🧠 Big Feelings, Calm Tools: A Parent’s Course to Help Children Pause, Breathe, and Regulate is a comprehensive self-paced program designed by Rocky Mountain Behavioral Consultants. This course is tailored for parents of children aged 2-12, providing practical, trauma-informed, and neurodivergent-sensitive tools to support emotional regulation. Course Goal: Equip parents with effective strategies to connect before correcting, support co-regulation, and build calming routines using top tools grounded in expressive arts, somatic psychology, and play therapy. Course Outline: 1. Understanding Big Feelings in Children - Explore the nature of "Big Feelings" and their triggers. - Learn about the brain's stress responses: Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. - Understand the parent's role as a co-regulator. - Discover how developmental stages affect emotional expression. - Downloadable: Developmental Emotional Milestones Chart 2. Foundations of Regulation - Introduction to self-regulation vs. co-regulation. - The importance of pause, presence, and permission. - The 3 R’s: Recognize, Regulate, Reconnect. - Tips for modeling calm behavior. - Parent Practice: Self-Check-In and Grounding Exercise 3. The Top 5 Calming Tools for Big Feelings - The Calming Cuddle (or Weighted Hug): What it is, why it works, and when to use it. - Balloon Breaths (Deep Breathing): How breath affects the nervous system and teaching children to breathe with imagery. - Art to Express Big Feelings: Using crayons, clay, or color to communicate emotions. - Body Scan or Butterfly Taps: What bilateral tapping and somatic awareness do. - Sensory Soothers: How sensory input supports regulation. - Bonus Tip: The most powerful calming tool is always connection. - Downloadable: “Top 5 Calming Tools” Printable Chart 4. Building a Calming Toolkit at Home - Creating a calm-down corner. - Choosing calming tools that match your child’s sensory profile. - Helping children choose tools and build ownership. - Using tools proactively—not just during meltdowns. - Parent Guide: “How to Create a Calming Corner” 5. When to Use Calming Tools - Recognizing signs of dysregulation. - Staying calm during meltdowns. - Repair and reflection post-meltdown. - Audio Practice: Grounding Script for Parents 6. Tailoring Tools to Your Child’s Needs - Addressing ADHD, anxiety, autism, trauma, and sensory differences. - Cultural considerations and respecting your child’s voice. - Strategies for when your child resists tools. - Checklist: “My Child’s Calming Preferences” 7. Connection Before Correction - The role of empathy and co-regulation. - Staying grounded during your child’s emotional outbursts. - Repairing rupture and rebuilding trust. - Video Demo: “How to Co-Regulate in a Power Struggle” Graduation + Bonus Materials: - Certificate of Completion - Printable “Feelings & Tools Matching Cards” - Daily Regulation Routine Checklist - Parent Affirmations for Staying Grounded