# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Social and Emotional Learning: Strategies for Parents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There are many ways parents can encourage emotionally intelligent behavior in their children. Check out this guide to resources for learning more about character development.

# data[].attributes.body
Exercise your mind and body with these fun activities!

# data[].attributes.body
2-5 minute exercises to help kids calm their minds and bodies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Access free guided mindfulness sessions, and subscribe to unlock all Mind Yeti content.

# data[].attributes.body
Videos, mini quizzes and more for kids that relate to SEL and how it can help at school and at home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn more and understand better with BrainPOP's animated movies, games, playful assessments, and activities covering Science, Math, History, English, and more!

# data[].attributes.body
Watch this three minute video that helps explain why these skills are taught and how they help in education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hide Transcript Show Transcript

THIS AFTERNOON. MIKE: THANK YOU SO MUCH. BEING A CHILD IN THE 21ST CENTURY IS NO WHEEZING -- NO EASY TASK. TAKE A LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS. ACCORDING TO A 2018 PEW RESEARCH SURVEY, SIX IN TEN TEENS FEEL THEY HAVE TO GET GOOD GRADES AND NEARLY THREE IN TEN FEEL PRESSURE TO LOOK GOOD AND FIT IN SOCIALLY. BUT NEW FOCUS ON WHAT'S CALLED , A SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS CAN HELP CHILDREN LEARN EARLY HOW TO DEAL WITH ANXIETY AND STRESS AND BETTER COMMUNICATE THEIR WORRIES. SO, JOINING US TODAY ABOUT SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WE HAVE KENDRA LEWIS, FROM UNH COOPERATIVE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. EXPLAIN, WHAT IS THIS? KENDRA: SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IS A BROAD TERM THAT IS USED TO TALK ABOUT SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS. UNDERSTANDING EMOTIONS, HOW TO INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE AND A POSITIVE WAY AND HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER PEOPLE. MANY SCHOOLS ARE ALREADY IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS TO HELP STUDENTS LEARN AND DEVELOP THE SKILLS. MIKE: WHY IT IS -- IS IT IMPORTANT TO PROMOTE THE SKILLS? KENDRA: RESEARCHERS SHOWN THAT HAVING THE SKILLS CAN LEAD TO BETTER OUTCOMES. ALSO, A REDUCTION IN THE ANXIETY AND SUBSTANCE USE. MANY EMPLOYEES WANT THEIR EMPLOYERS -- WANT THEIR EMPLOYEES TO HAVE THE SKILLS. THEY WANT TEAMWORK, COMMUNICATION, AND DECISION-MAKING SKILLS. PROMOTING THE SKILLS CAN HAVE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE ON A VARIETY OF AREAS. MIKE: IT IS ONE THING IF THEY GO TO THE PROFESSIONALS. BUT PARENTS NEED TO FOLLOW UP AND DO THIS AT HOME. HOW DO YOU RECOMMEND THEM CONTINUE THIS EDUCATION AT HOME? KENDRA: ONE IS THAT A LOT OF SCHOOLS ARE ALREADY IMPLEMENTING THESE PROGRAMS. TALK TO YOUR CHILD'S SCHOOL, TALK TO THEIR TEACHERS. YOU CAN TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT THEIR EMOTIONS, TALK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR EMOTIONS. IF YOU ARE READING A BOOK, TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS BOOK, HOW MIGHT THIS CHARACTER THE FEELING? WITH OLDER CHILDREN, DO THE SAME THING WITH A TV SHOW. TAKE A SITUATION AND TALK TO THEM. AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR CHILD'S FEELINGS. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN TO KNOW THAT EVERYBODY HAS FEELINGS AND PEOPLE MAY HAVE FEELINGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM THEM. MIKE: YOU AND I WERE TALKING, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF ADULTS DON'T EVEN GET A CHANCE TO CONNECT WITH. TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE GETTING THIS IN THE SCHOOL, THAT IS A BIG STEP. KENDRA: IT'S GREAT. MIKE: WHERE CAN PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS FIND MORE INFORMATION? KENDRA: ONE GREAT PLACE TO START WITH IS THE COLLABORATIVE FOR ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING. THEY HAVE MADE A VIDEO FOR PARENTS THAT SHOWS THEM WHAT THE SKILLS ARE, HOW SCHOOLS ARE TEACHING THEM, AND WHAT THEY CAN DO AT HOME. EDUTOPIA IS A WEBSITE THAT HAS RESOURCES. IF YOU WANT TO WORK ON EMPATHY WITH YOUR CHILD, YOU CAN GO AND FIND THOSE SKILLS ON THEIR WEBSITE. ALSO THE PARENT TOOLKIT HAS A WONDERFUL RESOURCE WEBSITE THAT HAS ARTICLES, INCH MARKS FOR WHAT CHILDREN ARE DEVELOPING AT CERTAIN TIMES, AND EVEN CONVERSATION STARTERS. MIKE: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.

Developing your child's social-emotional skills can help them learn early how to deal with anxiety and stress.

Developing your child's social-emotional skills can help them learn early how to deal with anxiety and stress.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hide Transcript Show Transcript THIS AFTERNOON. MIKE: THANK YOU SO MUCH. BEING A CHILD IN THE 21ST CENTURY IS NO WHEEZING -- NO EASY TASK. TAKE A LOOK AT THESE NUMBERS. ACCORDING TO A 2018 PEW RESEARCH SURVEY, SIX IN TEN TEENS FEEL THEY HAVE TO GET GOOD GRADES AND NEARLY THREE IN TEN FEEL PRESSURE TO LOOK GOOD AND FIT IN SOCIALLY.

# data[].attributes.body
Slow down, take a walk, and take a minute to breathe. Take a moment to look through these activities to help promote mindfulness throughout your day.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mindfulness is both a practice and a way of relating to life.

Researchers define it as the awareness that arises when we intentionally pay attention in a kind, open, and discerning way. When we are mindful, we focus on the present moment non-judgmentally.

A student practicing mindfulness in the middle of a school day might, pause, take a conscious breath, check in with himself, and observe how he is feeling before he takes a test. "My heart is racing, and I feel anxious-and maybe I also feel ready to go? It's okay to feel nervous right now; I can meet this challenge ... but what if I don't do well? I bet some of my friends are much more prepared. [Pause]. There goes my busy mind again. These questions pop up at times like these. I'm just going to re-focus on my breath, and the paper in front of me right now. One step at a time. I can do this."

Mindfulness, as a practice, features two different types of attention: focused attention and open awareness.

When we focus our attention, we concentrate on a specific target.

When leading students in a specific mindfulness practice, choose a place for them to "anchor" their attention like the sound of a chime, or the feel of the air entering their nostrils as they breathe. They can also quietly focus their attention on the shape, texture, and color of an object like a small stone.

During open awareness (also called "open monitoring"), we simply notice things-like thoughts, feelings, or sounds-as they come and go.

To help students become more observant and aware of their surroundings, invite them to note all of the sounds they can hear inside and outside the classroom (after silently listening for one minute). Or ask them to practice noticing and naming their own feelings during a quick check-in at the start of class.

The practice of mindfulness also helps us to become more mindful in our daily lives by cultivating these three key life skills.

Equanimity is the ability to allow sensory experiences to come and go without suppressing or avoiding them. Equanimity also helps us not to over-identify with an event, thought, or feeling (or make it too personal).

A student who is criticized by another student in the middle of class might learn say to herself, "I'm really hurt and embarrassed right now; I'm feeling this intensely. I'm not going to fight it, but I'm not going to be swept up in it either. I'm going to take go to the 'peace corner' (or another quiet space) and give myself a minute to let this pass."

Concentration is the ability to focus on what we consider to be relevant at a given time.

If students regularly practices mindfulness, they may start to find themselves more capable of focusing on a math problem in a given moment -rather than being distracted by other classroom conversations, the sounds of kids playing outside, and/or the multitude of other things competing for their attention. (One thing at a time!)

Sensory clarity is the ability to keep track of what we're actually experiencing in the moment.

Students can learn to become more aware of the bodily sensations they feel when they experience challenging emotions like anger or fear-like the pace of their heartbeat as it intensifies and then dissipates and eventually returns to normal. When they experience these sensations as signals of distress that begin and end, they may be more likely to "ride the waves" of their emotions, rather than being swept up in them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mindfulness for Students | Greater Good In Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mindfulness is both a practice and a way of relating to life. Researchers define it as the awareness that arises when we intentionally pay attention in a kind, open, and discerning way. When we are mindful, we focus on the present moment non-judgmentally.

# data[].attributes.body
Stories, activities and challenges for kids K-6 to help grow your child's social and emotional skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Developed by Harvard University's Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning ( EASEL) Laboratory, kernels are specific activities or strategies that are commonly used by research-based programs to support the growth and development of social and emotional skills and competencies.

Kernels have been developed for grades K-6 and include a variety of activity types and instructional methods, such as games, routines, and storytelling. Each kernel includes adaptations and extension activities, as well as grade level differentiations when applicable.

Drawing from EASEL's content analysis of 25 leading SEL programs, kernels have been categorized into the following constructs: cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, character, and mindset.

Brain Power (Cognitive Skills)

The ability to direct thoughts and actions toward achieving goals.

Cognitive skills help students when they are faced with everyday tasks that require self-control, concentration, planning, problem solving, coordination, or conscious choices between different options. These skills include:

The ability to control impulses

Keep track of changing information over short periods of time

Sustain attention and ignore distractions

Switch attention between tasks when needed

Feelings Power (Emotional Skills)

The ability to identify, express, and regulate emotions, as well as understand the emotions of others.

Emotional skills are critical to positive social interactions and building relationships with peers and adults. It is difficult for students to have positive relationships with others without the ability to recognize and regulate emotions and to understand others' perspectives, needs, or feelings. These skills include:

Emotion knowledge and expression

Emotion and behavior regulation

Perspective-taking

People Power (Interpersonal Skills)

The ability to interpret others' behavior, effectively navigate social situations, and interact positively with peers and adults.

Interpersonal skills help students work cooperatively on a team, solve social problems, and coexist peacefully with others. This is especially important in the classroom where students are learning and working with others, as well as for students' ability to sustain positive relationships with others. These skills include:

The ability to understand social cues

Resolve conflicts with peers

Promote and carry out prosocial (kind, helpful) actions and behaviors

Citizen Power (Character)

A set of skills, values, and habits that help guide one's actions.

Character skills guide the choices students make, directly impacting their school and home communities. These skills are essential to functioning in a democratic society, and include the following:

Making ethical judgements

Being tolerant and accepting of differences

Following through on responsibilities, civic engagement, and community appreciation, among others

Attitude Power (Mindset)

A set of attitudes and beliefs about oneself and others.

Mindset skills support students' abilities to learn, grow, and overcome obstacles. These skills allow students to believe in their own ability to improve, and to persevere through challenging situations. Mindset skills include:

Expressing confidence in oneself and one's ability to improve

Identifying positive traits in oneself and others

Approaching challenging situations with optimism and positivity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SEL Kernels™ | Greater Good In Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Developed by Harvard University's Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning ( EASEL) Laboratory, kernels are specific activities or strategies that are commonly used by research-based programs to support the growth and development of social and emotional skills and competencies.

# data[].attributes.body
Sometimes small children have BIG feelings that are hard to explain. Giving them a way to share their emotions with pictures is a great way to help them cope!

# data[].attributes.headline
Conscious Discipline Breathing Techniques 

# data[].attributes.subject
Conscious Discipline Breathing Techniques 

# data[].attributes.body
Many of our classrooms use these techniques daily when our kids are feeling big emotions. Deep breathing can help them calm down in a tough situation.

# data[].attributes.body
Anchorage School District uses this curriculum in their classrooms to help promote positive social and emotional learning. Take a look at some resources they have shared for families.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Curated for Educators and Families

Support Social-Emotional Well-Being

When children practice social-emotional skills throughout their day, they learn to understand emotions and cope with everyday challenges. Use and share these research-based social-emotional learning (SEL) resources to empower children to thrive at school, at home, and everywhere in between.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SEL Activities and Resources | Second Step

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use and share these research-based SEL activities and resources to empower children to thrive at school, at home, and everywhere in between.