08/23/2026
August Weekly Resilience Tips #3 : Foster Resilience through Co-Regulation at Every Age
This week, we invite you to recognize that co-regulation doesn't stop being necessary once children leave the early childhood years. This expanded understanding can have a profound impact on how you support students of all ages through big emotions. Here are some practical steps you can take:
1. Apply Co-Regulation Across Grade Levels - an anxious eight-year-old before a test, a frustrated ten-year-old mid-conflict with a friend—both respond to the presence of a calm, regulated adult nearby. The strategies simply become more subtle with age: a steady tone, a knowing glance, a few quiet words instead of a full physical reset. The underlying principle is exactly the same.
2. Offer a Body-Based Reset Together - regardless of age, shared calming practices work. A slow breath modeled out loud ("let's take three slow breaths together before we start"), a moment of quiet before a transition, or simply sitting nearby while a student works through frustration are all forms of co-regulation. These don't require a formal lesson—just a willing, regulated adult presence.
3. Make It Part of Your Everyday Routine - co-regulation is most effective when it's woven into the ordinary rhythms of the day rather than reserved for crisis moments. Morning check-ins, transition pauses, and calm re-entry after recess all create low-stakes opportunities for students to experience a regulated adult presence consistently—building the capacity they'll draw on when harder moments arrive.
