Big Feelings, Small Bodies: Helping Students Navigate Emotions in Real Time (K-2)

MSAA Professional Development Workshop for Teachers and K-2 Paras

 Big Feelings, Small Bodies: Helping (K-2) Students Navigate Emotions in Real Time 

In this interactive and practical workshop, educators will explore strategies to help young students manage their big emotions in the moment, fostering a positive and supportive classroom environment. For students in kindergarten through second grade, emotional regulation is essential to their learning and development, but many young children struggle to express and manage their feelings effectively. This session will equip participants with tools to help students understand and navigate their emotions in real time, reducing disruptions, and supporting their emotional growth.

Through this workshop, educators will discover how to integrate social-emotional learning into their daily routines, and provide a steady, calming presence for their students. Participants will leave with a variety of practical, easy-to-implement tools and activities that can be used throughout the day to help young learners navigate emotional challenges and stay focused on their learning. 

Educators will have a clear understanding of how to support emotional regulation in their students, helping them manage their big feelings, build resilience, and thrive in the classroom.

Workshop Goals and Objectives:

·         Equip K-2 educators with tools for real-time student emotional regulation

·         Provide strategies for preventing emotional escalations, and maintaining a productive learning atmosphere

·         Identify emotional triggers and their impact on young children, and how they impact behavior and learning

·         Recognize early signs of dysregulation and learn proactive interventions

·         Learn practical emotional regulation strategies like calming, visual cues, and mindfulness activities to help students manage emotions

·         Foster a classroom culture of emotional safety and self-regulation 

 

When: Wednesday, October 8, 2025, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am

Delivery Method: In-Person Workshop

Location: The MSAA Office, 33 Forge Parkway, Franklin, MA

Presenter: Kerri Russo, TACC Consulting, LLC

PD Hours: 3 in Content Area Safe and Supportive Learning Environments

Fees: Member $150 / Non-Member $205

MSAA Contact: Ethel Kawesa, ekawesa@msaa.net

Kerri Russo | TACC Consulting, LLC

Kerri Russo brings 20 years of experience as a licensed School Psychologist to her work as the founder of TACC Consulting. Her expertise encompasses a wide range of areas, including cognitive behavioral therapy, ADHD, anxiety, depression, adjustment and learning disorders, social and interpersonal conflicts, and high-functioning autism. Notably, she specializes in emotional regulation strategies that promote both academic and personal success.

Through TACC Consulting, Kerri is dedicated to enhancing classroom environments by empowering children to effectively manage their emotions, thereby unlocking their full learning potential. She partners with schools, teachers, and students to remove learning barriers through emotional regulation and mindfulness strategies. Her mission is to support educators, students, and administrators in creating thriving learning environments. She believes in fostering collaboration, building essential skills, and addressing challenges step by step to empower schools to cultivate resilience, focus, and achievement.

Kerri holds master’s degrees in both Education and Counseling Psychology. She is also a certified Strategic Intervention Life Coach, and a graduate of the Mindful Schools Essentials Program. As a mother of four sons, ages 10-20, she understands the importance of emotional well-being, which inspired the creation of TACC Consulting.

Click to connect with Kerri Russo at: https://www.taccconsulting.com/