HEALING THE ROOTS FOUNDATION
"EMPOWERING CHILDREN TO THRIVE BEYOND ADVERSITY"
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Planting the seeds of resilience, one child, one family, and one community at a time.
Nina’s Coping Toolbox
A 10-Week SEL Journey for Children Ages 3–12 (PreK–5)
A CASEL-aligned program that builds self-regulation, emotional awareness, and healthy coping skills.
Building Skills That Last a Lifetime
Children face challenges every day, from school transitions to stress, grief, and big emotions. Nina’s Coping Toolbox helps children build resilience, manage emotions, and develop healthy coping skills through engaging stories, activities, and mindfulness practices.
Designed for use throughout the year, the curriculum supports repeated learning that strengthens self-regulation, emotional awareness, and confidence over time.
Nina and her friends guide children through each lesson, modeling emotions, coping strategies, and problem-solving in ways that feel relatable and safe. Through their stories, children learn they are not alone and that their feelings are valid and manageable.
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Muna shows children how to use calming belly breathing to feel peaceful inside.
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Deshun teaches ways to let go of negative thoughts and welcome positive ones.
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Chantha introduces yoga and mindfulness to stretch, relax, and focus.
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Trinity encourages positive affirmations and gratitude to build confidence and joy.
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Laura helps children face fears step by step so they feel brave and strong.
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Ray guides journaling and talking as healthy ways to share feelings and find calm.
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Michael shares guided imagery to manage big emotions through imagination.
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Melody brings singing and humming as playful tools to relax the mind and lift the spirit.
The characters throughout the curriculum are inspired by the loved ones in my life, from family to friends, making each story heartfelt, relatable, and rooted in real connection.
Deshun, Ray, and Nina are my children, and it brought me so much joy to create a course with them at the heart of it. Their stories, personalities, and real-life experiences helped shape each lesson, making the program warm, authentic, and relatable for every family.
Together, Nina and her friends turn learning into an adventure that builds confidence, calm, and joy. Thank you for being part of this journey to create a world where every child feels loved, understood, and empowered to navigate life’s challenges.
👩🏾🏫 WHAT CHILDREN LEARN
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🌱 A joyful learning journey that teaches emotional awareness, self-regulation, coping tools, and healthy communication.
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🌿 Trauma-informed practices that support emotional safety and help children feel calm and supported.
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💛 Easy for families, classrooms, and community programs to use with no extra training required.
📱 TOOLS & RESOURCES INCLUDED
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📅 10 Weeks of Ready-to-Use Lessons
Engaging stories, videos, and activities that bring SEL and coping tools to life. -
🌟 Core Coping Tools
Breathing, mindfulness, positive affirmations, journaling, expressive writing, movement, guided imagery, and creative expression. -
👩🏫 Parent & Teacher Resources
Practical guides, evaluation forms, and conversation starters to support implementation. -
🎨 Interactive Design Kids Love
Colorful visuals, poems, and characters that keep children motivated and engaged.
🏠 WHO IT’S FOR
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🏫 Perfect for homes, schools, daycares, after-school programs, group homes, and foster care settings.
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🏡 Families seeking a calm and connected home environment.
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🌬️ Children experiencing stress, anxiety, or big transitions.
Access, Support, & Partnership
At Healing the Roots Foundation, our mission is to help children and families build resilience, emotional strength, and joy. One of the most impactful tools we share is Nina’s Coping Toolbox SEL Curriculum, a CASEL-aligned 10-week e-learning course created by our founder, Portia Mills Henderson, through her publishing company, Resilient Reads LLC.
What is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) helps children understand and manage their emotions, develop self-regulation, build healthy relationships, and make caring, responsible choices at home, at school, and in their communities.
🌿 Free Access for Partners
Healing the Roots Foundation provides free access to the e-learning course and its companion resources for partner organizations with demonstrated financial need.
💜 Supporting Our Mission Through Purchases
For outside purchases, 25% of proceeds are reinvested into Healing the Roots Foundation to expand free access to emotional wellness programs, books, and Simple Quiet Spaces that nurture calm, confidence, and connection for children and families.
✨ Interested in Partnering With Us?
We welcome schools, children’s programs, and community organizations to partner with us in strengthening the roots that help children grow and thrive.
Nina’s Coping Toolbox Curriculum grew from a collection of children’s books created to help children understand their feelings, build resilience, and thrive beyond adversity. The e-learning course was further shaped and refined through feedback from parents, teachers, and caregivers who participated in the pilot program, sharing their experiences using the curriculum with children.
⭐ Administrator
Feedback
“Overall, Nina’s Coping Toolbox is an exceptional and much-needed curriculum for our students.
This program has the potential to benefit many more schools and communities where young children are growing and learning.”
⭐ Student & Family
Impact
“Both staff and parents noticed students independently using coping strategies they learned through the
program, especially deep breathing and releasing negative thoughts when feeling upset, nervous,
or anxious.”
⭐ Elementary
Teacher
“The activities gave my students practical ways to manage stress. The curriculum expands on this, making it even easier to use in the classroom.”
⭐ School Partnership
“Nina’s Coping Toolbox has made a major and positive impact on our students and staff. We look forward to continuing our support and integrating the program into our practices.”
Turning Our Mission into Practice
How Kids Thrive with Nina’s Toolbox
Social Emotional
Learning (SEL)
Skills
Children learn the five core SEL skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Through stories, activities, and reflection, they build confidence, empathy, and resilience.
Build Coping Tools
Introduces coping tools like breathing, mindfulness, journaling, and affirmations. With videos and fun activities, kids practice healthy ways to manage stress, calm emotions, and stay focused.
Strengthen Connections
Helps families, teachers, and counselors build stronger bonds. Shared lessons create meaningful opportunities for trust, communication, and support at home, in school, and in community settings.
Encourage Lifelong Well-Being
Combining SEL with coping tools equips children with habits that last a lifetime. Children learn to self-regulate by pausing, reflecting, and responding with balance and resilience in challenging moments.
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or community partner, Nina’s Coping Toolbox offers a gentle, effective way to support children’s emotional growth.
Enroll today and make double the impact. Your child gains lifelong SEL skills, and 25% of proceeds are reinvested into Healing the Roots Foundation to provide free books, resources, and healing workshops for children and families.