SEL Programs for Elementary

Ending Classroom Chaos

“Children have not changed. Childhood has. The children around us are reflecting the challenging, sometimes scary changes in their environment.”

– Barbara Oehlberg, Making It Better: Activities for Children Living in a Stressful World

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What we do next matters.

Are you ready for a breakthrough in your classroom? Download the FREE curriculum with a purchase of Ending Classroom Chaos to empower your students in just 10 minutes a day and rediscover the joy of teaching again! 

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Ending Classroom Chaos: A Brain Body Curriculum for the Whole Classroom

Jen developed Ending Classroom Chaos after searching for a structured, accessible curriculum to teach young children and teachers the “why” behind what was happening in the classroom. Most social emotional learning (SEL) curriculums teach top-down cognitive strategies and skill building for regulation in small group settings, but leave out one key component. They do not address what is happening in the lower part of the brain or the body during stress. 

Ending Classroom Chaos addresses this need in 5-10 minute engaging lessons per day and implementing structured developmental movement patterns in the classroom. This curriculum successfully teaches children as young as kindergarten to understand the brain’s amazing ability to keep us safe while at the same time drawing attention to what is happening physiologically in the body. 

The philosophy behind this social emotional learning (SEL) program for elementary students is simple: If we can teach children to pay attention to their bodies and continue developing the brain and nervous system using movement and breath, they will have access to these same strategies when they need them the most.

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What teachers are saying…

Check out the testimonials below from real teachers using Ending Classroom Chaos in their elementary classrooms. 

My students love the daily lessons. They look forward to learning more about the brain and how it works. The lessons give the students a voice and a better understanding of how they are feeling. It helps them use their "words" more than their "actions.

- Sarah

The students are starting to be able to "communicate" what color they are in and describe what they are feeling and why. Instead of exploding they seem to be able to think about it and choose another way to handle the big emotion. Most of the time my students are able to tell me what we can do together to get them back down to green.

- Nick

Research Backing Ending Classroom Chaos 

    • The Importance of Movement in the Classroom

      Several studies have proven the benefit of movement in the classroom for everything from increased circulation and oxygen supply to the brain, increased focused attention, executive function, language, and on-task behavior (Bidzan-Bluma, Lipowsk, 2018; Wood, Nocera, Kybartas, & Coe, 2020; Kerpan, Humbert, Rodgers, & Stoddart, 2019; Carson et al., 2016). 

      The benefits of physical activity and movement in the classroom are well documented in research, though the variations in how movement breaks are implemented are endless. There is little research in specified guidelines for intensity, duration, or type of movement breaks implemented in the classroom. 

      This SEL program for elementary students proposes using purposeful, teacher and student directed developmental movement patterns paired with breath during natural transition times throughout the day. These movements follow the same progression as infant development, beginning with simple forward and backward movements and ending with more complex coordinated movements involving the opposite sides of the body in rhythm. 

      Studies Documenting the Benefits of Implementing Movement in the Classroom

      Bidzan-Bluma, I.; Lipowska, M. Physical activity and cognitive functioning of children: A systematic review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2018, 15, 800.

      Infantes-Paniagua Á, Silva AF, Ramirez-Campillo R, Sarmento H, González-Fernández FT, González-Víllora S, Clemente FM. Active School Breaks and Students’ Attention: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Brain Sci. 2021 May 21;11(6):675. doi: 10.3390/brainsci11060675. PMID: 34064202; PMCID: PMC8224334.

      Kerpan, S., Humbert, M. L., Rodgers, C. D., & Stoddart, A. L. (2019). Improving Kindergarten and Grade One Indigenous Students’ On-Task Behavior With the Use of Movement Integration. Journal of American Indian Education, 58(1/2), 84–107. https://doi.org/10.5749/jamerindieduc.58.1-2.0084

      Tószegi, C., Zsido, A. N., & Lábadi, B. (2023). Associations between executive functions and sensorimotor performance in children at risk for learning disabilities. Occupational Therapy International, 2023 doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/6676477

      Wood AP, Nocera VG, Kybartas TJ, Coe DP. Physical Activity and Cognitive Aspects of Self-Regulation in Preschool-Aged Children: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Sep 9;17(18):6576. Doi: 10.3390/ijerph17186576. PMID: 32917010; PMCID: PMC7558275.

Ending Classroom Chaos: A Brain Body Connection Curriculum for the Whole Classroom 

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Intro to Ending Classroom Chaos

If you need a resource for explaining Ending Classroom Chaos, understanding the pilot study data, and implementing this social emotional curriculum into the elementary classroom daily, this is the video for you. Share this intro video to movement-based SEL programs for elementary students with administrators, colleagues, and curriculum directors in your district today!

About the Author

Jen Vennart is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 14 years of experience in a variety of settings including public schools. She is the owner of Foundations Trauma Training and Support and her own private occupational therapy practice, Foundations OT. Jen is passionate about empowering all children and educators to thrive in the classroom. 

Through her training business, Foundations Trauma Training and Support, Jen has been invited to speak to many schools around the state of Kansas and Missouri, training teachers, administrators, and support staff about the importance of building connection and resiliency in the classroom. She also currently partners with Greenbush, The Education Service Center, to provide training for public educators tailored to their specific needs. She specializes in supporting the most challenging students to find regulation through connection, sensory processing, and understanding the underlying brain processes creating the challenge

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Elementary Curriculum for Kansas City

Interested in having Jen Vennart speak at a professional development training for your school? Want additional training on how to implement Ending Classroom Chaos in your classroom setting? Get in touch today! 

 

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Coming Soon

Ending Classroom Chaos Companion Visuals to Use in a Regulation Room, Sensory Room or Calm Down Corner in the Classroom