May 20, 2025 Community Playthings: Dramatic Play Aids Children’s Social and Emotional Development Using the imagination and pretending to be others – whether fantastical characters from movies or more practical societal roles – is a rite of passage in childhood. A recent article by Community Playthings notes that this type of activity – known as dramatic play – is important for children’s social and emotional development. Learn More Dramatic play is when children engage in pretend scenarios in which they take on different roles and often use props or objects to represent others. This type of play helps children with social and emotional development, language and literacy skills, cognitive and fine motor skills, and empathy. Dramatic play can involve anything from acting out scenes from a favorite book or pretending to work in a hospital or restaurant. As Community Playthings notes, “Dramatic play is a powerful tool children use to make sense of events in their lives, to better understand themselves, and to explore the emotions and perspectives of others.” Along with the benefits involving social and emotional well-being and various types of development, the article notes that dramatic play is fun. It also offers children a safe and creative space to process, understand, express complex emotions, and adjust to change. In the process, it benefits their mental health, fosters the development of executive function skills, encourages mental flexibility, and often helps to develop empathy when presenting varied viewpoints. To learn how to support dramatic play, read Community Playthings’ article, “The Importance of Dramatic Play for Young Children.”
August 20, 2019 Webinar: An Interview with Dr. Sherry Turkle Join Brazelton Touchpoints Center on Wednesday, September 25 for an interview with professor and author, Dr. Sherry Turkle, Ph.D. About In this webinar, Sherry Turkle will discuss digital media’s role in society and culture, including its impact on child development, empathy, and communication. Dr. Sherry Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology in the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the founding director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self. Sherry Turkle is also the author of “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age,” a book investigating the impact of technology on and the importance of face-to-face communication. Registration To register for this webinar and learn more, visit the event webpage. More Information For questions, contact Kayla Savelli at kayla.savelli@childrens.harvard.edu.
August 15, 2019 Author Discussion: Michele Borba’s “Unselfie” On November 11, the South Hills area will be hosting author Michele Borba to speak on her new book, “Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World.” About Through a partnership between Saint Paul’s Episcopal Nursery School and Episcopal Church and the Community Foundation of Upper Saint Clair (USC), with additional support from the USC School District and the USC Wellness and Youth Steering Committees, the South Hills area will be hosting renowned author and speaker, Dr. Michele Borba, on Monday, November 11. In her most recent book, “Unselfie,” Dr. Borba explains what parents and educators need to do to combat the “growing empathy crisis among children today.” The book includes a nine-step empathy-building program, providing tips to help caregivers guide their children from birth through college and beyond. This event is free and open to the public. Learn More For more information, contact Eileen Sharbaugh at 412.531.2644 or esharbaugh@stpaulspgh.org. To learn more about empathy and the author, watch this video or Michele Borba’s Ted Talk.
March 29, 2019 Trauma-Informed Care: Training Session Our past experiences – personal, familial, societal – influence our brain development and shape how we interpret and respond to the world. Sometimes adults do not recognize how these experiences manifest as behaviors and they unintentionally harm children. This introductory session is designed to change participants’ approach to the behaviors children exhibit to decrease the likelihood of triggering them. Session Objectives Participants will be introduced to the Trauma-Informed Care framework. Participants will become familiar with the foundations of Trauma-Informed Care. Participants will understand complex trauma and the parts of the brain related to trauma. Participants will learn to recognize the impacts of trauma. To pre-register for this session, visit their Eventbrite page. *A certificate of participation will be given upon request. Session Focus Areas General Overview Trauma-Informed Care Framework Complex Trauma including Brain Development Impacts of Trauma What ELIE Circle Is Bringing Self-Reflection Self-Care Growth Mindset Intentionally Building Relationships Importance Barriers including Race and Gender Techniques Communication Importance Barriers Techniques including Motivational Interviewing, Empathic Communication, Restorative Practices About ELIE Circle ELIE Circle works to eliminate that through professional development training sessions that create trauma-informed communities – environments that focus on not re-traumatizing individuals and assist with development that may have been lost or delayed due to trauma – emotion regulation and empathy for example. ELIE Circle provides the following professional development services: Collaboration to create training sessions for organizations Consultation on creating trauma-informed out-of-school programs Facilitation of discussions with Q&A *Each customer receives a free consultation meeting to discuss organizational needs. Questions & Concerns For any questions or concerns, contact Debralyn Woodberry-Shaw, MSW, LSW at eliecircle@gmail.com.
