The transition from summer to fall can be a little overwhelming for students. 

Their routines change, and they’re introduced to more sources of stress, anxiety, and pressure. The days might feel longer, more exhausting, and more socially demanding. All in all, it’s a period of time where kids are forced to confront and navigate a big ball of conflicting emotions. 

As students balance their desire to do well in school, meet expectations, and have fun with friends, it’s important that they know how to check in with themselves and cope with their feelings. 

This is why we introduced a tool kit focused on emotional regulation this fall season!

My Good Brain’s Fall 2024 Tool Kit program is centered around helping children build healthy coping mechanisms and encourage empathy and emotional intelligence when interacting with others. We’re excited to share that we had a successful season of developing and distributing over 160 tool kits to schools in the Bay Area! 🎉

This year’s theme: Being an emotions explorer

The world today is busy for students. There’s no shortage of things to do and content to create or consume. The digitization of education and entertainment breaks down barriers that only add to the diversity of student programs and activities. This is why it’s more important than ever for students to find the time to put their emotions first. 

With so many things to stimulate and distract us throughout the day, emotional regulation helps us identify what makes us tick and how to best respond to them. 

Understanding and coping with big feelings can be a scary thing. Starting conversations about emotions can be complex and sensitive. It doesn’t matter if you’re a child or an adult — most of us are uncomfortable admitting that we’re having a hard time. 

But the more open we are to having these conversations with those around us, the better we’ll learn to identify and manage big feelings as they come. 

Art and play are effective ways for us to normalize these conversations with children, break big feelings down into smaller expressions, and find creative ways to cope with discomfort. 

We want to express our gratitude to the following schools and organizations for participating in this semester’s tool kit program and sharing the power of art to teach these lessons 🎨🧠

• Mission San Jose Elementary

• John Gomes Elementary School

• Moraga School District; Los Perales Elementary

• Mission Valley Elementary

• Livermore Valley Joint Unified/Smith Elementary

• Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School

• Sandra J Gallardo Elementary School 

• Family House, Inc.

• Town of Colma — 📣 A huge thank you to the town of Colma for awarding us a $2000 grant to bring our tool kits there this Fall semester! 

What’s in this semester’s tool kit? 

As a young student, emotional awareness is crucial. It’s the best time to learn how to develop awareness of one’s feelings, build healthy coping mechanisms, and encourage empathy and emotional intelligence when interacting with others. Talking about these topics with adults and peers can be overwhelming — where does a kid even start? With the art activities in this tool kit, we’re excited to give children engaging activities to share their emotions and learn about themselves. 

We split our ranger-themed Emotions Explorer journey into three sections:

1. Identifying your emotions: This lesson focuses on helping children recognize their emotions and understand the importance of embracing all feelings, good and bad, instead of suppressing them. The art activities in this lesson plan aim to help children identify their feelings and learn how to communicate their emotional needs effectively. 

2. Coping with big feelings: This lesson helps children learn about coping skills and preventing overwhelming emotions from taking over. The art activities in this lesson plan aim to show children how to cope with difficult emotions through art. 

3. Understanding each other: This lesson encourages empathy by helping children understand and respond to the emotions of others. The art activities in this lesson plan aim to help children use art as a starting point to build genuine relationships with others and respect their emotions and experiences. 

Here’s a peek at what our brave Emotion Explorers get for completing the art activities in their toolkit!

What is the My Good Brain Tool Kit Program?

Every academic year, we curate a kit of guided resources and art supplies to help students learn about their mental and emotional health.

Our Tool Kits are meant for elementary and middle school students ages 5 to 13. With these art activities, we want to give educators in the classroom and even parents at home resources that can help build:  

• A proactive approach to managing the social-emotional health of students

• Fun and safe ways to engage in difficult conversations 

• Accepting and compassionate communities of students with a shared interest in art

We’re always looking for new ways to expand the reach and impact of our Tool Kit program! You can learn more about the program here and contact us if you are interested in helping us share our mission with more students and educators.