What children practiced
Emotional vocabulary, body awareness, coping, mindfulness, empathy, identity, persistence, problem-solving, and positive emotions through books including I Am a Tornado, Those Shoes, Jabari Tries, and The Way I Feel.
Lit LiberationConnectPilot implementation
Stories in action.
Skills that travel.
Lit Liberation pilots show how story-based learning can help children practice emotional literacy, regulation, empathy, and resilience in ways that fit naturally within the school day.
Explore a pilot partnership →There are two ways partners have brought Lit Liberation to children: through facilitator-led Lit Liberation Jr. experiences and through a classroom curriculum pilot. Both use literature as the bridge from meaningful discussion to concrete, child-friendly skill practice.
Pilot write-up
Read the full Lit Liberation Jr. implementation summary.
This retrospective write-up documents the early childhood pilot, its instructional model, the skills children practiced, preliminary implementation findings, and the next phase of evaluation.
Implementation one
Lit Liberation Jr. program pilot
Facilitator-led, story-based sessions for young children that pair interactive read-alouds with guided conversation, DBT-informed skills, movement, creative expression, sensory experiences, and hands-on practice.
20literature-based learning experiences
45minute facilitator-led sessions
Jan–Sepdocumented implementation period
What implementation showed
The documented sessions supported a predictable, developmentally appropriate rhythm while keeping every experience fresh. Children engaged through art, movement, sensory play, building, music, and reflection.
This retrospective summary documents feasibility and children’s participation. It does not claim measured outcomes; the next pilot phase will use a more systematic evaluation plan.
Implementation two
Curriculum pilot
An eight-week Grade 2 classroom pilot that paired one children’s book each week with a Teaching with the HEART in Mind competency, a Common Core reading-literature focus, DBT-informed practice, and resilience-building opportunities.
8weekly books and lessons
2second-grade teachers
CACalifornia classroom pilot
Documented signals
Teachers reported stronger emotional expression, meaningful book discussions, practical classroom integration, and family use of take-home strategies. Students and adults adopted “sloth minutes,” a pause-and-regulate routine that also traveled home.
What comes next
The next phase will retain the eight-week structure while adding common pre/post measures, fidelity notes, observations, teacher feedback, family feedback, and student work samples.
The instructional model
One reliable rhythm.
Many meaningful ways to practice.
Literature
A high-interest text opens an authentic emotional, relational, identity-related, or resilience experience.
Connection
Children make meaning from the story and connect it to feelings, choices, relationships, and everyday life.
Explicit skill
The resilient-regulation skill is named, modeled, and taught in child-friendly language.
Practice
Children apply it through art, movement, sensory exploration, play, construction, or collaboration.
Reflection
Children return to the central idea and consider how the skill can travel beyond the story.
Bring it to your community
Interested in a Lit Liberation pilot?
We can shape a pilot around your children, educators, curriculum goals, and implementation needs.