Rainbow Drops

🌈 Our Focus This Autumn Term

During the autumn term, our focus will be on introducing Rainbow Drops to the children and developing their understanding of emotions and self-regulation.

We will begin by talking with children about the different emotions they may experience throughout their day. Children will be supported to recognise and name feelings such as happy, sad, worried, angry, excited, frustrated, calm and overwhelmed, while understanding that all emotions are valid and that it is okay to feel different emotions at different times.

We will explore why we might feel certain ways and help children begin to make connections between what has happened and how this may make them feel. For example, a child might feel frustrated when something doesn't work, worried when faced with something unfamiliar, or excited when something special is happening.

Children will be encouraged to develop the language to communicate things such as:

“I am feeling worried.”
“I am getting frustrated.”
“I need some quiet time.”
“I need help.”
“I feel calm and ready to learn.”

🧘 Developing Healthy Regulation Strategies

A key part of our work will be helping children discover healthy ways to recognise, process and regulate their emotions. Rather than expecting children to simply “calm down”, adults will work alongside them to identify strategies that may help them return to a state where they feel safe, comfortable and ready to engage.

Depending on the individual child, these strategies may include:

• Taking some quiet time.

• Deep breathing.

• Movement or physical activity.

• Listening to music.

• Using sensory resources.

• Talking to a trusted adult.

• Looking at a visual timetable.

• Having a clear warning before a transition.

• Using visual prompts or first/then language.

• Finding a quiet or calm space.

• Having a drink of water.

• Asking for help.

• Using words, symbols or other communication methods to express how they feel.

We recognise that one strategy will not work for every child, and therefore we will support children to explore different approaches and begin to recognise what works best for them.

🌱 Building Emotional Literacy and Independence

Our long-term aim is for children to become increasingly confident in recognising their own emotions, understanding that emotions can change and developing appropriate ways to communicate their needs.

Through repeated opportunities to talk about feelings, practise regulation strategies and experience supported transitions, children will begin to develop an important understanding:

“I can't always choose how I feel, but I can learn ways to understand my feelings and choose what I can do next.”

This approach supports children's Personal, Social and Emotional Development, while also strengthening communication, relationships, independence and their ability to engage positively in learning.

Ultimately, Rainbow Drops will help us create a shared language around emotions and transitions, giving children the tools and confidence to navigate change throughout their time at Lillybrook and supporting them as they move on to their next stage of learning.

🌈 Rainbow Drops and Supporting Transitions

Rainbow Drops was created by Bromley Borough’s SEND Team. It is designed to support children in understanding and managing the many feelings and transitions they experience throughout their day, week, term and year. Transitions are not only the bigger changes, such as starting school or moving to a new setting; they can also include everyday changes such as tidying up, moving from indoors to outdoors, changing activities, going to lunch or preparing to go home.

Rainbow Drops provides a range of visual and practical strategies that can help children to understand what is happening, what is going to happen next and how they can prepare themselves for change. This can be particularly helpful for children who find unexpected changes, uncertainty or moving between activities difficult.Children experience emotions and sometimes struggle to find the words to communicate how they are feeling. This may translate into behaviour.

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