Developing Everyday Coping Skills in the Early Years: Proactive Strategies for Supporting Social and Emotional Development

This evidence-based book will help parents and practitioners to develop children's coping skills through arts and language-based strategies. This book will help develop coping skills through arts and language-based activities. The strategies suggested build on children's existing knowledge and skills to enhance their learning, and will all contribute to: improving all children's emotional health and creativity; developing resilience, particularly in periods of high stress such as transition from preschool to school; and, increasing children's capacity to cooperate, respect and work with others. The authors also explain how to identify children at risk, particularly those experiencing anxiety or delay in social and emotional development so that parents and practitioners can intervene early where developmental delays or socio-emotional difficulties exist. Practitioners and parents of children aged 3-8 will find a treasure trove of activities to build coping and self-esteem through creative play and imagination.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. \ Part 1 THEORY FOR THE PRACTITIONER \ 1. Development in the Eatly Years: Some Important Concepts to Consider \ 2. Stress, Concerns and Coping: The Worries of Young Children \ 3. Situations and Coping Strategies: An Introduction to Coping Images \ 4. Developing Coping Skills in a Universal Group: Teaching Coping Skills across Various Group Settings \ Part 2 MOVING, THINKING, DOING: APPLICATIONS AND ACTIVITIES ACROSS DISCIPLINES AND SETTINGS \ 5. Visual Arts: Developing Coping Skills through Art and Play \ 6. Dance: Learning Coping Skills through Music and Movement \ 7. Music: Feeling, Creating and Coping with Sounds and Rhythms \ 8. Literacy, Language, Words and Coping: Encouraging Social and Emotional Development through Narrative \ 9. Developing CCoping Skills in the Family Context: Harnessing the Strengths of a Family Group to Create Positive Outcomes for Young People \ 10. Coping and Clinical Contexts: Supporting a Child Working with an External Health Professional \ References \ Index

About the Author :
Jan Deans is Senior Lecturer and Director of the Early Learning Centre at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Kelly O'Brien is an Educational Psychologist with experience in early childhood and early intervention, based in Australia. Kelly currently works within the education sector where she has an interest in mental health promotion and social and emotional learning. Kelly was instrumental in the development of the Mentally Healthy Schools Framework, extending the Act-Belong-Commit campaign, the first mental health promotion campaign of its type, to a school setting.

Review :
‘Based on research over many years, at last there is a book to help young children develop coping strategies needed for a strong sense of self and socio-emotional skills needed for success in life!Using coping images to promote discussion, arts, and other discipline-based learning activities, this book provides the theoretical base and practical strategies to help young children cope in positive ways with hard situations important to the age. Applicable to classrooms and to the home environment, as well as dealing with coping for students with special needs, this book is needed more than ever in our increasingly stressful and complex world to prepare young children to successfully manage their fears and feelings.' LeoNora M. Cohen, Emeritus Professor of Education, Oregon State University, USA