Making It Better: Activities for Children Living in a Stressful World / Edition 2

by Barbara Oehlberg

Overview

More than 75 empowering and healing classroom activities

Children living with uncertainty and insecurity often have difficulty focusing on learning. They might demonstrate disrespectful or defiant behaviors, act out, or act with aggression. As an educator, you may provide the only stability in their otherwise turbulent world.

Making It Better explains trauma-informed education, an approach that recognizes the impact of traumatic stress on children and its effect on the growing brain, and applies the latest neurological research to teaching methods, disciplinary policies, and interactions to support grieving children.

This book responds to the learning and behavioral needs of children who have experienced traumatic events or toxic stress—such as natural disasters, community violence, or abuse or neglect within the child’s familial relations—and includes a collection of activities and strategies to help children heal and feel empowered.

Distressed children need absolute emotional security and an opportunity to engage in healing activities. With your help, children can begin to build resiliency and find renewed hope for the future.

Barbara Oehlberg, MA, is an education and child trauma consultant who has presented for many organizations throughout the country. With a career that has spanned many levels, Barbara has spent more than 30 years making a positive impact on children’s lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781605541600
Publisher:	Redleaf Press
Publication date:	02/18/2014
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Barbara Oehlberg completed a graduate program in child development at the University of Akron in 1981, after receiving a degree in home economics from the University of Wisconsin and raising seven children. Since retirement in 1997, she has become a certified Child Trauma Consultant through The National Institute for Trauma & Loss in Children in Michigan and has presented to over two hundred agency and school staff development sessions.

As a family life specialist with Cleveland Public Schools, Barbara has seen firsthand how domestic violence, child abuse, and stress can affect children’s behaviors and learning abilities. Recognizing that children learn violence primarily within their families, she combined her peace activism with her profession and created a program for the Ohio governor’s office in 1983, titled “Parenting for Peaceful Families.” She has facilitated that program in Ohio’s schools, churches, and prisons.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction to Trauma-Informed Early Child Education

Part 1: Childhood Changed: Understanding Trauma

Chapter 1: Attachment and the Growing Brain
Chapter 2: Early Traumatic Stress
Chapter 3: Implementing the Trauma-Informed Classroom
Chapter 4: Trauma-Informed Discipline
Chapter 5: The Unique Grieving Process for Each Child
Chapter 6: Helping Children Build Resiliency

Part 2: Classroom Activities for Empowerment

Chapter 7: Healing Play
Chapter 8: Healing Arts
Chapter 9: Healing Language Arts

Appendix A: Making Referrals
Appendix B: Resources
Appendix C: Index of Activities by Issue
References
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

Making It Better supports the tremendous need to help students living in today’s often traumatic world with overall social and academic achievement through the use of healing activities. Hands-on activities are provided that can be implemented by any school professional to assist students with focus, learning, and regulation.”
—Caelan Kuban, PsyD, LMSW, CTC-S, director of The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children, Starr Global Learning Network, and coauthor of Working with Grieving and Traumatized Children and Adolescents

From the Publisher