Back-to-School with Feel Your Best Self: A 5-Step Starting Point for Educators
Written by Molly Ferreira
The beginning of a new school year is exciting—but let's be honest, it's also busy. As a former third grade teacher, I get it: between lesson planning, building classroom routines, and getting to know your students, adding something new can feel overwhelming. The good news is that Feel Your Best Self (FYBS) isn’t a “program” that needs tons of planning and preparation. It’s really not a program at all, but merely a toolkit or menu of options that you can pick and choose from. And there isn't a "right" or “wrong” way to implement it!
FYBS was designed to be flexible, so you can choose the pieces that fit your classroom, your students, and your schedule. Whether you have five minutes during morning meeting or a dedicated social-emotional learning block, FYBS is meant to fit into what you're already doing.
Think of it like a choose-your-own-adventure story. You can mix and match the resources however you'd like, revisit favorite strategies, or adapt activities to meet your students' needs. That said, if you're looking for a simple place to begin, here's a suggested roadmap to help you get started this school year.
Step 1: Explore the Feelings
Before teaching the strategies, it's helpful to build a shared language around feelings and emotions. The Feelings Forecast and our Explore the Feelings Activities introduce students to identifying and naming their feelings using a weather analogy. The Feelings Forecast is great to print out and hang on your door as a daily check-in system using a common language that you can continue all year long.
Step 2: Choose One Strategy to Focus On
There's no need to introduce all 12 FYBS strategies at once. Because if you're anything like I was in the classroom, your to-do list is already long enough! Instead, choose just one strategy and give students plenty of opportunities to learn and practice it before moving on. Many educators teach a Strategy of the Week or even a Strategy of the Month, allowing students to become comfortable with one strategy before introducing another. And don’t be too hard on yourself when routines fall through (fire drills, puke bug, snow days, the list goes on!) Things happen…your strategy roll out might not always happen according to plan, and that’s okay.
Step 3: Introduce the Strategy
Start with the Strategy Cards to walk students through each step together. Read the steps aloud, model the strategy, and invite students to practice alongside you.
Once students have been introduced to the strategy, reinforce their learning using the FYBS Multi-Media resources. Let's be honest, who doesn't love a good song or video? Watch the puppet videos or animated shorts together to see the strategy used in everyday situations with our puppet friends (CJ, Mena, and Nico!) or bop along to the FYBS song collection to help students remember the strategies throughout the day. Offering multiple ways to experience each strategy helps keep learning engaging while giving students different opportunities to connect with the material.
Step 4: Reflection Activities
After practicing a strategy, take a little time to talk about it and reflect together. This is a great chance for students to connect what they just practiced to their own feelings and everyday experiences. Use the Discussion Tip Sheets to get the conversation going with questions like when could the strategy be helpful, or how the strategy could help someone else.
Then, give students a chance to think about how the strategy worked for them. The Reflection Sheets help students notice how they felt before and after practicing and think about whether it’s a strategy they’d want to try again. Not every strategy will be the perfect fit for every student and that’s okay! As students explore all 12 FYBS strategies, they can start discovering which ones work best for them.
Step 5: Get Creative!
The fun doesn’t have to end there. You can also try incorporating puppet-making! Yes, puppet-making. Creating puppets gives students a creative outlet while helping them build ownership of the strategies they're learning. Puppets can also make practicing emotion regulation feel more playful, engaging, and memorable. It's completely optional, but it's one of my personal favorite ways to bring FYBS to life while adding a little extra fun into the classroom!
Keep the Practice Going
The real power of FYBS comes from using the strategies consistently. Look for natural opportunities throughout your day to revisit strategies: during morning meeting, before/after recess, during transitions, or at dismissal. Even just a few minutes of practice can help students strengthen their skills and build lasting habits. Remember, FYBS doesn't have to be one more thing on your plate. Our Got No Time? brief offers practical ideas for incorporating the toolkit into what you're already doing and our Facilitator Guide provides even more implementation tips, best practices, and support along the way.
If there's one thing we hope you take away, it's this: FYBS is meant to work for you. Use one resource or use them all. Teach a strategy each week, sprinkle them throughout your day, or adapt activities to fit your classroom routines. However you choose to use the toolkit, you're helping students build lifelong skills one small moment at a time. So as you head into a new school year, don't worry about doing everything perfectly. Simply choose a place to start, make it your own, and enjoy the journey alongside your students!