Growing Together: A Newsletter Series on DIR/Floortime

🌟 Growing Together: A Newsletter Series on DIR/Floortime 🌟

Welcome! Whether you’re a parent, therapist, teacher, or caregiver, you play a vital role in nurturing a child’s emotional and developmental growth. In this series, we’re excited to explore DIR/Floortime, a powerful relationship-based approach that supports children in reaching their full potential through meaningful, joyful interactions.

Issue #12 – Floortime and Resilience: Helping Kids Bounce Back Through Connection

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Families and Friends, Life is full of challenges—big and small. For children, even something like a change in routine, a tough school assignment, or a conflict with a friend can feel overwhelming. What helps them bounce back isn’t just “tou...

Nov 21, 2025 dir dir/floortime

Issue #10 – The Role of Co-Regulation: Why Calm Connection Comes Before Learning

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Families and Friends, When children are overwhelmed—by frustration, excitement, or anxiety—our first instinct is often to talk them through it or redirect their attention. But the truth is, before learning can happen, children need to feel ...

Sep 19, 2025 co-regulation dir dir/floortime emotional regulation regulation through relationships relationships safety

Issue #9 – Play Isn’t Just a Break: Why It’s the Heart of Development

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Families and Friends, When we think about play, it’s easy to see it as something “extra”—a reward after schoolwork, a pause in the day, or just a way for children to burn off energy. But in reality, play isn’t just a break—it’s the heart of...

Sep 12, 2025 cognitive growth dir dir/floortime emotional regulation floortime motor skills play sense of self social skills

Issue #8 – Floortime & Neurodiversity: Embracing Strengths, Supporting Differences

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Families, Therapists, and Educators, Neurodiversity reminds us of a simple but powerful truth: there is no single “right” way to think, feel, learn, or relate. Each brain is unique—and that uniqueness is not a problem to be fixed, but a str...

Aug 29, 2025 dir dir/floortime floortime neurodiversity

Issue #7 – From Meltdowns to Meaning: Using Floortime to Support Emotional Outbursts

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Parents, Educators, and Therapists, Emotional outbursts—meltdowns, shutdowns, or explosive behaviors—can feel overwhelming for both children and adults. But through the lens of DIR®/Floortime™, these challenging moments become windows into ...

Aug 22, 2025 dir dir/floortime emotional support emotions floortime meltdowns tantrums

Issue #6 – Floortime in the Classroom: Supporting Developmental Growth at School

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Educators, Therapists, and Caregivers, Every child deserves to feel safe, connected, and understood—not just at home, but in the classroom too. The DIR/Floortime approach can be a powerful ally in creating learning environments that suppor...

Aug 15, 2025 dir dir/floortime floortime school

Issue #5 – Floortime for Siblings: Creating Connection, Not Competition

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Families and Caregivers, Siblings can be best friends, teammates, or sometimes rivals—and when one child has unique developmental needs, sibling dynamics can feel especially tender. This week, we’re focusing on how DIR/Floortime can help...

Aug 08, 2025 dir dir/floortime floortime playful connection regulation siblings

Issue #4 – Building Emotional Regulation Through Play: Helping Kids Stay Calm and Connected

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Dear Floortime Families and Supporters, Have you ever wondered why your child suddenly “melts down” or becomes unusually quiet or tense during play or transitions? Emotional regulation—the ability to manage feelings in a healthy, adaptive way...

Aug 01, 2025 dir dir/floortime emotional regulation emotions feelings matter floortime playful connection regulation

Issue #3 – Understanding Sensory Differences: Supporting Your Child's Unique Needs

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Welcome, Caregivers and Champions of Connection! One of the most powerful aspects of the DIR/Floortime model is its respect for each child’s Individual Differences—including how they process the world through their senses. Today, we’ll dive in...

Jul 25, 2025 dir dir/floortime floortime playfulconnection sensorydifferences

Issue #2 – Floortime at Home: Easy Ideas for Everyday Play

✨Growing Together: A Newsletter on DIR/Floortime ✨ Welcome Back! In our last issue, we explored the foundations of DIR/Floortime—a powerful way to connect with children through play. Today, we’re bringing it home with simple, everyday ideas you can use to build emotional connection, spark commun...

Jul 18, 2025 dir dir/floortime floortime floortimeathome parenting pediatrics playfulconnection

Join the Conversation: Engaging with the DIR/Floortime Community for Support and Inspiration

Hello Wonderful Community, DIR/Floortime is all about connection—and that doesn’t stop with our children. As caregivers, educators, and therapists, we also need connection, encouragement, and community to stay inspired and grounded. We invite you to join the conversation—to learn from others, sha...

Jul 14, 2025 dir dir/floortime floortime pediatrics therapy

Issue #1 – Understanding DIR/Floortime: A Path to Connection and Growth

What Is DIR/Floortime? DIR stands for Developmental, Individual-differences, and Relationship-based. It’s a framework developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and Dr. Serena Wieder that helps children—especially those with developmental challenges like autism spectrum disorders—build foundational skil...

by Courtney St.Germain — Jul 11, 2025 connection dir/floortime floortime pediatrics therapy