It’s the First Day Back After School Vacation Week and I’m Nervous

Preschoolers + vacation = dysregulation

Sandy Gold
Age of Awareness

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Photo by BBC Creative on Unsplash

I am a curriculum coach at a preschool and tomorrow is our first day back at school after December break. To be honest, I’m nervous.

The week leading into vacation was a bit chaotic. There were a lot of teachers and children out sick. There were just as many children being sent home sick in the middle of a day. Class numbers dwindled all week as families got a head start on vacation. Then add in the excitement of both Chanukah and Christmas and it was a perfect recipe for dysregulation.

Emotional regulation refers to children being in tune with their emotions. It’s when they can understand how they are feeling and control their behavior. Dysregulation is the complete opposite.

Dysregulation might look like a child crying hysterically because they don’t like the way their sandwich looks even though it is the same sandwich they eat every day.

Dysregulation might look like a child taking a bin of crayons and throwing them to the floor. And then reaching for the markers to toss them as well.

Dysregulation might like a child pushing their classmate out of a chair just because they wanted to sit there.

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