Social Emotional Learning
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) happens both in and out of the classroom. SEL instruction, at its best, is a live dynamic curriculum, growing and responding to students’ needs. By extending SEL learning in the home, it broadens the real-world experiences for students to learn and practice their SEL skills. Using SEL in the home, allows families to help foster their child’s social emotional growth. Trips to the grocery store, playing a board game, responding to the experience of meeting new or different people add this additional layer to social emotional learning for students.
How can parents foster social emotional learning in the home? First and foremost, create those avenues for learning. Use your family experiences to talk through the five competencies with your child (self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills and responsible decision-making). When your student meets a new person, how do they react? Did they introduce themselves? Did they take turns?
Literature is filled with social emotional learning opportunities. Read with your child! Talk through the story. What might they have done differently? How do they think the character felt?
Model listening and reflection for your child. Use news headlines as springboards for such conversations. Teach and encourage your child to use self-talk. When they are frustrated, what can they do? Is this a big problem or a little problem?