Have you ever noticed behavior problems spike right before lunch? Sudden tears.Snapping at classmates.Refusing work.Low frustration tolerance. You may not be dealing with defiance. You may be dealing with hunger in the classroom. Hangry students are not trying to misbehave. They are trying to regulate a body that feels unsettled. When blood sugar drops, emotional regulation drops ... Read More about Hangry Students? How to Handle Hunger in the Classroom Without Escalating Behavior

Student mental health in the classroom is often discussed in terms of counseling services or crisis support. Those things matter. But long before a student reaches that level of need, something quieter is happening inside the classroom every single day. Structure is either strengthening a student’s sense of safety — or weakening it. For many students, mental health support begins with ... Read More about Why Predictable Classroom Routines Support Student Mental Health

In my previous article, I shared how I reimagined school counseling while supporting a 704-student caseload. One of the biggest lessons from that experience was this: when time is limited and student needs are high, support has to be simple, consistent, and accessible. That realization played a major role in the creation of the Moodamals. The Moodamals are a group of animal characters ... Read More about Meet the Moodamals: Little Friends for Big Feelings

When we talk about social-emotional learning, we often focus on big, outward emotions like anger or excitement. But worry iSome worries are loud.Others are quiet and heavy. You might notice a student frozen at their desk, staring at a paper they know how to complete.A child who keeps asking the same question, even after you’ve answered it.Or a student whose shoulders tense the moment the day ... Read More about When Worry Takes Over: How to Help Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn

Helping kids with big feelings goes far beyond calming strategies or behavior charts. Once we recognize that children experience emotions deeply and differently, the next question becomes more important: What does real emotional support look like in the exact moment big feelings show up? In the first post, Helping Kids With Big Feelings: Little Friends for Big Feelings, I shared how ... Read More about Helping Kids With Big Feelings: What Emotional Support Really Looks Like in the Moment

Helping kids with big feelings isn’t about fixing emotions or rushing children to calm down. It’s about helping kids feel understood — especially in those moments when emotions feel bigger than their words. At its core, Moodamals is about giving kids tools to help them express and process their feelings, particularly when words are hard to find. Over time, working with children in classrooms ... Read More about Helping Kids With Big Feelings: Little Friends for Big Feelings

Anger shows up in every classroom in different ways. Sometimes it bursts out in loud, surprising moments; other times it hides behind silence, withdrawal, or a student who suddenly shuts down. Because anger can feel overwhelming and confusing for kids, stories offer a powerful doorway into understanding what’s happening inside. In addition, they give students language for big emotions and ... Read More about Kids Understand Anger: 10 Stories That Help Grades 2–6 Manage Big Feelings

When Students Feel Worried, Stories Can Help When students feel worried, nervous, or unsure, stories give them the language and confidence they need to understand what they are feeling. Whether it is stomachaches before school, racing thoughts, or withdrawing during transitions, worry shows up in many ways and often at unexpected times. Books normalize these big feelings while offering ... Read More about 10 Creative Stories That Help with Worries (Grades 2–6)

If you work with students, you already know that sadness shows up in many forms—quietness, frustration, tears, withdrawal, or even silly behavior that masks something heavier underneath. Because of this, sadness can be one of the most difficult emotions for children to name, let alone process. However, story changes everything. Books offer students language for their feelings, help them ... Read More about 10 Beautiful Books That Help Students Understand Sadness (Grades 2–6)