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What does it mean to have self-awareness?

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Self-Awareness | Social-Emotional Learning | PBS LearningMedia

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Learn how you can help children develop self-awareness, the foundation of social-emotional learning, by teaching the vocabulary of emotions, and modeling behavior that supports self-awareness.

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Every emotion is okay to have. Where do you land on the mood meter today? Journal about your mood and what it means for your day.

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Use journaling on an app like Penzu for identifying emotions, self regulation strategies, and social awareness.

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How do you communicate with your peers?

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Relationship Skills | Social-Emotional Learning | PBS LearningMedia

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Learn to help students develop key skills for successful relationships: communication, cooperation and conflict resolution. Educators can help students develop these skills by working together in groups and discussing roles. Parents can support their children by spending time with them and encouraging communication.

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Learn about Conflict Resolution from Tim & Moby.

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Choose a word processing app: Word, Powerpoint, Keynote, Pages, etc. and create a "Gratitude Board" of all things you are thankful for.

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Practice mindfulness with Tim & Moby.

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Need a break? Practice breathing techniques to calm down.

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Social Emotional Lessons on Common Sense Education

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Social Emotional Lessons on Common Sense Education

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Access your CSE account for CASEL aligned lessons to teach SEL and Digital Citizenship skills.

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This collection of activities will help you address the unique social and emotional challenges your students may encounter as technology starts to play an increasing role in their lives, both in and out of school. From understanding how technology makes them feel, to learning how to act with kindness and make caring and responsible decisions online, these 15-minute activities are great ways to support the social and emotional well-being of your students as they navigate the digital world.

To see our full collection of K-12 activities visit the SEL in Digital Life Resource Center.

My Feelings When Using Technology (Grades K-2)
With a fun video poem and class discussion, students learn to reflect on the different ways technology makes them feel and what they can do about it.

Our Responsibilities Online ( Grades 3-5)
What does it mean to be your best self when using technology? By learning about the rings of responsibility, students understand the responsibilities they have to themselves and others so they can be their best selves when using technology.

Saying Goodbye to Technology (Grades K-2)
Whether it's watching television or playing on a tablet, using tech can be super fun! But kids often find it hard to transition from an online activity to an offline one. Teach your students a simple routine for regulating their emotions during those inevitable digital interruptions that are a part of life for everyone.

My Media Balance (Grades 3-5)
Helping kids learn what makes different media choices healthy or not is a good start. But how do we guide them to actually make responsible choices in the real world? Give your students the opportunity to reflect on their media habits and develop strategies for achieving media balance in their lives.

Traveling Safely Online (Grades K-2)
The power of the internet enables students to experience and "visit" places they might not be able to see in person. But just like traveling in the real world, it's important for students to know how to keep themselves safe when they go online. In this quick activity, students learn three rules to promote safe and responsible decisions when going online.

How Can You Be an Online Superhero? (Grades 3-5)
Online tools are empowering for kids, but they also come with big responsibilities. In this quick activity, students put themselves in the shoes of the Digital Citizen characters to learn how to solve digital dilemmas in responsible ways.

Use Your Heart When You're Online (Grades K-2)
From our head down to our toes, and our feet up to our nose, the Digital Citizens teach students to be safe, responsible, and respectful when they are online.

Gaming with Positivity (Grades 3-5)
Social interaction is part of what makes online gaming fun and engaging for kids. Of course, online communication comes with some risks. Use this activity to help your students reflect on how they can keep their gaming experiences fun, healthy, and positive.

Standing Up to Online Meanness (Grades K-2)
The internet is filled with all kinds of interesting people, but sometimes people can be mean to each other. With this activity, students learn how to respond to people who are being unkind, and support others who experience online meanness.

The Words We Choose (Grades 3-5)
As kids grow, they naturally start to communicate more online. But some of what they see could make them feel hurt, sad, angry, or even fearful. Help your students build empathy for others and learn strategies to use when confronted with cyberbullying.
Image courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action.

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Elementary School Activities to Promote SEL in Digital Life | Common Sense Education

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Promote SEL and digital citizenship with these CASEL-aligned quick activities.

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Get your students talking about their emotions!

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Learn a new mindfulness exercise! Share what balloon breathing can do for you!

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Try meditating as a self-management skill.

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Choose a mindful activity from the Choice Board.

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Social Emotional Learning Activities on Seesaw

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Social Emotional Learning Activities on Seesaw

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Browse the Seesaw Community library for activities that promote SEL skills in your classroom. Like the activity and it will save to your library.

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Seesaw creates a powerful learning loop between students, teachers, and families

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Assign SEL lessons through Nearpod to support students in identifying emotions, practicing empathy, build relationships, and more.

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Activity book templates through the Book Creator App to help students explore SEL skills.

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SEL template books you can use today - Book Creator app

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Social Emotional Learning is one of the main priorities in education right now. We’ve made these activity book templates to help you focus on student wellbeing.

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Sign up for an account to practice mindfulness for you or your students.

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Meditation and Sleep Made Simple - Headspace

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Live a healthier, happier, more well-rested life in just a few minutes a day with the Headspace app.

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View the RULER Approach to SEL in action.

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Building Social Emotional Awareness in the Classroom With the RULER Approach

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The RULER Approach by Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

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The RULER Approach by Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

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Learn about the RULER acronym for five skills of emotional intelligence.

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This belief is the core of our work at YCEI. We conduct research and offer trainings that support people of all ages in developing emotional intelligence skills. We do this work because the well-being and sustainability of our society depends on each of us using our emotions wisely.

As a self-supporting unit within the Yale School of Medicine's Child Study Center, our research and training is funded primarily through foundation and federal grants, corporate support, training revenue, and philanthropists. Our research is conducted in collaboration with experts in education, psychology, policy, and technology.

Our goal is to design effective approaches for supporting school communities in understanding the value of emotions, teaching the skills of emotional intelligence, and building and sustaining positive emotional climates in homes, schools, and workplaces.

We provide training to educational leaders, teachers, and school staff to support the systemic implementation of SEL (social and emotional learning) and foster those skills in all stakeholders in these communities, including in families and out-of-school time. We test and refine each element of our work, with the goal of leveraging emotions to create healthier and more equitable, innovative, and compassionate communities.

Through both science and practice, we determine how emotional intelligence can make a difference in the lives of children and adults. Our Center's research in "basic" science has included the role of self-awareness in teacher decision making, the benefits of emotion regulation skills for creativity and adolescent coping, and connections among school climate, teacher engagement, and student academic performance.

We also have tested the impact of RULER. RULER, an acronym for the five skills of emotional intelligence (recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating) is the evidence-based approach to social and emotional learning developed at our Center. Evaluation research shows that RULER fosters a range of behaviors and shifts in school climate that are essential to positive youth development.

Research on the impact of RULER also informs educational practice and policy by demonstrating that emotional intelligence can improve leader, educator, and student outcomes in schools serving pre-K - 12 students. Together, our research deepens our understanding of the benefits of a range of complex feelings across human development and informs both the design and implementation of RULER.

Other specific outcomes among students and adults include:

Development of emotion skills

Fewer attention and learning problems

Greater social and leadership skills

Less anxiety and depression

Less stress and burnout

Better performance in school

Creating Emotionally Intelligent School Communities

In partnership with families and communities, schools play a critical role in supporting the social and emotional development of youth. This goes beyond teaching a set of skills by embedding social and emotional learning (SEL) into every aspect of daily school life. More than 20 years of research shows that SEL helps students achieve more academically and make better decisions.

RULER is a systemic approach to SEL developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. The Center works with both district-level and preK-12 school-level teams to help them understand the value of emotions, build the skills of emotional intelligence, and create and maintain positive emotional climates with RULER.

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Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (YCEI)

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This belief is the core of our work at YCEI. We conduct research and offer trainings that support people of all ages in developing emotional intelligence skills. We do this work because the well-being and sustainability of our society depends on each of us using our emotions wisely.

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15 books and videos to teach empathy in the elementary classroom.

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This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Any purchases made through one of our links earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All creative ideas and opinions expressed are purely my own. Read our full privacy policy and disclosure for more information.
15 empathy books and videos for the classroom to teach kids empathy skills, such as compassion, inclusion, and community.
Help students develop empathy and social awareness at school using books and videos. Children will relate to the characters in these stories and movies, making it easier for them to learn how they can be more empathetic. Here are 10 books and 5 videos that will highlight these characteristics for students.

Teaching Empathy Skills to Students

One of the best ways to teach empathy and social awareness to children is to use teaching materials they'll enjoy. Grab a copy of a few of the 10 books and set-up your access to these 5 videos to teach and illustrate to children how to be more empathetic.

Books that Teach Empathy Skills

You can use stories to teach kids about empathy. Here are 10 books that teach empathy in a fun and positive way.

Everyone feels the same feelings, including happiness, sadness, and anger. This book helps students understand their own emotions, giving them a way to know what their feelings are and why they feel them. Once students understand their feelings, they can begin to empathize with others when they realize that their friends and neighbors have those same feelings. With this book, children will get the chance to see how everyone is the same when it comes to feelings.

Teach kids that words and actions have consequences and that they can change how another person is feeling. Teach the wrinkled heart poem and activity by giving each child a heart. Practice folding parts of the heart each time something negative is said. They will quickly realize that words and actions can last a lifetime. Get the FREE wrinkled heart activity below!

What would it feel like to be invisible? While kids might think that it's fun and interesting at first, they'll soon realize that being invisible can hurt too. In this book, the main character feels invisible. He's left out of games and parties and is never invited into a group.This changes when a new student shows up and shows him kindness. Children will get the chance to see how even a small kindness can make a world of difference in another person's life.

It can be hard for kids to understand others who are different. Whether it is someone who is a different gender or ethnicity, kids can have trouble understanding those differences. With this book, you can help students understand that just because someone is different doesn't mean they don't have feelings. Johnny, the main character, learns how to celebrate these differences instead of being afraid of them.

With this book, kids will learn that it's easier than they think to feel empathy towards others. They will learn how to stand in a friend's shoes to learn what they're feeling. When you consider someone else's feelings, you'll get the chance to develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship.

Teach kids what it means to put themselves in someone else's shoes through role-playing and classroom discussions. Read a book and make a shoe craft to pledge to act with compassion. Click here to check it out.

All kids can understand the feeling of wanting something they can't have. In this story, they get the chance to follow along with Jeremy who desperately wants a pair of those shoes, shoes that all of his friends have. Throughout the story, Jeremy learns that there are things more important than the latest fashion trends, such as family, friendship, and helping others.

This book is based on the popular move Wonder. In this story, students get the chance to learn about how everyone wants to belong and to be loved for who they are. Students will learn to empathize with others as they see that everyone has the same wants and emotions that they do.

Kids will learn all about the different emotions associated with empathy and how they can use empathy and their feelings to help others. Jayneen Sanders, the author of You, Me and Empathy, does an exceptional job of helping kids understand these emotions.

As kids grow, they need to learn that it's ok to experience different emotions. The Feelings Book brings up different feelings that kids might have so that you can discuss it with them. Once they understand their own feelings, they can work on understanding others' feelings, helping them to develop empathy.

Share scenarios that kids can relate to or read books where the characters go through different experiences, good and bad. Ask them to hold up a feeling stick to show how that person or character might be feeling. Click here to check it out.

In order to develop emotional awareness, kids need to learn that it's ok to make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, including adults. What's important is that you learn from your mistake and try to transform your problem into something beautiful! Kids will learn about not getting upset at their mistakes or to judge others for theirs.

If you ask your students, they will probably tell you that they've wanted to be someone else at some point. It's so easy to look at a friend who looks like they have everything and feel like you want to be them instead. In this book, kids will learn that the best person to be is themselves.

It is important to give children opportunities to practice being empathetic when they are young. Have pairs stand up and act out a scenario from a scenario card. Ask the class for suggestions of ways to show empathy. Click here to check it out.

Videos that Teach Empathy Skills

In this video, a mom brings home a new dog for her son. As kids watch the video, they'll see that the dog is missing a leg. At first, the boy tries to ignore the dog, pushing him away. As the movie progresses, the dog wins over the boy for one very big reason. You can use this video to discuss why the boy was so upset at first, as well as why the dog helps the boy in the end.

Kids will enjoy watching this video as they see how compassion and understanding can make you a better friend. In the video, Tosh is mean to Tomeo about a test they all take. Tosh's friends walk him through why his words hurt Tomeo and help him figure out what he can do to make things right.

Encourage kids to identify ways that they show compassion to others at school, at home, or in the community. They can create a pennant to join in a classroom compassion banner. Click here to check it out.

Daniel Tiger is a popular character that kids love. In this episode of Daniel Tiger, kids will learn how to empathize with other people's feelings. This will teach them to be a better friend at school, as well as at home and in the neighborhood.

4. Sesame Street: Mark Ruffalo: Empathy

Kids will get the chance to learn all about empathy from a favorite show - Sesame Street! In this video, Mark Ruffalo joins Murray from Sesame Street in order to learn about the word empathy. Mark and Murray do a wonderful job of explaining empathy in a way that kids will understand.

5. Start With Sorry: Children's Empathy Story, Read Aloud

In this read aloud, Luna gets jealous of her older brother because he can do more than she can. She reacts in anger, but this hurts her brother's feelings and makes him sad. Luna then has to fix this situation, learning that saying sorry is a good way to do this.

These empathy books and videos will help you teach students about social awareness in the classroom. They will help kids learn these important topics in a fun way that they can understand.

Empathy Classroom Resources

FREE Wrinkled Heart Poem & Activity

Give one of our engaging digital SEL activities a try! Get a FREE copy of the Wrinkled Heart activity. This activity includes a poem and online read-aloud formatted for Google Slides, plus a printable heart template for your empathy lesson.
Click the image below to grab a copy.

Social Awareness Curriculum for K-2

The complete empathy and social awareness unit includes tons of helpful lessons and activities to help children learn about empathy, compassion, inclusion, and community. Click HERE to see everything included.

Read More about Teaching Empathy Skills
Teaching Empathy Emotional Skills Kindness Activities
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Place Empathy Skills at the Top of Your Social Emotional Learning Lesson Plans

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This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience. Any purchases made through one of our links earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. All creative ideas and opinions expressed are purely my own.

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

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Learn how SEL is defined and the CASEL Framework for integrating SEL into the classroom.

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We define social and emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities.

New to Social and Emotional Learning? Start here (2 min. read).

Think of a young person in your life. What skills will they need to achieve their hopes and dreams?

Chances are, you just named social and emotional skills - like staying motivated, communicating effectively, practicing curiosity, and working with others to solve problems. Social and emotional learning, or SEL, helps develop the skills we need for life.
Hear why students, parents, and educators want SEL in schools. Here are 3 things to know about social and emotional learning:

1. Social and emotional learning is a foundation for many of our most pressing priorities: SEL helps young people - and adults - learn and practice skills that set them up for academic success, fulfilling careers, healthy relationships, and responsible civic engagement.

2. The research is clear: Social and emotional learning in schools leads to positive outcomes, including better academic performance, and decreases in stress and anxiety.

3. There's no one-size-fits-all approach: Social and emotional learning brings families, schools, and communities together to make sure every child has caring relationships and what they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

Subscribe now for our expertly curated 3-part email series delivered straight to your inbox. We'll roundup the key facts from our website on SEL is, it matters, and it shows up in schools.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

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SEL can help all young people and adults thrive personally and academically, develop and maintain positive relationships, become lifelong learners, and contribute to a more caring, just world.

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The 5 social and emotional competencies that support learning and development.

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How SEL can advance equity in schools.

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Most people agree that it is important for young people to have trusting relationships, a sense of purpose and belonging, and to learn and practice the skills needed to work toward their goals and contribute to their communities. That is why social and emotional learning (SEL) is important-because it can help create educational opportunities and environments that promote learning and practicing social, emotional, and academic skills, all of which are fundamental to healthy human development.

If we really want all students to leave school having developed certain academic, social, personal, and cultural capacities, we need to think really carefully about whether we as educators are creating the types of experiences that we know from research will help develop those capacities.

In what ways does SEL advance equity and excellence?
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SEL can be a powerful lever for creating caring, just, inclusive, and healthy schools that support all young people in reaching their fullest potential. In the context of SEL, equity and excellence refers to every student-across race, ethnicity, family income levels, learning abilities, home language, immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other factors-engaging in high-quality educational opportunities and environments that best promote their healthy social, emotional, and academic development.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence by:

1. Supporting authentic school-family-community partnerships where young people, families, educators, and community partners work together to plan, implement, and continuously improve strategies and programs to best serve all students in their local context. SEL helps stakeholders develop the skills and relationships to communicate and collaborate effectively across different perspectives and backgrounds.

2. Fostering trusting and collaborative relationships where educators can attune to and appreciate students' developmental needs and unique strengths; develop deeper awareness of students' cultures, backgrounds, and learning differences; and create classroom environments that are inclusive of all learners. SEL helps young people and adults learn and practice empathy, perspective taking, and active listening to build deeper connections with one another.

3. Promoting rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction that sets high standards and expectations for all students and actively engages them in developing academic, social, and emotional skills to achieve their goals and contribute to their communities. Evidence-based SEL programs and approaches help ensure all students have consistent opportunities to learn and practice developmentally-appropriate skills that help them thrive.

4. Applying ongoing evaluation of policies, practices, and outcomes to ensure all students are treated fairly, have access to supportive learning environments, engage in high-quality educational opportunities and programs, and achieve excellence in academic, social, and emotional outcomes. SEL implementation grounded in research and continuous improvement helps drive efforts toward equitable and optimal outcomes.

By prioritizing SEL, educators, families, communities, and students can work together to develop skills and create learning environments and experiences that more fully nurture the development of all young people so that they can thrive.

Why is equity and excellence essential to CASEL's work?
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We are driven by a vision of all children and adults as self-aware, caring and connected, responsible, engaged, and lifelong learners who work together to achieve their goals and create a more inclusive, just, and equitable world. The field of SEL was born out of a desire to ensure young people have the knowledge, skills, and competencies to succeed in school and in life.

To learn best, young people need to be surrounded by trusting relationships and environments where they feel motivated and engaged, emotionally and physically safe, and a sense of belonging among adults and peers. This requires making sure that educational policies treat students fairly and that all students have caring teachers who believe they can succeed. To fully support all students' SEL, adults need to understand their own biases and expectations, develop awareness of students' cultures and backgrounds, and acknowledge and challenge any inequitable practices and/or policies that can limit or harm the development of children.

CASEL's work promotes partnerships among schools, families, and communities in order to prioritize what is best for their children and in their communities. SEL can support young people and adults in reflecting on and expressing their perspectives, listening to and building connections with those who have different viewpoints and experiences, and working together toward personal and collective goals.

What are we exploring through our learning agenda?
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Our commitment to equity, excellence, and evidence undergirds all aspects of our work across , Implementation , and . Our SEL framework provides a foundation for all communities to use evidence-based SEL strategies to define and advance the goals of equity and excellence in ways that are most meaningful to their local context. We guide schools, districts, and states in the systemic implementation of SEL, which both fosters and depends upon equitable learning environments where all students and adults feel respected, valued, and affirmed in their individual interests, talents, social identities, cultural values, and backgrounds.

As we've partnered with districts to advance SEL toward their priorities, we've also documented many of the specific strategies that education leaders are using to promote equity and excellence. These include communicating explicitly about SEL as a lever for equity and excellence, prioritizing adult learning and critical reflection, elevating students' voice and agency, partnering with families on culturally responsive approaches to SEL, and using SEL data strategies to build more equitable learning environments. Learn more about how districts are advancing SEL as a lever for equity and excellence. Download the report.

There is still much to learn about how SEL can advance equity and excellence. As part of our research agenda, we are focused on exploring how Transformative SEL can support equitable learning environments and related developmental outcomes for children, adolescents, and adults.

is a term that refers to applying the SEL framework toward the goals of creating equitable settings and systems and promoting justice-oriented school and civic engagement. Through our long-term learning agenda and ongoing collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, CASEL continues deepening what is known about the implementation, influences, and impacts of high-quality transformative SEL. This research work is in its initial stages and is ongoing. Practical insights from expert voices will be shared as the work evolves. Transformative SEL Learn more about Transformative SEL.

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How Does SEL Support Educational Equity and Excellence? - CASEL

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Most people agree that it is important for young people to have trusting relationships, a sense of purpose and belonging, and to learn and practice the