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

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 support emotional development, social engagement, and academic growth.

This issue explores how the core principles of DIR/Floortime can be adapted for school settings to meet children where they are and foster a sense of belonging, regulation, and readiness to learn.

🏫 Why DIR/Floortime Belongs in the Classroom

DIR/Floortime is often associated with 1:1 therapeutic settings, but its heart—attuned relationships and developmentally-informed support—fits beautifully into classrooms, too.

At school, children face sensory, emotional, and social demands all day long. DIR/Floortime offers tools to help teachers understand the “why” behind behaviors and respond with connection over correction.

🧠 Key DIR/Floortime Concepts That Support Learning

✅ Developmental: Consider where a child is emotionally and socially—not just academically
✅ Individual Differences: Honor each child's sensory, motor, and processing profiles
✅ Relationship-Based: Focus on co-regulation and trust to promote engagement and curiosity

🪜 Practical Ways to Use DIR/Floortime in the Classroom

1. Emotional Check-Ins (All Ages)
💛 Start the day with a “feelings check-in” using visuals, songs, or journaling.

Why it works: Builds emotional awareness, trust, and safety—prerequisites for learning.

2. Create a Regulation Toolbox
🎧 Offer fidgets, weighted lap pads, noise-canceling headphones, or a “calm corner.”

DIR Tip: Let students help create the toolbox so it feels inviting, not punitive.

3. Follow Their Lead During Play or Choice Time
🧸Allow time for open-ended play or creative exploration. Notice and join in a child’s interests—this is their developmental entry point!

DIR Tip: Use these moments to build connection and expand thinking without demanding outcomes.

4. Use Predictable Routines + Visual Supports
🗓️Visual schedules, timers, and transitions support children with regulatory or processing challenges.

DIR Tip: Pair routines with warm, attuned communication—this creates emotional safety.

5. Reframe “Behavior” as Communication
🚦Instead of “acting out,” think: “What is this child trying to tell me?” Is it sensory overload? Emotional overwhelm? Social frustration?

DIR Tip: Connect before correcting—co-regulate first, then problem-solve together.

✨ Real-Life Examples

Scenario: A student repeatedly leaves their seat and paces during circle time.

DIR Response: Instead of discipline, a teacher might offer a movement break, sensory input, or a co-regulating presence: “Let’s stretch together and then come back when you're ready.”

Scenario: A child refuses to write during literacy time.
DIR Response: The teacher joins the child’s interest (e.g., dinosaurs) and invites storytelling through drawing or oral narration—gradually bridging to written expression.

💬 A Teacher’s Perspective:

“Once I shifted from asking, ‘How do I get this student to comply?’ to ‘How can I connect and support?’—everything changed. My students are more engaged, and I feel more at peace.”

🤝 Partnering with Families

Classroom success is amplified when teachers and caregivers communicate regularly about:

• Sensory needs

• Emotional triggers

• Strategies that work at home or school

• Shared language for feelings and behaviors

Use tools like a daily check-in notebook, a quick end-of-day email, or a shared visual schedule.

📚Resources for School Teams

• The SCERTS Model – Blends well with DIR/Floortime in school settings

• The Whole-Brain Child by Siegel & Bryson – Tools for emotional support 

📅 Coming Next Issue:

“From Meltdowns to Meaning: Using Floortime to Support Emotional Outbursts”

DIR/Floortime in schools isn’t about adding more work—it’s about adding more understanding. When teachers and staff attune to developmental and sensory needs, school becomes not just a place to learn—but a place to belong.

With gratitude for all you do,