PATHS 
Recovery toolbox
Your little person is experiencing and trying to understand the many emotions that we all encounter throughout life. The PATHS programme is designed to help children develop emotional awareness, provide strategies to promote self-control and boost their self-esteem.
This toolbox has been introduced to help recognise and ease some of the uncomfortable feelings that come along with anger, frustration and anxiety. Enclosed are some resources and strategies to help promote self-regulation. The content of this toolbox is intended to be initially introduced when your child is calm and explored alongside an adult. During this shared experience you can discuss the items and discover how you might use them.
Please note, some of the items enclosed are not suitable for children under the age of 3, we would recommend that your child is closely supervised when using these resources.
Contents
Breathing buddy (teddy) Breathing buddies are a great tool to promote focus and induce calm.
- Encourage your child to lie down on their back.
- Place the teddy (or their favourite soft toy) on their tummy.
- Try breathing in for a few seconds, then out for a few seconds.
- Encourage your child to watch their breathing buddy go up and down with each breath.
- Repeat the breathing movements to help create focus and calm.
Emotion Emojiis
These visuals can help you to support your child to identify and label their emotions. They can also be used to illustrate how their behaviours affect others thus promoting empathy. Perhaps you and your child could try out different expressions in the mirror and discuss how your features change with these expressions.
Bubbles
Blowing bubbles stimulates deeper, more regular breathing which has a natural calming effect on the mind, it’s also great fun!!
Sensory Bottle
This bottle can promote relaxation and relieve tensions, act as a distraction, or, encourage focus. It will also exercise the muscles of the hands and arms whilst they explore. Why not enhance their curiosity by creating your own by filling a plastic bottle with water and something of interest to your child, perhaps some Lego, plastic bands, shells or oil and food colouring. Explore what happens. Discussions about floating and sinking, size, texture and colour could follow thus expanding vocabulary and mathematical concepts. Remember to tape up the bottle top to prevent messy leakages.
Doing ‘Turtle’
This PATHS technique is supported at nursery and is used to help children regulate the intensity, frequency and duration of any undesirable behaviours, feelings and emotions. It can take time to master but really benefits self-esteem as children learn to control themselves without needing others to intervene.
Golden Rules
The visual of our nursery golden rules may be helpful at home for continuity and to help your child understand what behaviours are okay and not okay, help them to know what’s expected and gain a greater sense of belonging and security.
Sensory Tube and Toy
Whilst your child stretches and manipulates the toys, stress and anxiety may ease whilst also developing their fine motor skills.
We hope you find this toolbox useful. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for more information on PATHS. If you would like a bag home please speak to a member of staff.
Thank you, Largs Early Years Team
