Social Emotional Learning

4/30/2021

Suggested activities can be repeated and you can choose what to enjoy at any time during the week.

I hope you enjoy them!

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."

In April, our mindfulness exercise is "Fearless Feather." Students are given the choice to close their eyes or keep them open after they find a comfortable sitting position. Then, focusing on the breath, I guide them to "Breathe in....and breathe out" slowly. After three slow breaths, they say, "I am brave" out loud.

Book Club

Talk and Work it Out by Cheri J. Meiners, M.Ed. Stop and take a breath; think about what to do; use an "I message" to tell others how you feel; listen to understand; think of ways to solve the problem and choose the best plan! This book walks our little through the process of problem solving and ways to show they understand and care despite strong feelings.

What to Do When You Worry Too Much by Dawn Huebner, Ph.D. is a favorite interactive workbook to help students understand their worries and strategies to help overcome them. There are several chapters and we will be doing some of the worksheets during Social Group in most of our classes. I recommend watching one or two chapters at a time to get the most out of this title.

We will be using these reference sheets in the next several weeks to help kids gather their strategies onto a chart for easy reference. The Zones Tool Box with Strategies shows the "tool box" completely filled out with strategies to help when in that "zone" (e.g., blue - sad; green - happy; yellow - anxious, worried, confused; red - angry or "flipped lid.") The Zones Tool Box without Strategies will be filled out as part of Social Group. They will be sent home at the end of April (or early May.) Feel free to print a "Tool Box" out for use at home! And, when the "Tool Box" we create at school comes home, you may add and edit to fit your family's style.

For those students who have not heard Flipping A Lid , we will be covering this in the next couple of weeks. If you haven't seen this or would like to review it again, this is a very clearly laid out title explaining what happens in your brain when we get upset.

An oldie but goodie! Your child can color their Emotional Thermometer into "Zones" to match the "Tool Box." Just another tool to help navigate rough patches. More from "Inside Out." This Inside Out Printable Poster follows the same model as the "Zones of Regulation" and is a nice way for your child to share how he or she may feel.

Zen Den

In The Owl and the Guard Dog | Cosmic Kids Zen Den - Mindfulness for Kids, our hostess Jamie provides another explanation of how our brains work and a mindfulness exercise to help when your emotions or "guard dog" take over. This compliments the "Flipping A Lid" title.

Recreational SEL

What is the Best Way to Look for Dinosaur Fossils? Another fun clip from Mystery Science!

Jello Science Who doesn't love Jello? With a sprinkling of Science? This is another gift from The Chaos and the Clutter. I hope your kids enjoy it!

Bugs Hand Soap Hand washing fun! Another interesting activity that I hope you and your children enjoy from The Chaos and the Clutter.

Parent's Corner

Four Steps to Help Your Child When Their Emotions are High Just another little tool that might help when strong emotions (or your "Guard Dog") take over.