Mind Body Align https://mindbodyalign.com/ Social Emotional Learning Curriculum, Professional Development, and Resources for School Districts Fri, 02 Oct 2026 17:00:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://mindbodyalign.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cropped-mindbodyalign-logo-circle-clay-32x32.png Mind Body Align https://mindbodyalign.com/ 32 32 More Than Sharing Candy: Helping Kids Practice Inclusion at Halloween https://mindbodyalign.com/whole-child-development/halloween-inclusion-for-kids/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.com/?p=37771 Listen or Download Audio In second grade, my first year at a new school, I went to a Halloween party at a classmate’s farm. The entire class was there. I was the only child wearing a costume. I was teased and laughed at. A boy stuffed hay down the back of my coat. But the […]

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]]> When Halloween Feelings Are Bigger Than the Candy Bowl https://mindbodyalign.com/educator_resources/halloween-feelings-for-kids/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.com/?p=37766 Listen or Download Article Audio If you ask me what the most exciting day of the year was in my third grade classroom, I wouldn’t say the last day of school. I wouldn’t even say Christmas. It was Halloween. The excitement started long before October 31. By the time Halloween arrived, my students had talked […]

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]]> When “How Was School?” Isn’t Working: Better Ways to Get Kids Talking https://mindbodyalign.com/family_resources/questions-to-ask-kids-after-school/ Tue, 06 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.com/?p=37751 Listen or Download Article Audio Some kids come home from school ready to give you a full documentary of their day. My 9-year-old is that kid. I barely get her backpack off her before I know how quickly she completed her math facts, who she played with at recess, what flavor coffee her teacher drank, […]

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]]> Benefits of Reading Together: How Books Build More Than Literacy https://mindbodyalign.com/educator_resources/benefits-of-reading-together/ Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.com/?p=37747 Listen or Download Article Audio For more than 20 years in my third-grade classroom, reading aloud was part of our day. It wasn’t something I stopped doing once my students could read independently. We read together because books gave us something to wonder about, laugh about, and talk about. Our trips to the school library […]

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]]> What to Say Instead of “Calm Down”: Coaching Children Through Big Emotions https://mindbodyalign.com/whole-child-development/what-to-say-instead-of-calm-down/ Tue, 22 Sep 2026 22:05:49 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.com/?p=37730 Download or Listen to Article Audio “Calm down.” (And let’s face it, sometimes the “Calm down” has an exclamation point at the end!) I said it as a teacher. I said it as a mom. And I’m fairly certain it has never actually made my upset child calm down. As a third grade teacher, there […]

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]]> How to Start Meaningful Conversations With Kids After Reading Together https://mindbodyalign.com/family_resources/how-to-start-meaningful-conversations-with-kids-after-reading-together/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:40:33 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.com/?p=37707 Listen or Download Article Audio Some of my favorite conversations with kids have started with a book. Then wandered as far from the story as Mo Willems’ Pigeon from what he was supposed to be doing. A character does something that reminds them of school. A problem in the story reminds them of something a […]

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]]> 7 Storytime Strategies That Keep Even the Most Energetic Children Engaged https://mindbodyalign.com/educator_resources/storytime-strategies/ Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:25:08 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.com/?p=37701 Download or Listen to Article Audio As a third-grade teacher, I love a good storytime. I also know that telling my students to sit quietly and listen doesn’t always go according to plan. There is usually someone wiggling, someone desperate to tell you about their dog, a tooth popping out onto the carpet (true story!) […]

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]]> Weathering Back-to-School Emotions: Helping Children Navigate Sunny, Cloudy, and Stormy Days https://mindbodyalign.com/educator_resources/back-to-school-emotions-children/ Wed, 26 Aug 2026 14:41:24 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.wpenginepowered.com/?p=37534 Listen or Download Article Audio Helping Children Navigate Back-to-School Emotions: A Forecast for the First Weeks of School The first month of school has always reminded me of Ohio weather. One minute, everything is sunny and calm. The next, a storm seems to roll in out of nowhere. As a longtime third-grade teacher, I saw […]

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]]> Why Teacher Buy-In Matters for Successful SEL Implementation https://mindbodyalign.com/educator_resources/why-teachers-determine-the-success-of-the-sel-program/ Tue, 25 Aug 2026 20:19:31 +0000 http://mindbodyalign.wpenginepowered.com/?p=26617 Originally Published: 10/25/2021 Why does teacher buy-in matter for SEL? Teacher buy-in matters because educators are responsible for bringing social-emotional skills into everyday classroom experiences. When teachers understand the purpose of an SEL program, feel confident using its strategies, and receive adequate training and support, they are better positioned to integrate those skills consistently with […]

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]]> 7 Back-to-School Tips to Help Kids Adjust to a New School Year https://mindbodyalign.com/educator_resources/back-to-school/back-to-school-tips-help-kids-adjust/ Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:35:10 +0000 https://mindbodyalign.wpenginepowered.com/?p=37413 Listen or Download Article Audio Think Outside the Lunchbox: 7 Back-to-School Tips That Have Nothing to Do With School Supplies Back-to-school season comes with plenty of lists. And I love a good list, or rather, checking items off said list. Pencils, folders, new shoes, water bottles, and somehow the one very specific notebook your child […]

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