As children grow and develop in school, most milestones focus on academic success. Teachers record or track when children have mastered certain skills, like learning the alphabet or understanding math concepts like addition and subtraction.

But those academic milestones only tell half the story; the other half is about how children develop their self-confidence, sense of identity, relationships with others, empathy, and decision-making ability. These skills are honed through social and emotional learning, also known as SEL.

This article provides a deeper look into social and emotional learning (SEL), how to use it in the classroom, and activity examples to try.

What is social and emotional learning (SEL)?

Social and emotional skills can be more difficult to teach than concrete concepts, like math and science, that can be measured through testing. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing certain social and emotional skills that enable a child to succeed in school, work, and life. These skills include understanding and managing one’s own emotions, having empathy for the emotions of others, self-awareness, self-control, decision-making, developing a positive self-image, creating goals for the future, and more. SEL encompasses all the facets of emotional intelligence that make an adult capable of living a happy, healthy life. It’s the counterpart to their social and emotional development.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) was formed to incorporate evidence-based social and emotional learning into education from preschool through high school. The CASEL framework, or the CASEL wheel, provides the basic structure teachers and schools can apply to their education systems. It can also be used to provide learning standards and inform teaching strategies. The CASEL wheel can be applied to communities, caregivers, families, schools, and individual classrooms. The framework includes five broad categories of social and emotional learning:

• Self-awareness
• Self-management
• Social awareness
• Relationship skills
• Responsible decision-making

The skillset and growth provided by social and emotional learning extends to more than the five categories of the CASEL wheel. SEL is a broad concept, operating more as a perspective or philosophy. It also includes things like having a persevering attitude, a sense of belonging within one’s community, and a mindset focused on growth and positive change.

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Why is social and emotional learning important?

The social and emotional aspect of learning is important for every part of a child’s development. Using SEL strategies in the classroom provides children with a safe learning environment to learn about themselves and how to treat others—something they will carry with them outside of school.

The way that SEL teaches children to foster positive relationships with others and with their own identities can equip them with skills to succeed in the workplace and society. It gives them the confidence, emotional strength, and initial desire to continue learning, achieve goals, and continuously improve relationships. It allows them to reach their full potential as adults in their personal lives and career.

SEL is not only important for children on an individual level, but it’s also of great benefit to their larger communities. When more children are equipped with social-emotional skills, it creates a better environment for all children, teachers, and staff.

Families can also benefit by forging deeper, more meaningful bonds with their children. Stronger families and stronger schools combine to create whole communities built on emotionally intelligent growth. Keep families updated on their child's progress in the classroom with brightwheel. You can easily record children's developmental milestones so families can continue fostering those important skills at home.

Research has continuously proven over the years that social-emotional learning benefits children. When the CASEL framework is incorporated into classrooms, it has frequently shown that negative behaviors decrease and the overall well-being of children increases.

Pros and cons of social and emotional learning

The goal of early childhood education is to help children learn and develop skills in four key areas—cognitive, language, physical, and social-emotional. Because of this, it’s hard to believe that there are pros and cons to social and emotional learning in the classroom, but there are advocates and critics on both sides of the argument.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant increase in SEL in education programs as nationwide, school, and district spending grew approximately 45% between November 2019 and April 2021. With this increase, critics would argue that SEL is best left to parents in the home while advocates believe that children need the support in the classroom now more than ever.

Pros

Advocates of SEL in the classroom believe in its ability to help children manage their emotions and promote academic success. Research shows that, when children experience negative emotions (e.g., stress, anxiety, fear, or sadness), it can negatively impact their ability to learn. Social and emotional learning helps build resilience in children. 

Emotional resilience is the ability to regulate emotions during times of stress. Not only does it help children understand why they experience particular feelings, but it also helps them successfully manage their emotions in healthy ways. For example, a child might talk their way through a problem instead of throwing a tantrum. Social and emotional learning helps children develop the emotional intelligence to understand and manage their emotions, leading to fewer behavioral problems. 

Social and emotional learning also helps children develop skills that are directly tied to academic success. When children experience positive emotions (e.g., happiness, safety, motivation), it can enhance their academic skills. These skills include confidence, verbal communication, and perseverance.

Cons

Some believe that a focus on SEL in early childhood education programs takes the focus away from academics. By building a curriculum that includes social-emotional skills, children are spending less time on subject-specific standards. Some social and emotional skills that preschoolers are introduced to in early childhood programs include knowing their gender, following rules, avoiding danger, managing emotions, and forming positive relationships with others. Critics of SEL believe it’s used to push progressive ideas on topics—including race and gender—that should be left to families. 

Another critique of social and emotional learning in the classroom is that it decides which values matter. SEL is built on the five core competencies mentioned earlier—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Critics are worried about who decides the meaning of these competencies and how they’re being taught to children. If a teacher uses personal religious values in responsible decision-making, does this create an opportunity to pass them along as they help children develop this skill? It could. Critics worry about how these skills are taught to children and how personal thoughts and biases may seep into the curriculum. 

How to use social and emotional learning in the classroom

Despite its criticisms, incorporating SEL into the classroom supports a child's cognitive development and lays the foundation for a well-rounded, empathetic individual. Here are some strategies for successfully integrating SEL into daily classroom activities:

Model emotional intelligence

As a teacher, you can demonstrate how to express feelings in healthy ways, showing children appropriate emotional reactions and guiding them in identifying and discussing their own emotions.

Encourage teamwork through group activities

Engaging children in group activities where they need to work together to achieve a common goal helps them understand collaboration and develop respect for others' thoughts and abilities.

Incorporate mindfulness and relaxation techniques

Simple mindfulness exercises, like deep breathing or guided imagery, can help children learn to calm themselves, focus their attention, and respond thoughtfully in different situations. Your classroom can also have an area children can go to, like a calm down corner, when they are experiencing big emotions or need a space for quiet reflection. 

Practice conflict resolution skills

Setting up scenarios where children can practice resolving conflicts, taking turns, and expressing their feelings and needs verbally teaches them critical interpersonal skills.

Celebrate diversity and inclusion

Incorporate books, songs, and activities that celebrate different cultures, lifestyles, and abilities to foster an inclusive environment where children learn to appreciate and respect diversity.

By weaving these practices into everyday classroom activities, you can create a nurturing environment that promotes emotional intelligence and social skills—equipping children with the tools they need to flourish both in school and in life.

Social and emotional learning activities

Children of all ages can participate in SEL activities, and there are plenty of simple yet effective ways to incorporate them into your preschool lessons. Activities can focus on the skills that SEL is meant to teach—games that encourage self-reflection, emotional growth, and increased understanding.

For preschool-age children, social and emotional learning activities will look like play. This makes it easy to incorporate them into their day because it may even be games they already play. SEL activities for young children will often focus more on their interactions with others than on self-reflection. A few examples are:

• Turn-taking games: This may be any variety of sports or ball games, but taking turns initiates an acknowledgement of the emotions of others.
• Emotion charades: This activity encourages children to recognize and express emotions through body language and facial expressions. Children can take turns acting out different emotions while the rest of the group guesses.
• Story time: Reading stories that highlight empathy, friendship, and emotional regulation, followed by discussions on the characters' feelings and choices, can deepen children’s understanding of social cues and consequences of actions.
• Focused breathing: Choose a short routine, such as a walk along a certain wall or tracing a finger along a certain table, and have children take deep breaths along the routine and then repeat it.
• Memory match: Create a card game with pictures representing different feelings. Children can take turns flipping over two cards, trying to make a match by identifying the same emotion on each card. This game helps children recognize and differentiate emotions.
• Music and movement: Use music and movement to encourage self-expression and emotional regulation. Children can dance or move to different songs that represent different emotions, followed by discussions on how the music made them feel and how they can express those feelings.
• Gratitude letters: Encourage children to write or draw thank-you letters for someone who has done something kind for them, helping them understand the importance of gratitude and appreciation.
• Kindness bingo: Create bingo cards with various acts of kindness (e.g., help a friend, say something nice, share a toy). Children can mark off the activities they complete throughout the week. This game motivates children to engage in kind acts, fostering a sense of empathy and community in the classroom.

Final thoughts

With an emphasis on SEL in daily classroom routines, educators can create an emotionally safe environment that promotes social skills development among young learners. By teaching children how to recognize and express their feelings, value relationships, and engage in positive social interactions, educators can help them build a strong foundation for healthy emotional development.

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