What is it?- The Nurtured Heart Approach is designed to help children build inner wealth and develop self-regulation skills. It is all about the power of relationships. The three main stands are 1. Absolutely No, 2. Absolutely Yes, and 3. Absolutely Clear.  The first stand is all about refusing to energize negative behaviors, which means not reinforcing those behaviors with attention or emotion. The second stand teaches you how to be intentional with your interactions with children and how to actively recognize positive behaviors. The third stand is about setting clear and consistent boundaries, expectations, so children understand the consequences of their actions.

How it Influenced Me:

• The Nurtured Heart Approach has really helped me realize where my focus was when it came to the behaviors of my students and even my own children. It teaches you to recognize all the positive things children are already doing. The approach emphasizes acknowledging those moments when they are making the right choices. This has been a valuable shift for me both at school and at home.

• At school, I handle behaviors very well. I’m able to stay calm, offer choices, and use a wide range of strategies. However, the moment I step into my own home, everything I know about managing behaviors seems to go out the window. I often felt overwhelmed, lost my temper, and ended up feeding into the negativity. Learning the Nurtured Heart Approach really made me reflect on how I was handling those behaviors, and it opened my eyes to the behaviors I was unintentionally energizing. It was like a light switch turned on. It reminded me that I have the power to determine where I allow my energy to go. That was a big shift for me, because I started to see and recognize moments that had negative energy and realized that I have to power to NOT give any of my energy to them, and wait until I can recognize something positive within those moments that are not so great. 

• The approach teaches you to be purposeful with your words and actions. It helps you recognize and acknowledge positive behaviors, especially in situations where it’s tempting to focus on the negative. It’s about spotting the greatness in others and celebrating what’s going well, no matter how small it may be. That is one of my favorite things about this approach, is teaching other educators and parents how to recognize the greatness in others. It really changes your perspective of situations and behaviors that arise.

I’ve written an E-Book that’s almost finished, all about my journey with the Nurtured Heart Approach and how it has impacted my life as a mom, wife, and educator. It offers a glimpse into our world and the challenges we’ve faced along the way, and how learning this approach has been a saving grace.