Play, Learn, And Enjoy!: A Self-Regulation Curriculum for Children

For teachers, counsellors and school psychologists, Play, Learn, and Enjoy! is a social-emotional learning curriculum for elementary school children that bridges self-regulation skills with social-emotional competencies. It covers a broad range of self-regulation and social skills including executive functioning (attention, working memory, and inhibition), strategic skills (time-management and planning), self-awareness, emotional regulation, decision-making, communication, and collaboration with others.

The curriculum is designed in a thematic, game-like format where children, together with story characters, go on imaginary trips into the wilderness. For example, they travel to mountains, a desert, a rainforest, and the Arctic. They take a riverboat trip, go ocean sailing and snorkelling. The curriculum consists of self-regulation games, social stories, collaborative problem-solving and planning activities, movement games, and mindfulness. It includes audio tracks and reproducible worksheets. This curriculum can be implemented in group counselling, after-school programs, and summer camps.

"Play, Learn, and Enjoy!embeds numerous skills in each lesson and provides a variety of activities to keep children interested during the session. By having a focus ‘location’ to drive each lesson, children don’t realize they are learning and practicing skills! This curriculum is a ground-breaking tool for children to improve their emotional-regulation skills."
- Erin C. Stone, BCBA-D, LBA, Autism and Behavior Services Coordinator

"The authors have assembled a fun set of activities designed to enhance social-emotional and executive functioning in elementary school children. The use of themes to tie all the elements together is very creative and will be very engaging for children."
- Daniel C. Miller, PhD, Director, School of Neuropsychology Post-Graduate Program, KIDS, Inc.