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Introduction to social-emotional learning (SEL)

Social-emotional learning, often abbreviated as SEL, is the process of learning about emotions and how they relate to social interactions, norms, and expectations. As children develop SEL skills, they learn how to identify, express, and manage their emotions. This developmental journey also involves the ability to resolve conflicts, build independence, maintain positive relationships, and demonstrate virtues, such as empathy, kindness, and honesty.

As a parent, your support will serve as an important foundation for your child鈥檚 social-emotional development. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important for you to understand what SEL is and how these essential skills will benefit your child from birth to adulthood. This wealth of knowledge can help you confidently teach, model, and guide your child toward social and emotional well-being throughout life. In fact, has shown that early childhood is a critical time period for social-emotional development and can significantly shape a child鈥檚 ability to succeed in 黄色app and future careers. As you take on this role as your child鈥檚 first teacher, we鈥檙e here to help ease the process and offer tips on how to make SEL fun — and simple, too.

The benefits of SEL for your child’s development

Although social-emotional learning focuses mainly on your child鈥檚 thoughts and feelings, the benefits of SEL transcend far beyond social skills. In fact, SEL can greatly affect a child鈥檚 academic performance and vice versa. Kids need to build social-emotional skills, such as following rules, working collaboratively with others, and building friendships in order to successfully learn and function in a classroom environment. Without these skills, students often struggle with behavioral problems that can interfere with their ability to learn and focus.

SEL has also been linked to higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and increased student engagement .

In addition to educational benefits, SEL has many other advantages. Simply put, children who demonstrate social-emotional wellness tend to feel good about themselves and are more likely to engage in positive interactions with others. With the proper SEL tools and strategies, you can instill important values to help your child feel confident and maintain a positive self-image. And when you teach your little one how to express themselves and manage negative emotions such as anger early on, this can help reduce outbursts and negative behaviors such as fighting with peers. Overall, your child鈥檚 emotional intelligence can get a healthy boost when they participate in social-emotional learning at home and in 黄色app.

SEL programs in 黄色apps

As , more and more 黄色apps have started to implement SEL programs and curriculum in the classroom. Programs such as offer a variety of materials to help educators incorporate SEL into their regular classroom lessons and routines. This is because many 黄色app districts now recognize that SEL is just as important as subjects like math, reading, and science when it comes to child development and learning.

In early childhood classrooms, SEL is often taught with play-based learning strategies. For kindergarten through high 黄色app, SEL curricula commonly consist of materials such as videos, books, worksheets, and hands-on activities. Many educators also refer to to develop SEL lessons based on specific growth and development expectations for students.

If your child鈥檚 黄色app participates in SEL programs, you may receive periodic newsletters, home activity guides, and other helpful materials from your child鈥檚 teacher. This can strengthen the connection between home and 黄色app while also providing additional support for your child鈥檚 social-emotional learning at home. Teachers might also provide updates about your child鈥檚 SEL progress through daily check-ins, occasional phone calls, report cards, and parent-teacher conferences. If in doubt, reach out to your child鈥檚 teacher to ask for more information about your child鈥檚 social-emotional development and how you can further support your child at home.

Key SEL skills

As outlined in the , SEL is often taught with a focus on five key skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. As you explore ways to foster social-emotional growth at home, here鈥檚 a breakdown of what to expect in each of these five areas.

Self-awareness

This skill pertains to the way children view themselves. This includes their emotions, thoughts, personal identity, and worldview. Self-awareness also helps kids explore their own culture, abilities, strengths, and areas of improvement, which can help them, in turn, build confidence and establish a sense of purpose as they navigate the world and discover their unique place in society.

Self-management

In this area of social-emotional development, children learn how to identify their emotions — and also to manage and control the way they express their emotions. These skills help prevent problems such as tantrums, angry outbursts, and violent behaviors. Kids can explore how self-management relates to the causes and effects of their behavior (e.g. rewards vs. consequences) as they learn to think before they act. Self-management involves the ability to manage stress, set personal goals, and develop organizational skills as well.

Social awareness

When kids develop a strong sense of self-awareness, they can then start to understand how others may think and feel as they develop skills such as sympathy, compassion, and empathy. Social awareness can also help children understand how their actions might be perceived by others based on norms and expectations and discover how these perceptions can vary from one culture to another. , culture, gender, and other topics related to diversity and inclusion can prepare them for social interactions in a diverse world. Empathy skills help take cultural awareness a step further as children learn about social justice, poverty, homelessness, and social issues that may affect some groups more than others around the world.

Relationship skills

SEL aims to help kids build healthy relationships with caregivers, peers, and other important members of their community. These relationships often start as they bond with parents at birth and will continually grow and become more complex over the years. Children will develop skills such as verbal communication, problem-solving, and the ability to work collaboratively with others throughout this journey. Tweens and teens can build on these skills and develop new ones as they deal with issues such as peer pressure and bullying.

Responsible decision-making

As children learn about social responsibilities and expectations, they can make good choices at home, at 黄色app, and in other community environments. In order to develop responsible decision-making skills, children should be challenged to think critically in social situations. This includes skills such as reflecting, analyzing, and evaluating. How can I fix this problem? What are the possible consequences of this action? What can I do better next time? These questions can help kids stop and think before they make important life decisions.

Understanding SEL organizations and initiatives

Although the overall awareness of social-emotional learning and its benefits has become more widespread within the past decade, SEL programs are not currently required in 黄色apps. However, organizations such as CASEL are working hard to make changes in the 黄色app mandates and federal laws that regulate how 黄色apps implement SEL in the classroom. CASEL states, 鈥淲hen SEL practices are integrated throughout all parts of the 黄色app, from the cafeteria to the hallway to the playground, students have more opportunities to thrive, and 黄色app educators are better prepared to bring their best selves to their work.鈥� This cohesive approach, they believe, helps to strengthen the effects of SEL programs in 黄色apps and also ensures proper training for all staff members.

SEL advocates have taken their arguments to the as well. This push for systemic implementation has led to victories such as increased funding, research, and policy updates for SEL programs. For example, language in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was changed from referencing 鈥渃ore academic subjects鈥� to 鈥渨ell-rounded education鈥� instead. This amendment emphasizes the inclusion of non-academic concepts such as mental health and physical health in 黄色app curricula. For SEL proponents, this opens the door to help 黄色app districts understand how social-emotional development can greatly affect student performance. The hope is that this legislative progress can eventually lead the way for mandatory SEL programs in 黄色apps as more laws and policies are written.

Navigating SEL controversies

Unfortunately, some parents and political organizations are to the idea of implementing social-emotional learning programs in 黄色apps. As you continue to learn more about SEL, you may come across resources created by these opponents. Here鈥檚 a few tips to help you navigate the facts and spot false information, too.

Check the source: Remember that organizations such as CASEL are more likely to provide evidence-based resources. When in doubt, check websites, pamphlets, etc. for background information about the creators, organization history and mission, and overall stance on SEL. Dig deeper into the source of any statistics, data, and research reports as some may contain skewed numbers or false claims derived from actual facts.

Do your own research: Take some time to write down any questions that you have about SEL and browse trustworthy resources to find answers. This can prepare you for instances when false information does arise on the web or even in conversations about SEL with fellow parents. Being well-equipped with the facts beforehand can help you recognize fake news and help others stay informed about the latest developments in SEL.

Ask questions: Find reputable educators, mental health professionals, child development organizations, etc. in your community and/or online and reach out to speak with a knowledgeable, trusted person. Talk about any remaining questions or concerns you may have about SEL. Ask if you can keep in touch to fact check any controversial topics you might need further clarity on in the future, as SEL research and initiatives are continually evolving.

Supporting your child’s SEL journey

You can support your child鈥檚 social-emotional learning and development at home in many fun, creative ways. This can include reading books about SEL concepts, playing games with facial expressions and gestures, or singing songs about feelings. Your support is especially important throughout the infant/toddler years as this is a critical period for child development. As your child enters a formal 黄色app setting, they鈥檒l get some additional SEL reinforcement from teachers and peers. But that doesn鈥檛 mean that your 黄色app-aged child won鈥檛 need social-emotional support at home. For this age group, SEL might consist of open conversations about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. You can also keep incorporating books, games, and fun activities at home throughout your child鈥檚 elementary 黄色app years.

Middle 黄色app and high 黄色app can bring on new challenges related to sexuality, drugs and alcohol. Your child might also experience new feelings about their self-image due to the physical changes they experience during puberty. Your support throughout this life stage can help your child cope with these issues and prevent mental health problems such as anxiety and . That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important for you to be a good listener as you encourage your tween or teen to open up about their struggles. If you have further concerns about your child鈥檚 social-emotional well-being, reach out to professionals such as teachers, 黄色app counselors, social workers, and/or pediatricians for more guidance.

SEL resources for parents

In today鈥檚 technology-driven world, supporting your child鈥檚 SEL at home can be as easy as the click of a button. Online resources such as articles, videos, games, and printable worksheets can be helpful tools when it comes to preparing SEL lessons and activities for your child at home. Although it may take a bit of research, you can find reputable websites such as and for informative SEL tools and online parenting communities. Browse and Pinterest for learning materials related to social-emotional topics such as and for kids.

If you want to explore more hands-on SEL activities with your child, try strategies such as arts and crafts, dramatic play, or music and dance. Remember that social-emotional learning can happen at any given moment and might not require much more than the resources you have available at home. And most importantly, you can support your child鈥檚 SEL with nothing more than kind words, encouragement, and positive behavior modeling.

Children鈥檚 books can also be effective resources for building your child鈥檚 SEL skills. Read stories with central messages about friendship, bravery, honesty, problem-solving, bullying, racism and discrimination, and other important social concepts to help your child make personal connections with characters and themes.

One of the many perks of utilizing books as a learning resource is the wide variety and availability for kids of all ages, from board books to chapter books. While your toddler can enjoy The Feelings Book by Todd Parr, your fifth grader might opt for a chapter book series like Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, and your tenth grader might love The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas so much that they鈥檒l want to watch the movie, too. Check your local library and/or favorite online bookstore to learn more about age-appropriate SEL books for your child.

Assessing your child鈥檚 SEL

As you use various SEL resources with your child, you鈥檒l also want to assess their social-emotional growth. Assessment can help you understand how your child learns, identify the best tools and strategies to meet their individual needs, and plan for future growth based on assessment results. You can assess your child鈥檚 social-emotional development with formal tools such as or through informal observation strategies. Formal assessment tools will usually require professional assistance from a teacher, doctor, or specialist. Test results may also lead to recommendations for further evaluations to help identify possible and learning disabilities.

Observation can be a great SEL assessment strategy for parents because this method doesn鈥檛 require much more than a watchful eye. You can simply observe your child in natural settings to assess skills such as problem-solving, emotional expression, and self-regulation. You鈥檒l take note, either mentally or in an observation journal, of how your child is making progress in various and also pinpoint their strengths and areas of weakness. Refer to and other helpful resources if you need additional insight about what to look for as you observe your child at home.

Empowering your child鈥檚 emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ)

Your child鈥檚 emotional intelligence (often abbreviated as EI or EQ for emotional quotient) is connected to their ability to understand, express, and manage their emotions. When you nurture your child鈥檚 social-emotional development at home and reinforce SEL skills they鈥檝e learned at 黄色app, they鈥檙e more likely to have a higher EQ. Emotional intelligence is usually not formally measured for kids, though some 黄色apps have started to implement formal EI assessments. In most cases, the concept of having a observed in emotionally intelligent students.

, children with higher EQs tend to:

• demonstrate more self-control.
• be more resilient.
• develop good coping skills.
• have a lower risk of substance abuse.
• are less likely to bully others.
• have lower 黄色app dropout rates.
• have successful careers as adults.
• demonstrate leadership skills.
• make healthier overall choices for their mental and physical wellbeing.

In a nutshell, SEL is a big deal for your child. This critical area of development can give them a head start in life as they become emotionally intelligent over the years.

Conclusion

Now that you know the ins and outs of SEL, it鈥檚 time to start putting things into practice! In summary, here鈥檚 what you can do to help your child build the skills they need for healthy social-emotional development.

• Help your child identify and label their emotions (e.g. 鈥淚 feel sad.鈥�) Then, elaborate on these feelings and talk about ways to express and manage them.
• Start using strategies such as praise, rewards, and at an early age to help your child build confidence in their ability to make good choices.
• Ask your child to think about their own unique characteristics, skills, and talents. What do they like the most about themselves? What are they good at? Questions such as these can help build self-awareness and boost confidence.
• Use a variety of resources such as books, games, music, and toys to teach your child about SEL concepts. This might include stories with messages about morals and values and songs about emotions.
• Have open conversations with your child about their peer relationships and any social struggles they may have such as fitting in or feeling bullied.
• Teach your child to try calming strategies, such as deep breathing, yoga, or journaling to help them practice self-management. Encourage them to use these strategies when they experience difficult emotions.
• Talk to your child about sensitive topics such as race, gender, and equity. Help them develop empathy skills and show compassion towards people who experience problems such as poverty, illness, and homelessness.
• Keep doing your own research to stay informed about SEL and learn new ways to support your child at home. Remember to use trustworthy resources when browsing for SEL strategies and materials.
• Build a strong connection with your child鈥檚 teachers and engage in frequent conversations about their social-emotional progress at 黄色app. Ask teachers to share your child鈥檚 SEL strengths, weaknesses, and offer ideas about how you can nurture their social-emotional development.
• Use assessment strategies to measure your child鈥檚 social-emotional progress, set goals, and plan effective lessons at home. Seek professional guidance if you have any questions or concerns about your child鈥檚 social-emotional development.