Promoting healthy coping skills with puppetry
Concerns about mental health grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, more than half of adults with children in the United States expressed concern about the mental state of their children and more than a quarter of parents sought professional mental health help for their children because of the pandemic.
In response to this, the Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH) and the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut, with the support of Principal Foundation, came together to launch Feel Your Best Self to support schools, children and caregivers with the emotional challenges they were facing. Feel Your Best Self is a unique initiative that uses a combination of educational psychology expertise and puppetry to teach simple and emotion-focused coping strategies.
The program features 12 emotion-focused core strategies that are organized into three categories aiming to resonate with kids: Calm Yourself, Catch Your Feelings and Connect with Others. Calm Yourself integrates physical movement and focuses on self-soothing skills to help settle the body or refocus. Catch Your Feelings helps promote self-awareness of the current emotional state. Connecting With Others prioritizes social relationships and choosing, offering or seeking connections.
The program is brought to life through three puppets – Nico, CJ and Mena – who navigate everyday issues and help each other work through their big feelings. The puppetry program also offers a free toolkit and educational strategies to equip educators, caregivers and parents.
As a fully developed initiative today, Feel Your Best Self has had tremendous success and received significant praise, especially from teachers who are thrilled to offer these important coping skills to their students for emotional development. In 2023, Feel Your Best Self won a Kidscreen Award in the “Best Web/App Series—Original” category. Kidscreen Awards are often referred to as the Oscars for kid’s programming and recognizes programming, broadcasting, and digital media at the annual Kidscreen Summit, a global gathering in the kid entertainment industry. The program was also recognized with four Telly Awards, which honor excellence in video and television.
The emotional and mental pressures we face in life, starting at a young, can impact us well into adulthood. Taking care of our emotional and mental health can empower to make better decisions. The ability to manage big emotions and feel comfortable confiding in others is critical, especially when it comes to complex topics like money. Principal Foundation believes investing in programs like Feel Your Best Self is an important part of supporting the journey to financial security. These skills will equip youth and become an asset for them as they navigate larger issues in their lives.
To learn more about the Feel Your Best Self program, go to https://feelyourbestself.collaboration.uconn.edu/about.
