Self-Talk is effective for teaching children self control (Kendall and Treadwell, 2007). Positive Self Talk uses phrases like “I can do it!” and sends the message that what I tell myself is a powerful thing, changes winter into spring! This positive Self-Talk is an important habit to develop in young children because research shows that children who have a positive outlook on life tend to achieve higher outcomes and are more likely to graduate high school.

As this school year begins we will be singing “I Can Do It” while fall slips into winter and we move from jackets to winter coats and mittens. If thoughts of winter have you feeling gloomy practive a little positive Self-Talk and let your child see how you handle your own challenges. Soon children will begin using their own Self Talk to handle frustrations and that is the first stop on the road to self control!

Contributed by Children, Inc. teacher Sharon Boh

Growing Sound has a unique opportunity to test and use our musical products in Children, Inc. classrooms. Many of Children, Inc.’s teachers use David’s children’s music in their classrooms on a regular basis for different reasons. Recently we asked two of these teachers to outline the songs they use to develop social emotional skills in their classroom. Miss Amberly and Miss Sara from the Montessori classroom at Treasure House chose these songs to fit current classroom topics and to help them interact with their students.

• “I Can Do It” promotes independence and Mr. David always opens with that so it is a familiar beginning and creates consistency for the children. This song also promotes confidence which is important for preschool and kindergarten students to take on the challenging tasks they will face in first grade.
• “I’m Gonna Find a Way” has been a reoccurring theme in our class and we often quote the song “we will keep on working till we figure it out” to encourage children throughout the day
• “3 Rules” fits our class perfectly at this time of the year when we are discussing our classroom expectations.
• “Self Control” we chose for obvious reasons. We are working on self control in our class in order to get children ready for school. Research shows that self regulation is one of the single most important developmental milestone for young children.
• “Stop and Think” is a great song to help us develop independence, self control and confidence all rolled into one great song!
• “Breathe” we chose simply for the calming effect and to help the children transition from Music with Mr. David time to our classroom “work” as we say in Montessori.
• Many of these songs come from the Songs of Self Control CD

During a recent music session with Mr. David we chose the order of the songs so that they were starting out with something familiar to promote consistency and also to keep them attentive while they were able to control their bodies. We then moved into the more gross motor type of songs to allow the children a chance to move their bodies so they were not sitting in one place too long and getting antsy. We finished the session with a calm relaxing moment to help the children transition back into their work and help them regain focus. By choosing the order of our songs we helped to structure our time with Mr. David to best suit the individual needs of our children.

These teachers are truly doing great work with their students to ensure that they are Ready for School and Ready for Life! Great job!