Self-Management is built on the base of Self-Awareness. It is the act of managing our feelings and attitudes across different situations for optimum utilisation of resources. The ability to acknowledge and control our emotions makes us efficient. To be emotionally intelligent, this is a critical skill.
In Social Emotional Learning (SEL), Self-Management is the second Competency.
Breaking down CASEL’s definition, Self-Management is the set of abilities that are key to managing:
Emotions
Thoughts
Behaviours
Actions
How Will Self-Management Help Your Child?
A child who can self-manage or self regulate will be able to:
1. Achieve Goals: A common reason for children not completing their work or being unable to achieve their goals is a lack of focus. Especially when faced with difficult emotions or impulses, children find it difficult to stay on task. When a child is able to manage their emotions, they are better able to stay focused and stay on task. A child that acts on impulses does not only stress and harm themselves but also aggravates others around them. When these impulses are kept under check, learning and academic performance improves leading to better focus on goals and achieving success. Research shows that self-management improves academic performance by 11 percentile points.
2. Cope with Stress: A child who is aware of their emotions and feelings understands when they are feeling stressed. They are able to identify the reason and are equipped with coping mechanisms to help. When a tough situation arises, they know how to be calm and take in their surroundings to ground themselves.
3. Persevere Through Challenges: Self-management is not only about managing impulses and behaviour. With self management skills, children gain the ability to figure out solutions on their own and be independent. Since they can manage themselves, they know how to put resources around them into the best possible use and overcome the obstacles.
4.Create Positive Change: Calming down when angered, waiting in a line patiently, seeking help politely when unable to do a task are all examples of self-management you can witness in your child. Their attention span increases and they have prolonged focus. As they are taught to manage their behaviour and handle themselves, they are empowered and their confidence is boosted. They also feel more in control of their physical selves and thus, comfortable in their bodies. Self-management skills enable a child to self-motivate, initiate, de-stress and self-discipline.
How to Encourage Self-Management for Your Child?
For children, even adults really, Self-Management is linked with higher levels of success. Here are some ways in which you can encourage Self-Management for your child:
Be an Example: As parents, we all have our emotional moments. By being a good example of self-management in such moments, we can teach our child to do the same. When frustrated or upset, saying aloud what is disturbing you and telling them how you intend to regulate, could help normalize difficult emotions. Seeing that their parents are able to compose themselves in difficult situations instils a sense of possibility when it comes to regulation of emotions.
Teach Coping Skills: When children are in an uncomfortable situation, it is important to talk to them about what they are feeling. Help them give a name to the complicated feeling by providing them with words like worried, lonely or frustrated. It is important to show empathy and validate their feelings. Make a list of possible situations that affect children and come up with coping strategies. Use roleplay to help them learn.
Stick to Routines: Create routines to adhere to by making fun and artsy time tables. Routines help children feel safe, organized and help daily life run smoothly. It eliminates any unnecessary obstacles and stress by ensuring that there are no last minute changes in the day. Teach them about taking movement breaks and making personal space bubbles.
Limit Screen Time: Although blaming technology and gadgets for self-regulation difficulties faced by children is almost a cliché, it is not without reason. Limiting and minimizing screen time is helpful for self regulation as the instant gratification and sensorial overload from screens can come in the way of self regulation. Involve small breaks of screen time to the planned schedule and do not let it exceed that limit. Try not to use gadget-time as a reward or negative reinforcement as it conditions children into wanting more of it otherwise.
At SpringUP, we help children build foundational skills in Social Emotional Learning(SEL) skills through our experiential learning programs. We use various mediums like conversations, narrations, art, music & movement in our curriculum.
Launch your Graphy