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Please share this resource with your educator colleagues! Thank you again for logging on and remember to spread smiles all around! 😃

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Check out some real-live examples of teachers's social media to see how they implementing SEL into their classrooms! Comment your reactions!

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"We love practicing our Breath of the Week in Room 123 😮‍💨🧘🏻‍♀️🧘🐝🫁" @selebratewill

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A post shared by SEL with Mrs. Diggins (@selebratewewill)

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"My students chose a word that they embody or that they hope to personify this semester. They then create a paper that has the one word on it and decorate the paper to “look” like that word. This is a great SEL activity and has been a helpful way for me to gain insight on my students! 10/10 recommend" @ms.hallabouthistory

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A post shared by Miss Hall (@ms.hallabouthistory)

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"We are studying Empathy for our Social Emotional Learning lessons this month. Today we did this great activity on looking for cues to figure out how someone is feeling. The class loved making emojis to match different emotions 😍 #socialemotionallearning" @mrsgenevich

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A post shared by Kaitlin Genevich - Third Grade Teacher (@mrsgenevich)

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Watercolor Wellness 🌈 December begins with Positive Affirmation heARTwork 🌟💚#LBtogetherwecan #SEL

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Watercolor Wellness 🌈 December begins with Positive Affirmation heARTwork 🌟💚#LBtogetherwecan #SEL https://t.co/5W0E8ZCsL3

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Watercolor Wellness 🌈 December begins with Positive Affirmation heARTwork 🌟💚#LBtogetherwecan #SEL pic.twitter.com/5W0E8ZCsL3
— Amy Zambrano (@amyzambranoyoga) December 2, 2022

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Watercolor Wellness 🌈 December begins with Positive Affirmation heARTwork 🌟💚#LBtogetherwecan #SEL https://t.co/5W0E8ZCsL3

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Watercolor Wellness 🌈 December begins with Positive Affirmation heARTwork 🌟💚#LBtogetherwecan #SEL https://t.co/5W0E8ZCsL3

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Watercolor Wellness 🌈 December begins with Positive Affirmation heARTwork 🌟💚#LBtogetherwecan #SEL

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When a student uses the calm corner alllll on his own & was able to return back into the activity after using one of the strategies 🙌🙌🙌 #sel #calmcorner #d59learns

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When a student uses the calm corner alllll on his own & was able to return back into the activity after using one of the strategies 🙌🙌🙌 #sel #calmcorner #d59learns https://t.co/ZFi8VDYgCo

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When a student uses the calm corner alllll on his own & was able to return back into the activity after using one of the strategies 🙌🙌🙌 #sel #calmcorner #d59learns pic.twitter.com/ZFi8VDYgCo
— Julie Botkin (@juliebotkin) December 1, 2022

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When a student uses the calm corner alllll on his own & was able to return back into the activity after using one of the strategies 🙌🙌🙌 #sel #calmcorner #d59learns https://t.co/ZFi8VDYgCo

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When a student uses the calm corner alllll on his own & was able to return back into the activity after using one of the strategies 🙌🙌🙌 #sel #calmcorner #d59learns https://t.co/ZFi8VDYgCo

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When a student uses the calm corner alllll on his own & was able to return back into the activity after using one of the strategies 🙌🙌🙌 #sel #calmcorner #d59learns

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The students were writing about a peaceful time in their life while listening to peaceful music! ☮️ @Mmoyer211 @warrenschools #LincolnPrideWCS #SEL

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The students were writing about a peaceful time in their life while listening to peaceful music! ☮️ @Mmoyer211 @warrenschools #LincolnPrideWCS #SEL https://t.co/9e7tfxTdMO

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The students were writing about a peaceful time in their life while listening to peaceful music! ☮️ @Mmoyer211 @warrenschools #LincolnPrideWCS #SEL pic.twitter.com/9e7tfxTdMO
— Kristina White (@KristinaWhite8) November 18, 2022

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The students were writing about a peaceful time in their life while listening to peaceful music! ☮️ @Mmoyer211 @warrenschools #LincolnPrideWCS #SEL https://t.co/9e7tfxTdMO

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The students were writing about a peaceful time in their life while listening to peaceful music! ☮️ @Mmoyer211 @warrenschools #LincolnPrideWCS #SEL https://t.co/9e7tfxTdMO

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The students were writing about a peaceful time in their life while listening to peaceful music! ☮️ @Mmoyer211 @warrenschools #LincolnPrideWCS #SEL

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I created this playlist of a variety of podcasts all centered around SEL in the classroom. As this playlist is about 3 hours long, there are a couple I want to highlight.
All episodes from SEL Five are about five minutes in length, and they include discussion questions, read-aloud recommendations, and resource links in each description.
The Cult of Pedagogy podcast episode focuses on how teachers can incorporate and SEL into their everyday lives.
Check out the rest of the episodes, and comment on your favorite ones or provide your own recommendations!
Enjoy 😃

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“Using the three signature practices as part of a systemic SEL approach allows us to create safe, equitable, empowering learning experiences for all, kids and adults”  - Lanie Rowell

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

These social and emotional learning strategies won't take a lot of time, but they can have a big impact on middle and high school students.

How do you feel about the phrase soft skills? For me (and for many), skills such as critical thinking, empathy, creativity, and teamwork are not soft skills. These are essential skills or center skills. Decision-making, self-awareness, and self-regulation are at the center of learning and life. We need to start with, build from, and embed social and emotional learning (SEL) into safe, equitable, empowering learning experiences for all students.

Regardless of your teaching and learning situation (fully online, hybrid, or in person), we know that the intentional and explicit weaving of SEL into the fabric of our everyday learning and life is critical. Below are three SEL signature practices from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) that we need to bring in whenever we come together as a community of learners. Included are examples that are simple, portable, and customizable. Consider your scenario as well as the needs and size of your group when deciding whether to take turns sharing out loud, use the chat, or break into small groups or pairs.

Use opening check-ins to give students an opportunity to identify their emotions (self-awareness). We can provide scaffolding by using tools such as Zones of Regulation or the Mood Meter. We can also use images and word banks to help build vocabulary.

Have a kindness conversation asking everyone to share an act of kindness they have given or received recently (social awareness).

Inspired by Brené Brown, permission slips help us set our intention and focus. Share examples such as, "I give myself permission to make a mistake and try again." Then ask students to create their own permission slip (self-management).

3 SEL Practices for Every Day

Cocreate shared expectations ahead of time for collaborative work, and revisit regularly to ensure that everyone's needs are being met (relationship skills, responsible decision-making, social awareness).

Design for inquiry with voice and choice to provide opportunities for learners to construct meaning through communication and collaboration with their peers. Using an approach like Discover, Discuss, Demonstrate gives learners opportunities to explore content before direct instruction (relationship skills, responsible decision making, self management).

Incorporate movement breaks to refresh and reset the brain. These brain breaks could be a stretch or a mindful breathing practice. Depending on what suits the situation, the break could be to calm or to energize (self-management).

1. Welcoming or inclusion activities. Rather than jumping right into instruction, starting with brief routines and rituals provides us with interactive experiences that give everyone a voice and connects the community of learners. A few examples:

2. Engaging strategies. There are many SEL opportunities throughout learning experiences where learners are naturally engaged both individually and with their peers. As educators, we often use engaging strategies like breakout rooms/small group discussions, wait time, brain breaks, jigsaw, etc. However, we still need to be explicit with SEL. A few examples:

We can reflect doing a closing check-in on emotions by simply asking something like, "Which one to two words sum up your feelings about our time together?" (self-awareness).

Another way to reflect is through a gratitude practice (social awareness). Ask learners to acknowledge something or someone that they are thankful for. Guide them to think deeply and name the feelings they are experiencing (self-awareness).

The goal of looking ahead is to get us excited moving forward, and it is also an opportunity to hold ourselves accountable through goal setting and organization. Use a planner and/or set a reminder to execute next steps. You could even use a service like FutureMe.org to send your future self a reminder of long-term goals (self-management).

As we plan to use engaging strategies, activities, and protocols, we need to offer both interactive and reflective options. It is also important to make time to debrief these experiences, allowing us to identify and connect what we are doing to SEL competencies and specific skills. Notice that so much of this is also aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

3. Optimistic closure. The name of this practice often leads to the misconception that we need to end on a happy note. The reality is that what is most important about this practice is the intentional and authentic reflection and understanding of the learning experience. This allows us to both collectively and individually appreciate what we have accomplished and anticipate what comes next. A few examples:

These are just a few ways to implement the three signature practices, and additional examples are available here. The reality is, there are countless ways to use these practices. Collaborate with your learners and your peers to adapt and create practices to meet the specific goals and needs of your community. Your team can even use the "Getting It Down PATT!"-Purpose, Alignment, Transparency, Target (created by Micaela Gerardin-Frey) as a tool to thoughtfully select, adapt, and prepare strategies, activities, and protocols.

Emotions matter, and the research on how emotions impact learning is clear. But it isn't just about accepting SEL's necessity as a means to increased academic performance. Using the three signature practices as part of a systemic SEL approach allows us to create safe, equitable, empowering learning experiences for all, kids and adults.

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3 SEL Practices Teachers Can Use Every Day

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These social and emotional learning strategies won't take a lot of time, but they can have a big impact on middle and high school students.

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10 Emotional Regulation Tips for Elementary Students 

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10 Emotional Regulation Tips for Elementary Students 

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There are so many ways to engage children in social emotional learning (SEL). We can support both our children's literacy skills and their SEL growth by thoughtfully incorporating meaningful books. The following books are organized by broad categories related to SEL, and all can help children learn valuable skills about themselves, others, and the world around them. There is even a category at the end for adults, so you can join the learning! We encourage you to read these children's books alongside your child to engage in the rich discussions to which these books naturally lend themselves. You may use this downloadable template to help guide discussion and reflections. Grab a book (or three!) and snuggle up for some beautiful and SEL-approved stories!

If you are a teacher, you can access our free 14-week SEL read-aloud program with a weekly theme, suggested read-alouds, ready-to-use discussion slides, and a dedicated worksheet.

Julián is a Mermaid
Julián is a boy who lives with his abuela in New York City. Although his preferences and attire may seem unconventional, he is supported by those around him to be himself.

The Story of Ferdinand
Bulls are supposed to fight, correct? Not Ferdinand. A peaceful and calm bull in the bull-fighting rings of Spain, Ferdinand remains true to himself despite the pressures to change.

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match
Marisol McDonald is a biracial girl with red hair and brown skin. In many ways, Marisol defies the norms and sometimes confuses those around her. She is, however, confidently herself!

Kindness and Friendship

Each Kindness
Chloe and her friends have no interest in playing with Maya, the new girl at school who wears ratty hand-me-down clothes. But when Maya leaves school and Chloe realizes her mistake, she learns that you don't always get a chance to apologize.

The Invisible Boy
Brian is unnoticed by the other students in his class. He is never included or invited... until the new student Justin arrives and shows us that it just takes one friendship to change a person's life.

The Name Jar
Unhei just moved from Korea to the U.S. She is anxious to start school, especially when she realizes that those around her are now unsure how to pronounce her name. After considering various American names, Unhei decides to choose her Korean name, thanks to her appreciation for her culture and the kindness of her new friends.

Sharing and Gratitude

Last Stop on Market Street
As he rides the bus across town with his grandma, CJ wonders why he doesn't have a car and looks longingly at other boys' cool toys. His grandma, though, helps him see the beauty around them both on the bus and in the soup kitchen at which they volunteer.

The Rainbow Fish
Rainbow Fish has beautiful glittering scales like no other in the ocean. While at first he refuses to share his most prized scales, he learns that when he does, he creates invaluable friendships.

Those Shoes
It seems like every kid at school is wearing those cool new shoes, except for Jeremy. Although he badly wants those same shoes that his family cannot afford, he ends up learning that being selfless and sharing makes him even happier than a pair of shoes.

Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans
Based on the real Cornelius Washington, a sanitation worker in New Orleans, this story shows how an everyday hero can make a real difference in the lives of others in the aftermath of tragedy.

Overcoming Anxiety and Fear

The Good Egg is always doing what it should, even taking care of the other eggs who are not doing their best. But when the Good Egg's own shell starts to crack, it realizes that balance and self-care is more important than perfection.

The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes
Beatrice never makes mistakes. But when the inevitable happens -- she makes a big mistake in front of everyone -- Beatrice learns that life is better when she enjoys all of life, even the mistakes.

Jabari Jumps
Jabari is so excited to jump off the diving board! But when his moment actually comes, he continues to find reasons not to climb up. With the support of his patient and understanding father, Jabari learns to overcome his fear.

Anger and Forgiveness

Wisdom in the Kingdom of Anger
Based off of the engaging Wisdom: The World of Emotions app, this book tells the story of Wisdom as he teaches a kingdom of angry inhabitants to calm their anger through various strategies. You can order it here . A customizable version of the book can also be accessed in the app to include your child's name and anger triggers, as well as their favorite calming techniques.

The Bad Seed
The Bad Seed is always up to no good, and everyone around him comes to expect it from him. But when he wants to make a change, he reveals his difficult past and his desire to overcome it. The Bad Seed is met with understanding and forgiveness.

The Juice Box Bully
The new kid in school is quite the bully. When he sees how this school stands up for each other, and even refuses to be mean to him in return, he realizes his mistakes and wants to join their kind community.

First Day SEL

The Day You Begin
On the first day of school, all the other children share summer stories of vacations and camps. The story's protagonist, on the other hand, has been home all summer taking care of her little sister. This fresh take on a first-day story emphasizes that everyone's story is important and beautiful.

A New School Year: Stories in Six Voices
Follow six children, ranging from Kindergarten to 5th grade, as they experience their first day of school. Each with their own anxieties and successes, we gain more perspective of a day that everyone experiences differently.

SEL Poetry

Lend a Hand: Poems About Giving
This collection of fourteen original poems highlights the daily acts of kindness and empathy that can give us and others joy.

This lyrical ode emphasizes the beauty of loving ourselves, respecting others, and being kind.

SEL for Adult Readers

The Whole Brain Child
Written by a neuroscientist and parenting expert, this New York Times Bestseller explains the child's developing brain and how we can best support it.

Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School
Follow the stories of four different young children, known in their respective classrooms as the "troublemakers." This radical take encourages us to shift our adult perspective to better understand the sometimes confusing behavior of children.

Want more book ideas? Here's an additional list with more themes to explore with your children. Is your favorite SEL book missing from our list? We'd love to hear your book recommendations, too! Let us know by adding it in the comments.

If you are looking for more ways to engage children in SEL, you can try these creative Art activities ,

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22 Children's Books That Support SEL - Better Kids

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There are so many ways to engage children in social emotional learning (SEL). We can support both our children's literacy skills and their SEL growth by thoughtfully incorporating meaningful books. The following books are organized by broad categories related to SEL, and all can help children learn valuable skills about themselves, others, and the world around them.

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This article is directed towards high school educators who are looking for ways to help their students as they go through these challenging years. Included in this article are 4 tips as well as example scripts for teachers to follow. Remember SEL is important across all grade levels!

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High school teachers can give students encouragement, and direct them to credible resources and assistance when needed.

monkeybusinessimages / iStock

If you work in a school today, you've likely had to tend to students' emotional needs or give them additional emotional support. Students are relying more on their teachers to help them ease their emotions when they're feeling distressed. Even as an administrator, I spend a lot of time talking to students about the hardships that they face socially and at home. I started my career in education as a school social worker before becoming an administrator, and I naturally take on the counseling role as needed when meeting with some students.

Not everyone has that training, but the need to provide emotional support for students is growing. In order to support students' academic success, it's essential that we address the immediate needs related to students' emotional well-being. Without the proper education and experience, it's easy for teachers and staff members to feel overwhelmed.

Consider the following tips when talking to students who need emotional support.

1. Determine if You Should Just Listen or Take Action

Identify if students are sharing their situation because they need you to fix the problem or they simply need someone to listen. Your students aren't always asking for help every time they share their feelings and experiences. The good part of these conversations is that students often view teachers and administrators as trusted adults. Therefore, it's natural for them to feel safe enough to share their feelings and emotions with you.

Don't feel that they want you to work a miracle. Sometimes they just want to know that someone cares and sees what they're going through. The following phrases show a student that you validate their experience and care about helping them:

Example script: "Thank you for sharing. It takes bravery to express your feelings and emotions. Would you like help with finding a solution, or do you just want me to listen? I'm here for you and can connect you with the right person if I can't help."

Most students just want to share their stories. They respond by expressing gratitude for having someone to listen to them. They'll be more likely to view you as an ally and continue sharing. Occasional sharing is fine. However, if you find that the student constantly wants to share and it's interfering with instructional time, they might benefit from a regularly scheduled meeting with the school social worker or counselor. Coordinate with those staff members to determine an appropriate day and time to meet. This provides the student with a consistent and predictable structure in which to share and process any stressors that they're experiencing.

2. Empower Students to Self-Regulate

Everyone occasionally experiences emotional distress and dysregulation. It can be a brief setback but doesn't need to dominate our whole day. Encourage students to do a reset. Resetting allows students to pulse and self-regulate their emotions without needing to involve others.

There are multiple strategies that can be used, such as taking deep breaths, going to the restroom to wash their face, taking a walk around the building, listening to a favorite joyful song, playing with a sensory gadget, laughing at a joke, taking a drink of water, and more. Ask your students what usually brings them calmness and peace.

Example script: "I noticed that you're having some difficulty managing your emotions right now. I believe you can turn your day around. How about you take a few deep breaths and go get a drink of water to help you cool off?"

Once they've taken a moment to pause, most students respond by getting back on task. After you've advised them on how to reset a few times, they might start to self-regulate without receiving prompts from you. If your student isn't able to self-regulate and is a disruption to the class, seek the appropriate support to address the disruption. As needed, you may choose to contact the student's parent or request assistance from a staff member or an administrator.

3. Give Students Hope

This tip works best when you have an established relationship with your student. I've got some students who have a constant presence in my office. I'm aware of their dreams, hopes, and plans. I try to get to know their family dynamics and strengths. I use what I know about them to help them stay focused on what matters most to them. I remind my students that hard times don't last forever, and they can make it through. It's always OK to validate their feelings and emotions by agreeing that their experiences are hard.

Example script: "I'm sorry that you are experiencing this. It would be hard for most people to handle. You've made it through other difficult times, and I believe you will press through this as well. Your focus is _____, and that matters most. Try not to allow this to distract you. I know you can do it."

While this is a brief pep talk, students usually feel empowered to continue with their day. Most people benefit from receiving affirmations and appreciate the encouragement. Students who need deep processing will likely tell you that they need additional support from a school social worker or counselor.

4. Have a Structure of Support and Share Resources

The above tips are for minor emotional distress that can be managed in the classroom or office. It's crucial that teachers and administrators have a structure in place to know when to call the students' parents and seek help from the school counselor or social worker.

One way to measure the intensity is if a student states that they want to hurt themselves or others, or someone is hurting them. Please follow your district's mandated reporting and/or safety procedures. It's also beneficial to have a list of mental health resources available to share with students. Many districts have school social workers and school counselors who can provide you with a list of local resources that serve youth and families. Keep copies in your classroom or office for easy accessibility.

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How to Help Students Manage Their Emotions

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High school teachers can give students encouragement, and direct them to credible resources and assistance when needed. monkeybusinessimages / iStock If you work in a school today, you've likely had to tend to students' emotional needs or give them additional emotional support.

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Gratitude: A Powerful Tool for Your Classroom

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By exercising the “gratitude muscle” with a journal, students can harness positive thinking to increase their grades, goals, and quality of life.

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Implementing SEL with Positive Closures!

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Implementing SEL with Positive Closures!

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Wrapping up your class with intention can be really powerful. These *5 activities* bring SEL and academic reflection together. 🙌🏾

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Wrapping up your class with intention can be really powerful. These *5 activities* bring SEL and academic reflection together. 🙌🏾 https://t.co/rJGmQAPJkR

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Wrapping up your class with intention can be really powerful. These *5 activities* bring SEL and academic reflection together. 🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/rJGmQAPJkR
— edutopia (@edutopia) November 23, 2022

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Wrapping up your class with intention can be really powerful. These *5 activities* bring SEL and academic reflection together. 🙌🏾 https://t.co/rJGmQAPJkR

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Wrapping up your class with intention can be really powerful. These *5 activities* bring SEL and academic reflection together. 🙌🏾 https://t.co/rJGmQAPJkR

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Wrapping up your class with intention can be really powerful. These *5 activities* bring SEL and academic reflection together. 🙌🏾

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This article provides 6 ways to help students decrease stress and anxieties. The 6 methods include:
1. Communal Coloring
2. Kindness Rocks
3. Motivational Messages
4. Puzzle Party
5. Balance Through Bubbles
6. Collective Graffiti Wall
Consider using these low-cost methods in your classroom :)

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As students reach the middle and high school years, managing increasing academic and personal responsibilities alongside rapid developmental changes can be challenging-and sometimes overwhelming.

For many tweens and teens, prioritizing mental health and wellness is often the last thing on their minds.

"Adolescents face social, emotional, and hormonal changes, often with little or no guidance," writes high school math teacher Ty'ara Jones. As they begin to transition into adulthood, they're often "unsure of what they're experiencing both mentally and physically. Sometimes they're afraid and confused. Some don't know how to 'properly' express themselves, so they bottle their emotions, only to become overwhelmed."

Schools can help support students by providing spaces for them to decompress and release stress throughout the day, even if it's just for a few minutes between classes, says high school counselor Lisa Carr.

"It's challenging for kids to fit in self-care," Carr says. "I ask my students, 'when are you doing things that make you happy and bring you joy?' That can be something they struggle with-they've got to study, they have an internship, they have to stay after school for practice. So even 10 minutes to work on a puzzle with a friend or do some coloring, that's a break from the stress of their day, and that can have an impact."

These sorts of initiatives increase feelings of school connectedness and help foster a nurturing and supportive school environment. Students who felt connected to adults and peers at school, according to a recent report from the CDC, reported feeling sad or hopeless less frequently and were less likely to consider suicide than their peers who felt isolated or alone.

"School connectedness is a key to addressing youth adversities at all times-especially during times of severe disruptions," says Kathleen A. Ethier, director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health. "Students need our support now more than ever, whether by making sure that their schools are inclusive and safe or by providing opportunities to engage in their communities and be mentored by supportive adults."

Here are six inexpensive, low-lift initiatives designed to offer students opportunities to connect with adults and peers in ways that prioritize self-care and wellness:

Communal Coloring: Hanging large sheets of paper for coloring murals allows students to work together and connect through art-and because it's on paper, they can start fresh throughout the year.

After seeing the effectiveness of this stress-relieving strategy with students at a local college, and with permission from her principal, Carr placed a coloring mural in the hallway near the cafeteria in her school building.

"I remembered a mural hanging up in a residence hall," she recalls. "It was really popular. When students got out of classes, they would go and color. It was a great community builder-you'd have students who were standing there coloring alone and they'd start talking to other people."

The mural had a similar effect at Carr's high school. A few envelopes taped to the wall hold markers and colored pencils that students can use to contribute between classes, or even between songs at the homecoming dance. Educators can join in the fun, chatting with students about their additions and color selections or by coloring in a panel or two themselves.

Kindness Rocks!: A few basic materials can turn simple rocks into encouraging and supportive messages and reminders for students to find around campus.

High school counselor Ryan St. John organized a 'Rock On, Keep On' event, inviting students to congregate in an open area-the school foyer, for example-during lunch or other free periods to paint motivational messages on landscaping rocks.

The activity, hosted during Suicide Prevention Month, provided an opportunity for students to mingle and enjoy themselves, while encouraging them to practice empathy and support mental health and well-being. "There are startling and sobering statistics showing 19 percent of high school students in the U.S. have seriously considered suicide," St. John says in Spotlight News. "That is one in five students walking the halls of our high school. It is a statistic that deserves more of our collective attention."

Students produced over 200 painted rocks during the event, with messages ranging from "Never give up" to "You are not alone in your struggles. It may seem dark right now, but that is temporary. Someone loves you. You are strong. There is hope."

Motivational Messages: Handwritten notes from teachers can have a powerful impact on students, helping them feel seen and valued. Similarly, small notes of encouragement that students can take for themselves or deliver to a friend help foster a sense of caring and community.

The biggest lift is at the start: You'll need to spend a bit of time jotting positive affirmations on Post-It notes. Educator Olivia Gordon, for example, writes encouraging messages like, "Have an awesome day," "Wherever life plants, you bloom," "Be brave," and "Live the life you love." Stick them on a bulletin board or poster board in a high-traffic area inside the school building, and consider providing additional Post-Its and markers along with a sign-"Take What You Need, Leave What You Can"-so passersby can contribute additional inspirational phrases.

Puzzle Party: Placing puzzles in communal spaces where students gather offers a low-stakes opportunity for kids to decompress for a few minutes during the school day.

In the reception area of the counseling center at Bethlehem Central High School-where students check in for counselor appointments-several puzzles are set up at a large table for kids to work on while they wait. Once they leave, other students can jump in to add a few pieces to the puzzle. The initiative, which began with a few puzzles purchased from The Dollar Store, became so popular that students started bringing in their own puzzles from home, Carr says.
Courtesy of Lisa Carr
Working on a puzzle has similar benefits as meditation, says licensed clinical psychologist Michelle McCoy Barrett in Popsugar. Solving puzzles can help relax the mind and body, she says, "decreasing stress, and even slowing your heart rate and lowering your blood pressure."

Balance Through Bubbles: Though deep breathing and mindfulness exercises using bubbles are typically targeted toward earlier grades, older kids aren't immune to the calming effect of gentle bubble blowing-especially at stressful times, like right before midterms or finals.

Instruct students to inhale while imagining they are a bubble, writes elementary school counselor Keri Powers. "Focus on your body being filled with air. As you blow out, feel your body relax, letting your thoughts about the past and future float away, just like a bubble floats. Focus simply on your present feelings and thoughts about the current moment."

Since bubbles can get sticky or spill, setting up a station staffed with an adult outdoors or on a tarp can help minimize the cleanup and ensure things don't get too messy.

Collective Graffiti Wall: Hang several poster-board size sheets of paper in the school hallway and invite students to use them as a graffiti canvas. They'll quickly transform it into a vibrant art display using nothing more than colored markers, an interesting prompt, and their imagination.

Graffiti walls are sometimes used in classrooms as an alternative to reading logs -a space for students to jot down quotes that resonate with them-but when placed in school hallways or other communal spaces, they can become a space for students to express themselves, ponder engaging questions, and interact with peers.
Courtesy of Lisa Carr
Try a low-stakes prompt like "What TV or movie characters do you wish were real? Why?" or a seasonal question like "What's something that you're thankful for?"

To protect the graffiti wall from being vandalized, consider storing the markers in the front office or a nearby classroom where students will have to come in and request one to add an answer, Carr suggests. And keep a bottle of white-out handy to cover up unwanted additions.

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6 Simple, Low-Cost Ways to Promote Student Self-Care

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As students reach the middle and high school years, managing increasing academic and personal responsibilities alongside rapid developmental changes can be challenging-and sometimes overwhelming. For many tweens and teens, prioritizing mental health and wellness is often the last thing on their minds.

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SEL is Crucial in a Teacher's Life too, SEL isn't only for students 👩‍🏫 👨‍🏫

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SEL is Crucial in a Teacher's Life too, SEL isn't only for students 👩‍🏫 👨‍🏫

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Teachers Are Anxious and Overwhelmed. They Need SEL Now More Than Ever. - EdSurge News

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At the end of March, our team at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, along with our colleagues at the Collaborative for Social Emotional and ...

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Check out this presentation, courtesy of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), to learn about the benefits of SEL for not only students, but teachers as well!

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This tweet from @SELearningEDU provides quick statistics about the

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The verdict is in: #SEL Matters! #edchat #edequity #edutwitter @ACT

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The verdict is in: #SEL Matters! #edchat #edequity #edutwitter @ACT https://t.co/Yojmc2h2Co

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The verdict is in: #SEL Matters! #edchat #edequity #edutwitter @ACT pic.twitter.com/Yojmc2h2Co
— SocialEmotionalLearning (@SELearningEDU) January 28, 2020

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The verdict is in: #SEL Matters! #edchat #edequity #edutwitter @ACT https://t.co/Yojmc2h2Co

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The verdict is in: #SEL Matters! #edchat #edequity #edutwitter @ACT https://t.co/Yojmc2h2Co

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The verdict is in: #SEL Matters! #edchat #edequity #edutwitter @ACT

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Hear Testimonials from Parents about the Benefits of SEL 

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Hear Testimonials from Parents about the Benefits of SEL 

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This YouTube playlist contains 7 short videos (about 2 minutes each) that are all true stories from parents who have seen the benefits of SEL in their children.

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Parents and caregivers are students' first teachers and have the right to shape their children's education. So when parents say social and emotional learning...

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In this TED talk, Caige Jambor explains how shifting our mindsets from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" can benefit both kids and adults in their social-emotional journeys.

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How Social-Emotional Learning Benefits Everyone | Caige Jambor | TEDxBemidji

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Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps kids work on things like coping with feelings and setting goals.

It also helps with interpersonal skills like working in teams and resolving conflicts.

SEL can help kids who learn and think differently talk about their challenges and build self-esteem.

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See how social-emotional learning programs help kids build self-awareness and interpersonal skills. Read about SEL in schools and how SEL skills affect academics.

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Click on this link to access a google sheet where you can upload links to other SEL sources you have!
Thank you so much for your participation!

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This video outlines the five core competencies of SEL as well as the function of this approach.

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What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?

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SEL 101: What are the core competencies and key settings?

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Comprehensive Overview of SEL (ages 5-13)

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Comprehensive Overview of SEL (ages 5-13)

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This article provides a broad overview of the SEL development of children between the ages of 5-13 and lists the particular skills they should have by the end of certain developmental stages.
Consider using the listed skills as a checklist!

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

Understanding the usual course of social and emotional learning development can help teachers make sure their students are on track.

Marina Labella / Ikon Images

We cannot expect children to succeed in algebra when they are just learning to add and subtract; similarly, we cannot expect children to demonstrate empathy toward peers when they have not yet learned how to identify and articulate different forms of emotion.

Now that social and emotional learning (SEL) is becoming more widespread, more educators are looking for a better understanding of how social and emotional skills emerge in childhood. I am getting most requests about ages 5-13. So let's take a look, using age periods identified by developmental psychologist Carolyn Saarni: early elementary school (5-7 years), middle childhood (7-10 years), and preadolescence (10-13 years).

Although individual experiences must be taken into account, each developmental period is marked by a set of social and instructional behaviors that we can expect most children to be ready to practice.

SEL in Early Elementary School

During the early elementary school stage of social and emotional development, students start in different places but tend to be self-confident and trusting; they believe that they can succeed and that they can trust adults in school and school-related environments.

Be a member of a group: share, listen, take turns, cooperate, negotiate disputes, be considerate, and be helpful.

Initiate basic interactions, with encouragement.

Resolve conflict without fighting and compromise with prompting.

Understand justifiable self-defense.

Be empathetic toward peers: with prompting, show awareness of the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of others (i.e., perspective taking); show concern/upset when others are suffering; develop a sense of helping rather than hurting or neglecting; respect rather than belittle; and support and protect others rather than dominate.

Given these norms, adults should be on the alert when young children do not bring these sensibilities into school. This can possibly indicate some disruption in the family environment leading to potential neglect or maltreatment of children (a predictable result of possible consequences of Covid-19, for example) and should be brought to the attention of school mental health professionals.

Young children can be expected to grow in the following areas if adults prompt, encourage, demonstrate, and explain the behaviors when they don't see them spontaneously. By the end of this period (not at the outset!), most children will be able to show most of these skills, generally with a little prompting.

Students in this stage can be expected to pay attention to teachers (or other group facilitators); understand similarities and differences (e.g., skin color, physical limitations); use words effectively (especially words for feelings); cooperate in group tasks; respond positively to approval; express themselves in art, music, games, or simple role-playing; and be able to articulate likes and dislikes as well as what they are good at and what they want to get better at.

All of these behavior areas require ongoing activation if they are to continue to develop. During this period of emotional development, students tend to derive security in repetition and routines. For this reason, consistent instructional procedures, including the use of advanced organizers to explain what will happen next, are useful.

listening carefully;

conducting a reciprocal conversation;

using tone of voice, eye contact, posture, and language appropriate to peers (and adults);

displaying skills for making friends, entering peer groups; can judge peers' feelings, thoughts, plans, actions;

learning to include and exclude others with increasing sensitivity;

expanding peer groups;

choosing friendships based on mutual trust and assistance;

showing altruistic behavior among friends;

becoming assertive, self-calming, cooperative;

learning to cope with peer pressure to conform (e.g., clothing);

learning to set boundaries, to deal with secrets; and

dealing positively with rejection.

SEL in Middle Childhood and Preadolescence

As students proceed through the middle childhood and preadolescent stages of emotional development, we see that competencies become more under students' control and more elaborate. Over the course of these stages, students can be expected to demonstrate the following behaviors when interacting with peers to an increasing, more consistent extent and to respond positively to instruction in how to improve these areas when necessary:

Naturally, expectations of socially appropriate behavior during school-related tasks rise as students advance through late elementary and middle school grades. Students in these periods of emotional development benefit from being given opportunities to become involved in increasingly multistep goal setting, following directions, and carrying out commitments to others. They benefit from learning strategies to solve problems and to strategically and cooperatively work in teams.

Students also appreciate feedback that helps them to feel a strengthened resilience when they make mistakes and to feel that it's acceptable to show appropriate pride in their accomplishments. During these years, students should be helped to articulate with increasing clarity the key interpersonal skills of how to appropriately ask for help, how to calm down after being upset or losing one's temper, and how to resolve conflict peacefully.

Best Practices for Designing Age-Appropriate SEL Activities

Younger students in the early elementary school stage of emotional development will benefit from clear lesson procedures and rules, in which the authority figure is understanding, fair, and deserving of respect by being respectful of all students. Younger students also will benefit from opportunities for responsibility in the classroom. The environment must offer students consistent, stimulating contact with caring adults in a location free from violence and threat.

Appropriate ways to structure the environment for students in the middle childhood and preadolescent periods include participation in establishing and ongoing monitoring of group norms/rules. The environment must provide students with opportunities to negotiate nonviolently, to comfort peers in distress, and to help new students to feel accepted and included.

Small-group activities and story-based learning are highly effective techniques, when paired with activities that allot time for laughter, movement, expression in varied artistic modalities, and occasional silliness.

Knowing how SEL skills develop and how best to nurture them can assist teachers both in dealing more effectively with their current students and in planning with their colleagues at other grade levels the kinds of experiences that will put more of their students on a positive, lasting social and emotional skills trajectory.

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How Students Typically Grow in SEL From Elementary to Middle School

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Understanding the usual course of social and emotional learning development can help teachers make sure their students are on track.

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Consider following the Twitter accounts listed below:
@caselorg - CASEL
@SECDLab - Social-Emotional & Character Development Lab
@SELearningEDU - SocialEmotionalLearning
@edutopia
Comment any other accounts you find helpful!

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Hello, and thank you SO much for taking time to look at this SEL resource! To kickstart your exploration of this SEL resource, please watch the introduction video below. It will provide a brief overview of this resource and what you can expect to find! Thank you again, and I hope you find this helpful!
Remember to spread smiles all around 😃