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Keeping Coolio at Schoolio! Anger Management in the Early Childhood Setting


You can use REBT principles to teach young people in early childhood how to manage their feelings. 'Must' thinking (Brain Bully) makes unhealthy anger and low frustration tolerance. 'Preference' thinking (Brain Friend) makes healthy annoyance and promotes frustration tolerance.  Read this to your students. I'd be interested to know how they respond to 'Julio Keeps Coolio at Schoolio!'
Giulio

Julio Keeps Coolio at Schoolio!

Julio would ‘chuck a wobbly’ every time he didn’t get his own way. When his teacher said ‘time to pack up!’  he would ‘crack a fruity’ because he wanted to play with his lego instead. ‘Whinge, whinge, whinge!' He whinged.

If his mum at home asked Julio to help with the dishes he would ‘spit the chewy’ because he was playing with his model car. He stomped his feet! He clenched his fists! He said ‘wha wha wha I want to play with my car!

At school he was doing some maths and he ‘spat the dummy’ because it was hard and he only wanted easy stuff to do. His eyes bulged, he turned purple and his nose wrinkled and he bashed the desk with his fist. ‘Whine whine whine.' He whined.

"Whinge whinge
I want my way!
Wha wha
I won’t do what you say!
Whine whine
All the time!"

His mum was sad. ‘Why do you always chuck wobblies Julio? Why do you always have to get your way?’

His teacher said, ‘Why do you always crack a fruity when you don’t get what you want?’

His friends said ‘we don’t like it when you spit the dummy’.  It is not cool to do that at school.’

Julio’s mum took him to see Doctor Calmfella who helped people who couldn’t control their anger.

'What can I do for you?' Dr Calmfella asked.

Julio said ‘I spit the chewy when I don’t get my way!’
Mum said, ‘he chucks a wobbly when everything isn’t just right!’ and his teacher says that he  ‘cracks a fruity’ when he has tough stuff to do! And his friends say its not cool to spit the dummy at school!'

"Mmm", said the doctor.
"I see" he said.
He thought a while and he scratched his head.

"You spit the chewy,
You chuck a wobbly or two
You have the odd dummy spit.
That’s what you do!
Not only that
You crack the odd fruity.
Control your anger
That is your duty!"

This is not helpful for your mum, your teachers or your friends. I think you have a severe case of MUSTITIS!

‘What’s that?’ Julio and his mum said at the same time. That sounds bad!'

"It’s a Brain Bully rule
Inside your head
You can’t keep cool
You chuck wobblies instead!

Brain Bully says
I MUST get my way
I MUST do what I want
Every single day!

I MUST, I MUST
Is what you’re thinking
That kind of rule
Is stinking thinking!"

The doctor wrote some notes on a piece of paper and turned to Julio and said:

"It’s time to say
To that Brain Bully rule
I can keep cool
When I’m at school

You can keep coolio
He said to Julio
You can keep coolio
At home and at schoolio!"

Julio did lots of thinking. He wondered if it was so very bad to help mum at home. He thought about school and how he wanted things to be easy all the time. 'Hang on',  he said himself. 'It’s not so bad when I don’t get my way.  My head wont explode if I try tough stuff! The world won’t end if I have chores to do at home. I don’t always have to get my way!' Julio got rid of his MUST Brain Bully rule and learned how to do important things even when he wanted to do something else instead.

Now when you visit Julio at home or see him at school you will notice something. He doesn’t chuck so many wobblies. He has fewer dummy spits and rarely cracks a fruity! You know what? No one can remember the last time he spat the chewy!

Good on you Julio
You are no fool
You can keep cool
When you’re at school!

Julio can keep Coolio at Schoolio!

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