Where Do I Start?

Getting Started with Emotional & Social Learning

Whether you’re a parent, educator, or allied health professional, we know it can be overwhelming to know where to begin when supporting a child’s emotional development. This guide breaks it down step-by-step — from foundational tools to more targeted resources.

🧠 1. Understand the Journey

Emotional and social learning is a shared experience — children learn best when adults are growing alongside them. You don’t need to be an expert — the goal is to create a safe, supportive space for exploration, expression, and connection.

👶 Step One — Build a Strong Foundation

Start here if:

  • You are new to emotional learning
  • The child is preschool age or younger
  • You want to help a child develop a positive sense of self

Foundation Tools

Wonderful Me Collection
👉 Great for developing self-awareness, confidence, belonging, and positive identity before diving into specific emotions.

Why this matters:
Children who feel secure in who they are find it easier to recognise, name, and manage emotions later on.

🧠 Step Two — Emotional & Social Support

Once the foundation is in place, you can explore more targeted emotional learning based on what the child needs most.

If a child is struggling in a specific area:

Challenge

Recommended resources

Worry & Anxiety

Wince the Monster of Worry + parent guide & activity tools

Frustration & Anger

Twitch the Monster of Frustration + emotion-focused support

Envy & Jealousy

Zelly the Monster of Envy

Loneliness & Grief

Nola the Monster of Loneliness

Social Confidence

Squeek the Monster of Innocence

Body Image

Rue the Monster of Insecurity

Confidence & Assertiveness

Fuddle the Monster of Confusion

 

🧑👩👧👦 For Parents & Carers

Goal: Help your child feel understood and supported at home.

  • Start with self-awareness and connection (Wonderful Me).
  • Use stories and plush characters to open gentle discussions about feelings.
  • Keep tools visible and accessible — children learn through play and familiarity.

💡 Tip: Emotional learning also benefits you as an adult — it helps you notice, name, and respond to your own feelings in everyday moments.

🏫 For Educators & Teachers

Goal: Integrate social and emotional learning into your classroom in a developmentally friendly way.

  • Begin with identity and self-confidence activities.
  • Use book-based activities during circle time or wellbeing lessons.
  • Once students have a baseline of self-awareness, explore emotion-focused learning with WorryWoos themes.

🧑⚕️ For Allied Health Professionals

Goal: Support individual children with targeted interventions.

  • Use the tools as play-based psycho-educational aids during therapy.
  • Focus on areas of need — e.g. anxiety tools for worry, frustration stories for anger regulation.
  • Blend these resources with your clinical expertise for tailored programs.

🧭 Long-Term Learning Path

If you’re looking for a complete, ongoing approach to supporting emotional wellbeing at home or in your setting, these are the best places to start.

Think of this as choosing your pathway.

The Wonderful Me Home Pack

Best for:

  • Younger children (early years & primary)
  • Families wanting to build confidence and self-worth
  • Educators introducing emotional learning for the first time
  • Children who need a stronger sense of identity before tackling specific emotions

The Wonderful Me Home Pack focuses on:

  • Self-awareness
  • Positive identity
  • Belonging
  • Confidence
  • Emotional language foundations

This pack helps children understand who they are before diving into specific challenges like worry, frustration or jealousy.

If you're unsure where to begin — this is the most gentle, developmentally supportive starting point.

WorryWoos Complete Home Set

Best for:

  • Children experiencing specific emotional struggles
  • Anxiety, frustration, loneliness, jealousy or insecurity
  • Families already familiar with emotional language
  • Allied health professionals supporting targeted goals

The WorryWoo range allows you to:

  • Focus on one emotion at a time
  • Use story-based therapy tools
  • Support emotional regulation through relatable characters
  • Reinforce learning with guides and activities

This is ideal when you already know what your child is navigating — and want tools to support that directly.

💛 Many Families Use Both

Some families begin with Wonderful Me to build confidence and identity…
Then gradually introduce WorryWoos as specific emotions arise.

There is no “right” order — only what suits your child’s current needs.

✨ Not Sure Which Path Is Right?

Ask yourself: