Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is an important part of education and human development where we develop and apply knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are necessary for us to understand and manage emotions, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, feel and show empathy and set and achieve our positive goals.
There are five core components of SEL: Self-awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Responsible Decision Making, and Relationship Skills.
By focusing on these five components, and incorporating SEL into children’s daily routines, in the classroom and at home, children will learn and apply social and emotional life skills that can benefit their overall academic success, improved emotional well-being, and overall mental health, as they learn to identify and express their emotions, navigate challenges, manage their big feelings, understand and show empathy to others, and build strong, positive relationships.
Here are a few SEL techniques you can begin to incorporate in the classroom or at home:
• Daily/Morning Greetings: This simple technique of daily morning greetings can help reduce challenging behaviors and encourage positive communication and connection. Greet the child by their name and give a greeting of the child’s choice. (Example: a fist bump, wave, high five, smile, hug.)
• Morning affirmations: Affirmations and self-talk statements empower children and help them access feelings of self-love and confidence and build their self-esteem and positive mindset. You can have the child read or repeat a positive self-talk statement and discuss what it means.
• Emotions check-in: Incorporating an emotions check-in throughout the day allows children a chance to identify how they are feeling and offers a chance to discuss coping skills to help the child be successful in managing their big feelings.
• Mindful breathing/Belly Breathing: Teaching and incorporating mindful belly breathing can help children feel calm and focused and is a helpful coping skill to teach children to use when they are feeling big feelings. There are lots of fun belly breathing techniques to choose from. You can even incorporate this into your morning affirmation routine or emotion check-in time!
• SEL Skill of the Day: Introducing and discussing an SEL skill each day can help build a child’s SEL toolbox full of social and emotional skills and strategies they can use to manage their big feelings, problem-solve, and build empathetic skills and strong relationships.
Resource: Safe Place Breathing Icons – Conscious Discipline
Resource: How Do You Feel Chart – Conscious Discipline
By Hanna Wright, LMSW, Mental Health Specialist
