Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.
Here are some resources that can help students understand emotions and develop positive social skills.
A story about emotions by Anna Llenas
We read this book with PK, Kinder, and 1st grade to learn about our emotions. We talked about things that make us happy, sad, mad, and scared. We also learned how to take deep breaths to help us calm down.
A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek
We will read this book with 2nd grade. We will talked about what emotions live in our heart.
by Carol McCloud
This book provides a visual for children to understand how our words and actions not only affect ourselves, but also how they affect the people around us. We all have an "invisible bucket" that holds our positive thoughts and feelings about ourselves. When we are kind, we fill up other people's buckets, and it fills our own as well! But when we are not kind, we dip into other people's buckets, and ours spills out as well.
by Warren Hanson
This book is helpful for children dealing with the loss of loved ones. Grief is challenging, even for adults, but this book can help children learn how to talk about their grief and process the pain of losing a loved one.
by Patrice Karst
This book reassures children that even when we are apart from our loved ones, we are still connected by an invisible "heart string." This book is great for children dealing with separation anxiety as well as those that have lost a loved one.
by Colleen M. Madden
Responsibility is when you have a task or job that you need to complete. Other people are depending on you to complete this job.
During our first guidance lesson, 3rd grade discussed our responsibilities. We are responsible for taking care of ourselves (hygiene and health), home (chores), school (being prepared and doing schoolwork), and community (cleaning up trash, respecting people and property).
A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller
I love this book! The Otter family has just moved in to the neighborhood and Mr. Rabbit isn't sure how to treat his new neighbors. His friends teach him that he should "Do unto otters as he would have otters do unto him."
by Derek Munson
A cute story about how to deal with our enemies... and how sometimes we judge people too quickly and find out later that our "enemies" could actually make really good friends!
Making the world a kinder place, one child at a time: It's a jungle out there. Every child will be exposed to tacky language and behavior, no matter how much parents want to shelter them. When the inevitable occurs, Tacky Box equips children with the skills to distinguish between what's appropriate and inappropriate and encourages them to proactively choose how to respond. Inspiring kindness rather than tackiness, Tacky Box Set arms parents with everything they need to help their child navigate the jungle, kind heart and good manners intact.
The book Margo's Magnificent Choice accompanies the Tacky Box.
by Chris Kent Phelps and Cindy Kent