Providing a Safe Space

3 years & up. Worry no more! These tactile stones have been designed to soothe, calm and help children focus. A range of textures, shapes, and natural colors stimulates many senses of users. Stones are made out of stone and are durable enough to weather the outdoors. The set includes 12 stones: two each of six designs measuring between 2"-3"each.

3 years & up. Manimo® weighted plush animals provide children with a sensory stimulation and soothing effect. These plush companions were designed to help children remain attentive and focused during their daily activities. Alleviating excess energy while providing deep pressure sensations. The weighted animals are soft and pliable and can be placed either on the child's shoulders, waist, thighs or stomach to stimulate rest and/or concentration. Recommended usage time is 15-20-minutes,… More »

4 years & up. Discover and explore emotions in art with these unique Mix & Match Illustrating Emotions Stencils children. Each diverse boy and girl represents a basic emotion. These emotion stencils promote social emotional learning, fine motor skills, and creativity. Use these stencils in an interactive lesson about emotions and how to regulate each of them. Trace the stencils to create over 30 different combinations! This set includes 6 stencils measuring approximately 8"L x 8"W and an idea guide.

A young child's brain is uniquely sensitive to the effects of stress and trauma, which can have detrimental, long-term developmental impact. "Helping Them Heal" provides answers, ideas, and specific classroom strategies to move trauma-affected children in positive directions. Educators will learn ways to help children build resilience, self-regulation, and self-competence using this sensitive, supportive, and practical guide. Paperback. 192 pages.

As an early childhood professional, you play a key role in the early identification of maltreatment and unhealthy patterns of development. You are also the gateway to healing. In Reaching and Teaching Children Exposed to Trauma, you will find the tools and strategies to connect with harmed children and start them on the path to healing.

A teacher interacts with the children all day long. It's how the warm and responsive relationships in which young children learn best are built. But interactions in which teachers intentionally promote learning can be few and far between. A "Powerful Interaction" may last only a few minutes, but in that time the teacher tunes out any distractions, tunes into the child, and then presents a learning experience tailored to that child at that moment. This book with guild you through three… More »

3 years & up. Use these wonderful My Family Books Readings About Different Family Types to introduce your children to a variety of families. This set of books celebrates the diverse family groups that make up our world! Children will enjoy connecting with families similar to theirs and learning about different ones. The positive, clear text helps emergent readers understand different family relationships, while recognizing the bonds that all families share. Encourage children to ask questions… More »

3 years & up. This cuddly pal will help children identify and feel comfortable with their emotions. Introducing facial vocabulary helps children understand how they feel moment to moment, day to day. Feelings Friend has an assortment of facial features in its front pouch and includes illustrated emotion cards, conversation starters, and a social-emotional development guide. Measures 12" high.

12 months & up. This empowering book series celebrates toddlers and the world around them. Each story is a confidence-booster and encourages children to master various skills and celebrate the joy of learning new things. Set of 4 board books.

Birth & up. These plush ocean animals are ready to give lots of soft, snuggly hugs. Just spread their arms open wide, give the chest a little squeeze, and watch the arms instantly snap around to give you a hug. These ocean animals can hug around your wrist, backpack, and so much more. Surface washable. Size: 8". Animals may vary.

With the increase in both parents working outside the home during the last two decades, infants and toddlers are spending more time together in infant/toddler programs and family child-care homes. From Biting to Hugging will give you effective strategies to help you take advantage of this peer time. Enhance the quality of peer experiences in infant/toddler group settings. Create responsive adult-child relationships and environments. Encourage positive social emotional development and learning. Teach… More »

4 years & up. Love comes in many different forms-so do families! Show children that love, not who you are or how your family looks, is what makes a family a family with the inclusive All Families Are Special Books. Perfect for exploring all the unique ways a family can be made, this book set helps teachers and parents build nurturing and supportive environments for children where they feel safe, comfortable, and affirmed in their family backgrounds. From adoptive and single-parent families,… More »

Birth & up. These zoo animals are ready to give lots of soft, snuggly hugs. Just spread their arms open wide, give the chest a little squeeze, and watch the arms instantly snap around to give you a hug. Animals can hug around your wrist, backpack, and so much more. Surface washable. Size: 8". Animals may vary.

Each chapter describes an issue that infants face every day, making this a perfect resource for all infant providers. There are scenarios that illustrate the challenges and suggest solutions to meet baby's needs while learning about the developmental stages. This hands-on resource is for infants 6 weeks to 18 months old and for your resource library.

3 years & up. Teach your children about the importance of compassion with this fun Friends & Neighbors: The Helping Game to Encourage Empathy and Cooperation. This matching game promotes working together and collaborative play. In playing the game and reading about the feelings and needs of the characters, children will begin to recognize feelings in others, the first step to building empathy. This game includes 4 game boards, tokens, a helping bag, a guide, and a story book. For 1-4 players.

An early childhood classroom should reinforce and enhance young children's sense of belonging and connection to their environment, each other, their families, and their community. This book invites educators and administrators to rethink the traditional classroom, with inspirational examples showing how to weave elements that reflect each center's community into the classroom design. Colorful photos show what teachers can do to encourage a sense of community unique to each classroom. Easy-to-implement… More »

The Power of Presence: A Guide to Mindfulness Practices in Early Childhood offers insight and information to help you transform your teaching by learning how to pause, notice your surroundings, and simply be. Learn ways to spark joy, elevate well-being, and promote a deeper sense of inquiry, both personally and with others-young and old. Learn ways to consciously plant seeds of mindfulness at home, in the classroom, and around the world. Paperback. 112 pages.

4 years & up. Love comes in many shapes, sizes, and forms - so do families! Explore all the ways families and individuals can be unique with the Free to Be Me Book Set. This inclusive book set helps teachers build nurturing environments for all children where they feel comfortable exploring their feelings, learning about diverse forms of love and identity, and, most importantly, respecting the ways we're all one-of-a-kind! Hardcover/ board book combination.

When young children are engaged in imaginative play, they are not just having fun; they are developing skills and concepts that are foundational to their learning. Teachers can get the most out of this critical development time with thoughtful preparations that allow the children to freely explore their creativity and learn from each other. Using simple props and donated items, the book shows how centers can be transformed into rich and rewarding learning spaces for children. Play Today offers dozens… More »

Resource books often provide tips and tricks for managing challenging behaviors, but what happens when those tactics don't work? Most teachers give up. This book brings a raw, real, and at times funny approach to handling challenging behaviors and understanding why most behavior-management strategies don't work. Author Angela Searcy shares real-world examples, proven solutions, and new approaches to overcoming classroom disruptions using her PUSH PAST IT approach. Paperback. 176 pages.

Now more than ever, adults must help children develop the skills necessary to navigate through life successfully. By focusing on building social and emotional strength, we increase children's resilience and prepare them to handle the challenges in life. The strategies and activities in "Socially Strong, Emotionally Secure" help children become socially and emotionally healthy for life. Organized into five chapters, the activities support and build resilience in children ages 3 to 8. 160 pages. Paperback.

Sometimes misbehavior isn't what it seems. Many children come to care with early signs of mental- or behavioral-health issues. Early childhood professionals are often the first to notice that something is different. "How Can I Help?" is a practical guide that helps educators first identify issues and then create nurturing, safe, and successful learning environments to set up all children for success. Learn how to: promote mental health for all children in your care, identify signs of behavioral-health… More »

Through the activities in this book, teachers and caregivers are shown how easy it is to foster children's sense of curiosity through group explorations that promote social connection and positive development. With step-by-step instructions, "Getting to the Heart of Learning' weaves social-emotional learning into activities that support math, science, literacy, and motor skills. Rather than adding in activities throughout the day, these explorations integrate social-emotional learning across… More »

Preschoolers tend to be social beings. Whether they are playing with dolls side by side, building block castles together, or rolling down hills with friends, most young children enjoy the company of others. Playing together comes naturally, but you can help them negotiate turn taking, learning how to mend hurt feelings, and practice communicating positively while they play. This book highlights the milestones children tend to reach during the preschool years as they develop socially. As a guide… More »