Increased mindfulness can enhance a range of important social and emotional skills, including self-awareness, empathy, handling stress, and identifying emotions. As students think about their feelings, they will begin to practice self-control and self-regulation, which can boost focus and promote accountability. Through meditation exercises, physical activities, calming strategies, and role-playing scenarios, kids can benefit in and out of the classroom.
Sesame Street's newest human resident, Mando (introduced in the fall of 2013), narrates while kids and a blue monster together tackle everyday frustrations -- like struggling to tie shoes, dealing with separation anxiety, taking turns, and going to bed -- and learn how to deal with them.
QuaverSEL is an interactive online social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. Quaver uses music, movement, and highly engaging visual presentations to connect with students and teach SEL skills. There are over 250 lessons for grades pre-K-5, and new content is added monthly. The curriculum addresses all core competencies defined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), covering the five basic SEL skills of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
Super Stretch encourages kids to try their best; no pose has to be perfect. Kids can choose to try each pose individually or to play through them all. Either way, the video stops between poses and Super Stretch reminds kids to breathe as they listen to calming music.
MyLife Meditation (formerly Stop, Breathe & Think) is an app for kids and adults that offers brief meditations to address a range of emotional states. Kids click Check In to answer a few questions about their current state of mind: how they're feeling both mentally and physically, on a scale from "great" to "rough." Kids can then select up to five emotions from more than 80, and the app presents a curated list of meditations especially suited to the emotions selected.
Calm Harm - Manages Self Harm begins by asking teens to create a profile and set their location. Once they're ready to begin, they can select "Ride the Wave" and choose an area to focus on: Comfort, Distract, Express Yourself, Release, Random, or Breathe. Each of the six areas has different activities to help students manage the discomfort and urge to self-harm. Once they choose an area, kids can pick five- or 15-minute activities.
Smiling Mind is a great introduction to meditation. Simply locate a comfortable spot, plug in earphones, and press Play. Since kids practice privately, there's no need to worry about leading meditation circles full of nervous giggles (the app offers a chance to feel comfortable with meditation alone first). Each lesson is a sequential step toward learning how to meditate. A soothing Australian voice guides you through calming breathing exercises and visualizations
Emotional ABCs Classroom is an online-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program. It begins by asking students to choose an avatar and password and begin the first lesson in Unit 1. The Emotional ABCs program has 10 units, each with several lessons. The lessons typically begin with a teachable video clip that introduces context and a skill. As students progress through the lesson, a meter tracks their progress. Students can also earn prizes along the way and unlock games or extra activities.
Zoo U is an online game that begins with an introduction and tutorial presented by an animated zookeeper, Principal Wild. Kids get oriented by tapping six sticky notes and following directions in a brief tutorial in an opening practice room. They make decisions by clicking on one of two or three choices within thought or speech bubbles. Once the preliminary scenarios are completed and their baseline data is automatically recorded, kids can practice specific skills such as empathy, managing feelings, self-control, and more.
7 Mindsets is a web-based program that teaches students the skills needed to master social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies. The 7 Mindsets are Everything Is Possible, Passion First, We Are Connected, 100% Accountable, Attitude of Gratitude, Live to Give, and The Time Is Now. After choosing their students' grade level (elementary, middle, or high school), teachers select one of several courses, which is typically an introduction, practice, or evaluation
inspirED's activities vary in duration from 10-minute exercises to one-hour lessons to project-based activities. The activities page also provides resources from CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) and maps these activities to the five core social and emotional competencies: relationship skills, responsible decision making, self-awareness, self-management, and social awareness.
If you're looking for a tool to supplement discussion around emotional health, look no further. Let your students track what matters to them, build awareness by encouraging daily reflection, and gain insight into how their values and feelings relate. From a curriculum standpoint, Mitra could easily complement a lesson on journaling, charting, or using daily logs.
The Mood Meter is an app for analyzing, tracking, and monitoring mood. Students plot their moods on a color-coded chart filled with different words that describe a wide range of feelings. Strategies include images, quotes, coping strategies, and a list of the student's past descriptions linked to positive moods.
Couragion is a website that helps match students to STEM careers. Kids begin by answering a questionnaire that asks them about their values. They then use sliders and drag and drop their choices to signify the importance of things such as travel, recognition, creativity, and variety in their work.
Teachers can use Pairin in their classrooms or in professional learning communities. Using an in-service meeting to collaborate with school counselors and other character-education professionals could help boost professional development. Logging into the teacher dashboard quickly shows the overall perceived climate of the teacher's classroom based on student responses.
Sift - News Therapy is a subscription-based, iOS-only app that mixes self-reflection with a digestible exploration of today's most contentious news topics, such as immigration, gun control and regulation, health care, education, climate change, and media literacy. Readers scroll to the topic they want to learn about and then choose to read either the historical context section or the potential solutions.