Free SEL Resources for Educators
Being an educator is hard. We designed these free SEL resources for educators to make your life a bit easier and help you teach your students valuable brain basics and self-regulation skills.
FocusedKids Basics
Your Amygdala – The Guard Dog
Learn how to teach children about their amygdala and the role it plays in their brains.
Your Hippocampus – Miss Elephante
Learn how to teach children about their hippocampus and the role it plays in their brains.
Your Prefrontal Cortex – The Wise Owl
Learn how to teach children about their prefrontal cortex and the role it plays in their brains.
Articles for Educators
Stop Managing Behaviors and Start Teaching
Is there too much to do and too little time? Teachers face an overwhelming amount of expectations, especially at the start of the school year. We feel pressured to implement new strategies, new programs, and countless current classroom practices. We want to do our best, but how do we make all this work and still enjoy our work and our life?
Managing Expectations & Priorities for the School Year
Is there too much to do and too little time? Teachers face an overwhelming amount of expectations, especially at the start of the school year. We feel pressured to implement new strategies, new programs, and countless current classroom practices. We want to do our best, but how do we make all this work and still enjoy our work and our life?
Navigating the School Year’s Final Sprint with Calm
In many ways, the end of the school year resembles the holiday season—full of expectations, packed schedules, and mounting pressure. But unlike the holidays, there's no built-in break or cultural permission to slow down. The days aren't longer, and the to-do lists certainly aren't shorter. The calendar quickly fills with field trips, performances, exams, projects, report cards, transitions, and celebrations. While this season brings excitement, it also silently cultivates stress.
Lessons for Educators
Essentials: FocusedKids Classroom Lessons
Get the key FocusedKids lessons right here and start teaching the in your class today!
Essentials: FocusedKids Classroom Demonstration Videos
Watch demonstration videos that will help you teach FocusedKids in your classroom!
Essentials: FocusedKids Classroom Visuals, Posters, Printouts
Access educators' favorite FocusedKids posters, visuals, and print outs.
Videos for Educators
The Glitter Jar
The glitter jar is one of the best tools to use if you need to calm down kids (or yourself). Click to find out how to make and use a glitter jar.
Three Important Parts of the Brain
Discover the three key parts of the brain that you and your students need to know about.
Teach Gratitude with Grateful Goat
Meet Grateful Goat: Your Partner in Teaching Gratitude Science tells us that gratitude is a game-changer in child development....
Professional Development Recordings
Trauma-Informed Practices with Chrissy Mignogna
In the final Professional Development session of the 2024-2025 school year, Amanda Petersen facilitated a group reflection on the work teachers have done both personally and professionally through FocusedKids.
Cultivating Calm: Mindfulness for Educators and the Classroom
In the final Professional Development session of the 2024-2025 school year, Amanda Petersen facilitated a group reflection on the work teachers have done both personally and professionally through FocusedKids.
2025-2026 PD Series Kickoff: Introduction to FocusedKids
In the final Professional Development session of the 2024-2025 school year, Amanda Petersen facilitated a group reflection on the work teachers have done both personally and professionally through FocusedKids.