• Puppet characters in colored circles, Feel Your Best Self logo, Kidscreen Award Winner logo, 44th Annual Telly Award Winner Gold, 44th Annual Telly Award Winner Silver

What is Feel Your Best Self?

Feel Your Best Self (FYBS) is a fun toolkit for learning 12 simple emotion-focused coping strategies. These types of strategies are important life skills, and when used regularly, can promote emotional well-being. Using FYBS, kids explore the strategies to find those that help them feel their best as they navigate different situations.

How did it get started?

Feel Your Best Self was initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic through a unique partnership between the Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH) and the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry. Pairing collective expertise in educational psychology and puppetry, the team designed fun, engaging ways to learn simple strategies to calm yourself, catch your feelings, and connect with others.

The initial response was overwhelmingly positive, with the project evolving synergistically through generous support provided by Principal® Foundation.

Further expansion and global reach has occurred through additional support provided from The Neag Foundation and others.

The Neag Foundation logo

Multiple entities across UConn have contributed to the success of Feel Your Best Self, including the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP), the Neag School of Education, and the School of Fine Arts.

Learn more about the FYBS history  in UConn Today.

How do I access FYBS?

UConn licensed Feel Your Best Self to FYBS & Co. in the fall of 2023. Although the partnership continues, the main website has moved to www.feelyourbestself.org. Feel Your Best Self is a trademark of University of Connecticut.