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What are the best SEL activities for elementary students

1 replies·5d ago
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Lydia Westwood

·5d ago

What are the best SEL activities for elementary studentsLydia Westwood

I’m a 2nd-grade teacher and am looking for efficient SEL activities to use in my classroom. I want to help my students build their emotional awareness, communication skills, and ability to work through conflicts. Do you have any favorite SEL activities or routines that work well for younger students? Thanx!

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Brianna Taylor

·4d ago(edited)

Brianna Taylor

·4d ago(edited)

Hey Lydia, I love SEL exercises. I feel like that's when I learn the most about my students Here are a few I recommend:

  1. Feelings Charades – Have students take turns acting out different emotions while the rest of the class guesses what they are. It helps kids recognize and label their emotions. You can also ask them how they might deal with that emotion.
  2. "How Are You Feeling?" Check-Ins – Start each day with a quick emotional check-in. Have students choose an emotion (from a chart or simple list like happy, sad, excited, etc.) and briefly share why they feel that way.
  3. Conflict Resolution Scenarios – Create role-playing activities where students practice resolving conflicts, such as "What do you do if a friend takes your toy?" This helps them think through different solutions.
  4. Compliment Circle – This one encourages positive communication which I'm a big fan of. Have students sit in a circle and compliment the person next to them. This boosts self-esteem and also fosters kindness and respect in the classroom.

Here are a few websites with additional resources and activities that might help:

Hope these give you some fresh ideas for your classroom 😊

Advancing Social and Emotional Learning - CASEL
casel.orgAdvancing Social and Emotional Learning - CASELCASEL is helping make evidence-based social and emotional learning an integral part of education, preschool through high school.
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