Social Emotional Learning
2/12/2021
Suggested activities can be repeated and you can choose what to enjoy at any time during the week.
I hope you enjoy them!
Book Club
Be Honest and Tell the Truth Let's talk about lying! Turns out, this unfortunate behavior is fairly normal. But, how do we best address it? When is lying ok? (When your three year old says, "He is fat!" in the grocery store, how do we handle that?) When is lying a small problem? medium sized problem or large problem? How do we teach our little ones that though the best practice is telling the truth, sometimes telling a "white lie" is ok? Enjoy this story together to start the conversation (and maybe nip an undesirable habit in the bud!)
Size of the Problem - We Thinkers! Series Social Problem Solvers Here is a You Tube review provided by Summer Tigert of our February lessons. Most groups have gotten through small and medium sized problems. (This clip is twenty minutes long and you may want to break it up into at least two parts.) If you are able to join your child and listen along, there are a lot of opportunities to pause and help your child make connections with events in the past and talk through them. (And, yes, COVID-19 is a big problem that requires a lot of time and a lot of people working together to solve it. Even adults have strong feelings about it!)
Here is a packet of activities if you wish for your child to get some extra practice. Please feel free to help your child think through the tasks you choose to do. Model thinking out loud so they follow your thoughts. This is a tough concept for most young children to grasp so please feel free to come up with concrete examples. You may also choose to print out the Size of the Problem pyramid for future reference to help your child navigate the problems that come up at home.
Size of the Problem - Activities in Black and White
Size of the Problem - Activities in Color
Stop Skill is a simple way to slow down the problem solving process by following these steps and, most importantly, observing feelings on the inside as well as what is happening on the outside of oneself. Following these steps allows people to work on problems together and in a mindful manner.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness exercises can be done at any time! I generally guide the students in the beginning and sometimes at the end of each lesson. These brain based exercises can help bodies and brains remain calm and focused. This year's series of mindfulness exercises largely came from a collection titled "Little Renegades."
This month, our mindfulness exercise is "Racoon Freeze." Students are asked to sit tall in a chair, take a deep breath in and wiggle, wiggle, wiggle their shoulders - then FREEZE! and let the air out. Sit as still as you can and don't move a muscle. Then repeat two more times.
Recreational SEL
Mystery Science - Which Animal Has the Biggest Heart? Just in time for Valentines Day!
65 Indoor Kids' Activities that don't involve screens How about a screen-less vacation! But what do we do? Here are some ideas to get you started. Enjoy!
Google Arts and Culture is a very fun and interesting page to explore with your child! Enjoy the tours and activities together and learn about other places around the country and around the world. Here you will learn about yourself, tap into your creative side and learn about others.
Music!
To the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean"
My brain is so very important; it helps me do most everything,
Located here in my head; it's why I can think, choose and sing.
My brain, my brain; it is so important to me, to me;
My brain, my brain; it is so important to me.
My brain, it helps me think and remember; my brain tells me fight, flee or freeze;
It helps all my parts work together; and that's why I just have to say,
My brain, my brain; it is so important to me, to me,
My brain, my brain; it is so important to me.
Let's Make a Better World, Brady Rymer and the Little Band that Could Here's a catchy tune for everyone to enjoy! Have a wonderful vacation!