what are social-emotional life skills
and what happens when the horses are the teachers?

 

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 1 in 3  of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will experience an anxiety disorder. And sadly, these numbers have been increasing; between 2007 and 2012, anxiety disorders in children and teens went up 20% (from a study from the National Survey of Children’s Health). The Child Mind Institute has also argued with research that the recent pandemic has created even more adolescents (and even some pre-adolescents) who are anxious.

Anxiety in children can show up in different ways, such as not wanting to do things, being irritable, or troubles with sleep. All of these challenges may point to an issue larger than “kids being kids” and may come about as a reaction to environmental hardships like a trauma, the death of a loved one, school issues, and/or bullying.

Detecting a change in your child’s behavior is key since symptoms of most mental health challenges start before age 25. Our program is NOT therapy and you should seek a therapist or psychologist for treatment. However, what we can offer is a wellness enrichment program called the armor of skills that will equip your child with confidence, empathy, and joy.

children program.png

So, how does this work?

Each week, the group will engage in a different obstacle course challenge through this 4-step program and leaving each class with some social-emotional (SEL) life skill such as confident, trust, leader, patience, listen, articulate, empathetic, kind, gentle, release, and more!

“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”
— CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic Social and Emotional Learning)

How can this help my child?

  • SEL can predict academic achievement and is an even better indicator than IQ.

  • Students who participated in an SEL program experienced an 11 percentage point increase in academic achievement.

  • SEL may also help reduce delinquency and other challenging behaviors, which can help keep students on track academically.

  • Supporting young people’s SEL has long-lasting effects, including lowering rates of depression and anxiety.

  • Careers that require the mastery of social-emotional skills have outpaced growth in all other occupations.

  • 79% of employers overwhelmingly identify social- emotional skills as being the most important qualities needed for success—and at the same time, the hardest qualities to find in the labor force.

    *from Committee for Children | cfchildren.org | (2019)

 

a typical day of armor-building

Read what the first three weeks of armor building looks like on the farm! Program can run for at least 12 weeks and is offered via demand, so please inquire if interested! Contact the farm today for a complimentary barn tour and begin hands-on learning with the horses today! A perfect fit for students who are unsure about riding but love animals and want to develop confidence, trust, and empathy on the farm.