Our K-2 students engage in social and emotional learning through Kimochis, a program that helps children and families manage feelings and behaviors. During Pinewood's campus closure, the Kimochis have continued to be a central part of the fabric and language of our Lower Campus students' curriculum.

This week, our students have been talking about flexibility. Daily life has transformed completely for everyone – including children – and learning to be flexible has proven to be important for all of us. Key words related to flexible are: resilient, adjustable, pliable, and adaptable.

The Kimochis program utilizes cute characters who each exemplify a feeling. When talking about flexibility, teachers present Clover. This four-leafed character doesn't have the best of luck, so he has to bounce back, be resilient, and make the best of situations when things seem to be going wrong. Clover says: "Assume the best and go with it!" That's the attitude in which we're encouraging our students to grow.

Below are a few resources from our Lower Campus teachers that parents can use to encourage flexibility in their children. The beautiful thing about social and emotional learning is that all of us – even grownups – can benefit from these lessons.

• In this illustrated video, flexibility is explained as a thinking skill.
• In this reading of Chester's Way, we see Chester's growth from rigid to flexible.
• This PBS Kids article offers helpful tips on encouraging flexible thinking in children.
• In this video, Ms. Gustavson reads a book called Zoom (no, not that Zoom!) that illustrates how developing perspective helps us become more flexible.
• In these images, we see how art can help us look at things flexibly, allowing us to see familiar objects in a new way. This is also a great art project to do together as a family!