Resources for Families & Educators During School Closures

During this stressful time for students, parents, and educators, here are some resources to help young people learn the social-emotional skills they need to get through challenging events. If you have questions about how to use these resources, please contact FPS school counselor, Amy Hottovy. 

Free Second Step and Committee for Children Resources for Educators and Families to Use During School Closures

• Free Social-Emotional Learning Activities: There are a number of Second Step activities freely available online for children ages 5–13. Many of these are adaptable for remote learning or for families to do at home with their children.

• The Imagine Neighborhood: This new podcast for families is designed to help children and grown-ups practice their social-emotional skills. Each episode tells a story that’s amazing, fantastical, and maybe a little bananas, while it tackles the big feelings that come with growing up.

• Mind Yeti®: Fifteen of our mindfulness program sessions are now available for anyone to use, no experience necessary! Designed for educators and families to do alongside children, or for older children to do on their own, Mind Yeti provides a great way for everyone to practice mindfulness during this difficult time.
  Mind Yeti on Vimeo: English | Spanish
  Mind Yeti on YouTube: English | Spanish
  Mind Yeti Podcast: RSS Feed | Spotify | Stitcher

• Little Children, Big Challenges: Committee for Children and Sesame Street have partnered to create a collection of resources for young children facing significant challenges. These materials, aimed at building children’s resilience, may be useful for educators and families.

• Captain Compassion®: Here, children can find games, comics, and activities they can do on their own, or with their families, to learn about how they can help stop bullying.

• Hot Chocolate Talk: A resource to help families talk with their children about child sexual abuse. Families may be spending a lot more time together during school closures, which makes this an opportune time to have these difficult but very important conversations.

• ParenTeen Connect: For families with older children, this resource provides an online experience they can share together. It’s loaded with videos, resources, and useful advice to help teens and the adults in their lives address hot-button topics.