We sat down with Jessica, Lead Teacher in a Texas Head Start program, to learn more about her experiences with EGG Toolkit. Read on to learn how EGG Toolkit has helped 3- to 5-year-olds in Jessica's classroom develop strong language skills and age-appropriate behavior.
EGG: What are some of your favorite parts of ‘EGG time’ in your classroom?
Jessica: I love that the beginning modules touch on simple things like children’s senses, which are important to them and tie into our primary curriculum. I really like the different breathing strategies we’ve learned from EGG Toolkit as well as the Exploration! activities. I usually stick to an activity that correlates with the book we read during Group Time.
The kids also really like the games: Jack in the Box, the Hot Potato games, and dancing to the silly, interactive videos—definitely the dancing!
EGG: Is EGG flexible for your classroom?
Jessica: It is flexible! EGG works well with the lesson plans in our primary curriculum. Typically I have time in the morning to incorporate EGG, in between our first circle time and our outside time. But EGG is flexible enough that if I don't get to it then, I can also do activities at recess time or as we're coming in from recess time. It’s easy to pick and choose from activities that are quick to do during those transitions.
EGG: Share how you’ve seen students develop executive functioning skills this year with EGG.
I see a lot of development with vocabulary. This school year in particular, I have quite a few students receiving speech therapy—there is a little boy in my classroom who I think about all the time. He wasn't talking very much at all or answering our questions about how he was doing. But now when he does the Feel Wheel, he's able to say "happy.” He has come a long way because he wasn't even understanding that concept yet at the beginning.
Other kids have also shown improvement and learned different vocabulary that they wouldn't have been exposed to in our program if not for EGG. Telling My Story and Our Story has given them opportunities to express themselves and share something that's personal to them. I’ve definitely seen improvements in language, including the younger kiddos who have speech delays.
I’ve definitely seen improvements in language, including the younger kiddos who have speech delays.
EGG: Have you noticed that EGG has helped children build self-regulation skills?
Jessica: Yes! There’s a sense of calmness this year, after last year [without EGG] which was very difficult. Despite having quite a bit of special needs in our classroom and a lot of speech delays, children are actually very well behaved and not having as many behavior issues. I’m sure it has to do with EGG and the fact that that they're able to express how they feel or what they need.
There’s a sense of calmness this year, after last year [without EGG] which was very difficult.
EGG: Can you share more about how EGG is helping children with speech delays in your classroom?
Jessica: For a lot of the kiddos who have speech delays, they're not able to verbally respond but they’re listening during EGG time. They look at the pictures and hear the vocabulary. Just the fact that they're attentive and they're listening is a win for me. They also see their peers using language, and even though they’re a little bit behind I see them catching on.
For example, one student who is not using his words will spin the arrow on the Feel Wheel. Eventually, he'll stop on a feeling and I’ll say, “happy” or “sad,” and he’ll nod. So for me, that's another win because he’s looking at the picture and connecting vocabulary to that picture. That’s one step closer to the day he’ll say, “I feel happy” or “I’ll feel sad.”

EGG: Are there other benefits from EGG that you’re seeing?
Jessica: EGG is doing more than teaching kids about their feelings. EGG is also teaching them life and safety skills—giving them strategies for expressing and naming feelings like sad, grumpy, proud, surprised, sorry and calm. It affects how the kids respond to one another.
EGG is doing more than teaching kids about their feelings. EGG is also teaching them life and safety skills
EGG: If you could give advice to teachers beginning EGG next school year, what would you say?
Jessica: It takes work to implement any new curriculum, but EGG is worth it. You're going to see the difference in the classroom once your kids are more regulated. So just be patient! You’ll learn as you go.
EGG: How does EGG build on your existing skills and support your goals as an early childhood educator?
Jessica: EGG has helped me learn to utilize repetition which is really important for the kids, because they're not going to get it the first time. But they’ll get it once you repeat it a lot of different times. For example, some of EGG’s activities are repeated across modules using a different feeling or concept. This is good because kids learn to see through a different lens and adapt to the changes.
EGG: If there were a teacher that were to walk in and say, what is this curriculum about? If you could respond to them in one sentence, what would you how would you describe it?
Jessica: I would say EGG is about teaching kids how to use their words and control their own bodies during good times as well as bad times. I say that because I feel like that's what it has done for my kids.
I would say EGG is about teaching kids how to use their words and control their own bodies during good times as well as bad times.
Click here to sign up for our newsletter to learn more brain science-backed tips for early childhood education. Interested in EGG Toolkit for your classroom? Contact John Everett Till, EGG Enterprise Manager and Chief Strategy Officer at The Family Partnership.