child how they are feeling. Whatever answer they give (or choose not to give) is okay! Reiterating that children's emotions are valid is important. After all, it only makes sense that children feel angry after someone takes a preferred toy away from them, just like adults can get angry when the MTA has unexplained delays. 

We are working with each and every child to help them gain the valuable skill of saying how they feel, no matter if it's happy or sad, silly or angry. 

This week, we have been reading books and asking the children what the main characters are feeling. Their answers are sometimes surprising and insightful! 

In addition to spending time reading about different emotions, we also took some time to try on those different emotions, embodying what a feeling feels like! 

George showed us "happy." Yvie showed us "silly." Nora showed us "angry." Kyan showed us "silly." Eliza showed us "silly." Henry showed us "happy."

Stay tuned for more emotion pictures throughout the next few weeks. On Friday, I'll share some of the special activities we did this week! It's been a busy and joyful week thus far. At home, discuss your own emotions with your child. Ask how they feel! You can give prompts if they do not immediately answer. Include siblings or other caregivers into the conversations. Be sure to let us know if you or your child have any exciting emotions to share. See you tomorrow! 

-Miss Alana