Social Emotional Learning

12 Daily Social Emotional Practices to Try

January 18, 2021 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Social emotional learning is the process that helps children and young adults learn valuable life skills such as empathy, friendships, confidence, self-control, self-awareness, and responsibility. These are just a few of the many critical skills and competencies that are learned through social emotional practices.

If we want children and teens to acquire social emotional competencies, we have to teach and practice those skills often. Further, these skills are so important that it’s easy to argue that learning about them should be part of our every day.

With that, it is so important for every educator and parent to have techniques, strategies, and practices in their own social emotional toolbox.

Here are 12 daily social emotional practices to incorporate:

1. Practicing Mindfulness

We all want learners to feel more calm, focused, regulated, and happy. Mindfulness is one of the best techniques to help cultivate these qualities with kids and teens. This is certainly a skill that needs to be taught, but it really can be fun to do so!

Teaching about mindful breathing is a great place to start. I love this as a SEL skill and coping skill, because it’s a technique kids and teens can do anywhere and anytime. Some of my favorite mindful breathing techniques include Shape Breathing and Bubble Breathing. There are so many to try!

Ready to start your mindful practice? Use this set of mindfulness activities to teach about mindfulness, why it matters, and how it can be practiced each day.

Teaching mindfulness helps kids and teens learn self-regulation.

2. Positive Affirmations

The words we say to ourselves can have a huge impact on our confidence and perseverance. There is no better way to start off each morning than with positive self-talk statements. Use this free positive affirmation activity to read positive phrases and develop your own individualized lists. It’s the first step in beginning a positive affirmations routine in your classroom (or at home).

3. SEL Journaling

SEL journaling is one of the most effective and efficient ways to teach social emotional skills. It’s easy to assign a journal prompt each morning for learners, have them respond in writing, and then discuss together.

So how can you start? You can come up with prompts and discussion questions that you know your students need the most at the moment. For example, if you need to work on positive decision-making skills, ask students to write about what it means to make a good choice and list off some positive choices they have made this week.

If you need more support and structure in a SEL Journal, you can use a Social Emotional Learning Journal filled with prompts for the entire year (and yes I have a SEL Journal for younger learners too!).

One of my favorite parts of a SEL Journal is that it becomes a record of the skills you have discussed and learned together. That means you can easily review a section if you need to work more on empathy, perspective-taking, responsibility, or any other skill.

4. Practicing Coping Strategies

When managing stress and tough emotions, coping strategies are key. These are the techniques we use to keep ourselves calm. One of the most important points to make about coping strategies is that they are unique for every person. One child might feel calmest during and after coloring, while another child might need to do jumping jacks. This is why practicing coping strategies on a regular basis is so important.

Use this free printable list of coping strategies to help children and teens discuss different techniques and what might work for them.

5. SEL Question of the Day

Discussions can be a powerful tool when it comes to learning social emotional skills. With a SEL question of the day, pose a question and chat about it. It’s really that easy. This can be a positive start to your morning or an activity you do while waiting for the dismissal at the end of the day.

For example, to start the conversation about diversity, you might ask, “What is something about you that is unique, special, or stands out?” It’s just one simple question but helps begin the conversation about how we can all be similar and different at the same time. Because kids and teens will be discussing the questions and interacting with each other, it can be a highly motivating way to integrate SEL skills too.

Some other examples of questions of the day might include:

Self-control is stopping, thinking, and making a good choice. Why is it important to stop and think about choices?
Having a growth mindset means knowing you can improve skills with hard work. What does determination mean to you?
What are some social expectations to follow when playing games or sports?
Relationship skills are the tools and knowledge we use to build relationships. What skills are important in relationships?

If you are ready to start using a question of the day to support SEL skills, you can grab this yearlong set of SEL questions to target skills from self-awareness through decision-making.

Social emotional learning question of the day

6. Greetings

Greetings help children and teens feel valued. While it’s a simple strategy, it’s one worth mentioning. Research shows that greeting children and teens at the doorway as they walk into the classroom sets an important tone. This simple action can increase student engagement, reduce challenging behaviors, and help kids feel a sense of belonging.

Use this free printable (and digital) greetings poster to remind kids and teens how they can greet each other each day. Add it to your morning meeting routine or just do it as students walk in the room.

Free greetings poster for morning meeting

7. Brain Breaks

No one can be “on” all of the time. That’s why brain breaks are so important. They are a semi-structured activity time to help children and teens move their bodies and calm their minds. Practice these tasks between activities or when you notice your students need a quick pause.

Some simple brain break ideas include:

Stretching or exercising
Playing a game like Simon Says or I Spy
Dancing to music
Coloring or drawing
Having a sing-a-long
Mindful breathing

One of my personal favorite brain break activities are these mindful brain breaks with a nature theme. It’s always helpful to try different brain breaks and see what works for your learners.

8. Relationship-Building Chats

Relationship-building is something that should be worked on throughout the entire year with kids and teens. A few relationship-building questions or discussion starters is a great way to support relationship-building while also conversation skills, empathy, and more.

Use this free list of relationship-building questions to always have something fun and engaging to talk about!

Free relationship-building questions list

9. Real-Life Scenarios

Help children and teens make positive choices and learn social emotional skills through real life experiences. To do this, give a scenario and ask, “What would you do?” Students can talk with a partner or small group and then share back with the class.

This is another favorite activity because not only can it be part of your everyday routine, but these cards are an excellent way to maximize instructional learning time too. Just have extra cards ready for when a lesson ends early or when students are late getting picked up.

Download these free social problem-solving scenario cards to get started discussing social skills with your learners.

10. Organization Time

In order for children and teens to do their best in the classroom, they need daily organization time. Sometimes, the day goes by extremely quickly, leaving students with messy binders, disorganized backpacks, and desks filled with things that should be other places.

Make it a daily routine to give 10 minutes of organization time at the end of every day. It’s a healthy way to support social emotional skills while also building executive functioning skills that we all know are so important.

Give daily organization time to support social emotional learning.

11. Morning Meeting

Morning meeting is a semi-structured time to welcome students and perform a group activity. This is a time that sets the tone for a positive climate, builds meaningful relationships, increases student confidence, and creates a community where all voices matter.

In addition to all of that, morning meeting is also one of the best and most natural times to teach social emotional skills. In just five steps in a morning meeting you can:

Start with greetings.
Introduce a SEL skill or topic.
Start a group discussion.
Do an activity or two together.
Reflect and get prepared before moving on for the rest of the day.

You can perform this five-step morning meeting process on your own, but if you need a little more structure and support, you might want to check out this yearlong morning meeting set to get started. It started as printable morning meeting cards (one per day) but also has digital slides to project or use when students are learning from home.

Morning meeting time to target SEL skills

12. Emotions Check-in

It’s healthy and normal to check in with emotions on a regular basis. We need to explicitly teach and practice this for learners to really understand that!

The steps to checking in with emotions include:

Pausing for a moment to breathe.
Asking yourself how you feel.
Saying the emotion words out loud or writing them.
Thinking about your feelings. Sit with them and let them be!
Ask yourself what you need.

Use this free 5-step emotions check in poster to get started!

Just a note that these are really just a few strategies for integrating SEL with kids and young adults. What’s most important is that you try a technique and stick with it to see how it works for you and your learners.

25+ Coping Skills Activities to Help Kids Manage Stress

December 14, 2020 by pathway2success 2 Comments

Coping skills are the supports and strategies that help children and young adults manage tough emotions and deal with stress. For kids and young adults who are still learning how to manage their emotions, learning these coping strategies is extra important. If we want kids and teens to use healthy coping strategies, we have to teach them how.

Practicing coping skills is essential. Research shows that just teaching these strategies once isn’t enough. In order for learners to effectively use these skills and tools to calm down when they are upset, they need to commit them to memory. This comes with practice.

With that, this list is filled with activities to teach and practice coping skills. Choose a few that you think will work for your learners and give them a try.

Here are 25+ strategies to teach and practice coping skills:

1. Start with a Mindful Morning

Use this free printable and digital activity to start each morning in a mindful way. Of course, it’s not something you can do just in the morning but anytime of day when you need a break. It includes deep breathing, mindfulness, practicing gratitude, and more.

2. Make a Coping Strategies List or Menu

Help kids and young adults understand their options for coping skills with a menu. Grab some pre-made coping strategies visuals or use this free coping strategies list to help kids and teens make a list of their own.

3. Watch Wildlife

Spend time outside (or just peek out the window) to observe the beauty of wildlife. Watching wildlife can reduce stress, improve focus, and promote feelings of calm.

4. Use Animal Live Cams

If you can’t get outside to watch wildlife, the next best thing is watching an animal live cam. I love these tools because they are calming from the very start. You can pretty easily find animals that your students will love to watch, whether it is a pair of bald eagles in the wild or a koala cam at the San Diego Zoo.

5. Do a Daily Emotions Check-In

Checking in with your own emotions is a critical way to manage emotions. Use this free printable and digital check-in page to teach students how to pause, ask how they feel, identify emotions, and move forward.

6. Color or Draw

Coloring and drawing are often a favorite coping skill because they are simple and easy to try. It’s important to mention that you don’t need to consider yourself an artist to use coloring as a coping skill. Just color and be. Use these free printable mindful coloring pages to give it a try.

7. Use an Interactive Mindfulness Book

Make practicing coping strategies interactive and fun with a digital mindfulness book. This digital workbook includes activities like breathing and guided visualizations to help kids feel calm and in control.

8. Write a Compliment List

Grab a notebook or just a piece of paper and write out compliments about yourself. This can actually be a challenge for some learners, but helps them focus on the positives while clearing the mind.

9. Listen to Music

Just like most coping skills, listening to music is a highly individualized strategy. Try different types of music and take note of how you and your learners feel.

10. Try Mindful Breathing

By focusing on the inhales and exhales of our breath, it can help restore calm and focus. Mindful breathing is one of the best techniques to try. Use some of these fun mindful breathing techniques to get started or grab these mindful breathing cards to use right away.

11. Read

Reading for pleasure cane help learners of all ages feel cozy and calm. Help kids and teens find the right reading material for them; this can be anything from a picture book (yes, even for older learners), a magazine, or a classic chapter book they are interested in.

12. Exercise

There is so much potential in using exercise as a calm down technique. Try different exercises from sports to stretching to see what works for you and your students.

13. Practice Yoga

Practicing yoga is a unique activity because it is exercise and mindfulness in one. Research has shown that yoga increases levels of GABA in our bodies. This amino acid fights against feelings of depression while creating feelings of calm. There are many videos (like this Yoga for kids Youtube channel) to help you get started.

14. Write in a Journal

Writing in a journal helps get thoughts out in a safe way. This can be extremely beneficial for people of all ages. Sometimes, just by writing thoughts out, you can learn to make sense of things in a different way. Give free writes or use more directed prompts. I put together this list of mindfulness journal ideas you can start right away. You can also get going right away with a journal focused on mindfulness.

15. Make a Coping Strategies Challenge

If you are looking for a way to integrate many different coping strategies, try this free coping strategies challenge. It includes a 30-day challenge focused on teaching a variety of coping skills. As kids try each one, they rate how effective they were.

16. Build Something

Use blocks, Legos, or any other tool to build something. Kids and teens can create freely, or build something based on how they are feeling.

17. Read Positive Affirmations

Reading positive affirmations can build confidence while also creating a sense of calm. Use this free positive affirmations activity to read through a list of self-talk statements and write out favorites to read.

18. Spend Time Outside

Being outside is a natural stress reliever that can be used whenever the weather allows. A walk outside can serve as a way to exercise and practice mindfulness at the same time. Look around and notice what you see and hear as you walk.

19. Make Printable Crafts

It can be calming to the central nervous system to color, cut, and put something together. Printable crafts can serve as a calm down strategy while also teaching about coping skills themselves. One of my favorite crafts is this Coping Strategies Wheel because it is a tool kids and teens can use later on as well.

20. Use a Fidget

Fidgets are tools that can help calm the body and mind. While they are fun, it’s important to first teach that these are not toys when we use them to get calm – instead, they are tools. Some favorites includes putty, kinetic sand, liquid timers, and stress balls.

21. Create a Coping Strategies Notebook

Put together individualized notebooks with this free coping strategies notebook activity. Just list in favorite coping skills, write step-by-step directions, and add a picture. This is a tool kids and teens can come back to again and again.

22. Write an Accomplishment List

Instead of focusing on all the things you have to do, try writing an “accomplishment list.” This is a list of all the things you have accomplished lately.

23. Use Digital Crafts

While printable crafts are a helpful tool, it’s sometimes great to have digital options too. Use this Positive Self-Talk Flower craft to learn about positive self-talk as a coping skill.

24. Use Brainteasers or Riddles

Brainteasers and riddles encourage us to think outside the box and challenge our minds. This can be a healthy brain break to reduce stress and refocus the brain in a positive way.

25. Laugh at Jokes

Laughing helps trigger the release of endorphins in the brain, sending out feel-good vibes and reducing stress. Try watching “try not to laugh” videos together or make up your own joke book.

26. Take Photos

Photography is an engaging hobby, but also a healthy coping skill that people of all ages can try. Use a camera or just a phone to take some interesting pictures of normal objects around you. Just by stopping and thinking about objects around, you are actually practicing mindfulness at the same time.

27. Talk

For some people, talking can be a healthy reset when they are feeling sad or stressed. Talking about topics unrelated to that actual problem can actually be a great way to start because it serves as a quick distraction. Use this free list of 100+ questions to build relationships.

28. Use a Relaxation App

Give calming apps a try! Some favorites include Breathe2Relax, Calm, Personal Zen, and Pacifica.

29. Make a Gratitude List

Gratitude is one of the most powerful tools when you are feeling down. Make a list of what you are thankful for. Change it up by trying to list out something you’re thankful for with every letter of the alphabet. Grab this free set of gratitude activities to give it a try.

I hope this list has been helpful. If you have more of your own favorite coping skills, share them below!

20+ Things All Kids Should Believe About Themselves

November 17, 2020 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

So often, as adults, we want kids and teens to behave in certain ways. We want kids to take responsibility for their actions and own up when they make a mistake. We want them to make positive choices from the start. We want them to take risks, learn, and grow. We want them to feel empowered and use their voice to make a positive impact in our communities.

All of these things sound great, but they all start with one thing: mindset. In order to be at their best, kids and teens need to develop a more positive mindset about themselves and what they can accomplish. This is just one small component to social emotional learning as a whole, but it’s a great place to start.

The original idea for this actually started with just a small Instagram post, but I learned quickly how important this topic was to other educators.

View this post on Instagram

What else would you add?

A post shared by Pathway 2 Success (@pathway2success1) on Oct 8, 2020 at 5:29pm PDT

Kids and teens are constantly getting messages from friends, social media, television, and beyond. Unfortunately, those messages are not always the most positive ones.

As an educator, I believe it is part of our responsibility to help shape the minds of kids and young adults for the better. That means helping them develop a more positive voice, use positive self-talk on a regular basis, and improve their confidence.

Since that Instagram post, I have thought about more statements that all kids and teens should believe and added them to a longer list.

There are many different ways you can use these statements to help kids and teens rethink their thinking about themselves. Here are just a few:

List or read one statement each day. Discuss it and ask kids to share their thoughts.
Have kids make their own lists to reread when they need.
Use the topic to introduce positive affirmations.
Cut out slips with the positive statements. Have kids randomly pick one to read aloud.
Have students list out their statements and believes to create a class bulletin board filled with positive thoughts and ideas.

20+ ideas and beliefs all kids and teens should believe about themselves. Kids and teens need a more positive mindset to approach challenges, overcome problems, and reach their goals. Use this article with some fun free posters and activities to help.

Free exclusive printable for Pathway 2 Success members.

If you love this list and are already signed up as a Pathway 2 Success member, head over to the free resource library to grab the printable posters and activity. Head here to learn more about joining – it’s free, provides you with article updates, and gives you access to a complete free resource library for social emotional learning. I would love to have you!

Here are 20+ things all kids and teens (and yes, even adults) should believe about themselves:

I can do difficult things with hard work and perseverance.
I am enough and a work in progress all at the same time.
It’s okay to mess up sometimes, as long as I learn and grow.
I will have touch days sometimes, and I can get past them.
How others treat me is a reflection of them, not how I treat others is a reflection of me.
I can help and be helped.
I should take responsibility for my actions in good times and in tough ones.
Every day I can have a fresh start.
My feelings matter.
I am free to make my own choices.
It’s okay to embrace my emotions, no matter what they are.
I am unique and don’t need to compare myself to anyone to feel happy.
My quirks are wonderful; they make me who I am.
I have the power to make my dreams come true.
Things won’t always go the way I planned, but I will cope and be okay in the end.
It’s okay to cry sometimes.
I can say “no” when I’m uncomfortable with something.
My voice matters.
I am loved.
Taking care of myself is important.
Stepping outside my comfort zone helps me grow.
Even when I know about about something, there is still more to learn.
I am proud of my accomplishments.
I am growing into the best version of me.

What statements would you add? Let me know. I’d love to add to the list!

5 Steps for a Daily Emotions Check In

November 3, 2020 by pathway2success 1 Comment

5 simple steps for a daily emotions check-in. This is a healthy, fun, and meaningful way to integrate social emotional learning into the classroom and at home. Use this free printable and digital poster to set the stage for student success! Just follow each of the steps to help kids and young adults identify their feelings and problem-solve.

Checking in with our thoughts and feelings should be an important part of every day. It’s a healthy technique that helps kids and teens face their emotions, practice mindfulness, and consider what they need. This can ultimately help children and young adults work past any challenges they are experiencing so they can have a successful and productive day. That’s a win for everyone.

It’s also worth mentioning that a daily check in helps kids and teens improve their self-awareness skills, a critical element to social emotional learning in general.

The goal is to teach kids to check in with themselves from time to time. This is obviously a great activity for the classroom, but it’s really more than that. It’s a life skill.

Here are a few tips for a daily emotions check-in before getting started:

Make it a daily routine. It might seem silly at first to learners to “check in” with emotions. When you make it a regular practice, it can become more natural over time.
Pair a check-in with morning meeting time. Morning meeting is simply one of the best times to target social emotional skills. It makes sense to use this time to check in with feelings, learn new SEL skills, and build a foundation learners need for success. Read about 5 simple steps to start morning meeting focused on SEL.
Check in with your own emotions. It’s true that this activity was designed for kids and teens, but adults need check-ins much the same. As adults, we do our best to support learners when we are feeling emotionally strong too.
Respect individual privacy. Some kids are going to want to share how they’re feeling and that’s great. Others won’t feel comfortable, and that should be respected. Respecting privacy helps make an emotions check in a safe space.
Continue to foster social emotional skills throughout the day by integrating social emotional learning and/or implementing a SEL curriculum. Starting with an emotions check in is a great first step, but social emotional learning should be incorporated throughout the entire day.

If you love this activity, I’ve added a free printable and digital check-in poster you can grab and use right away. Click the picture below to try it out, or keep reading for more details about the process.

Step 1

Pause for a moment and breathe. The first step to any successful emotion check in is taking a moment to breathe. Teach students that when we control our breath, it can help us to better manage our bodies and minds too.

Besides focusing on self-awareness, this step also targets skills for self-regulation and coping strategies.

One simple tip is to use mindful breathing exercise cards to help facilitate some mindfulness in under a minute before getting started. If you have learners who love nature, give some of these nature mindful brain breaks a try too.

Use mindful breathing to set the tone for an emotions check-in.

Step 2

Ask yourself how you feel. This step seems silly, but it’s often forgotten. Kids and teens should be able to ask themselves how they feel in the moment. You can model this by saying to yourself, “How am I feeling right now?” and “What feelings am I noticing?”

Step 3

Say the emotion words out loud or write them on paper. Out loud or in a journal, have learners write or say the emotions they are feeling.

It’s healthy and normal to feel multiple emotions at once. For example, someone might feel nervous and excited about a competition. Sometimes, it can be confusing to feel different feelings at the same time. Listing them out can help with that process.

Similarly, I like to think of emotions as layers of an onion. Sometimes, we might feel angry but underneath that is usually another emotion. When we stop to think about our feelings, we can really pull back the layers of the onion to truly understand what is going on.

Step 4

Think about your feelings. Sit with them and let them be. Sometimes, when dealing with emotions, we are so quick to want to change our emotions. It’s worth teaching kids and teens that it’s okay to embrace the emotions we have. Sit with them. Think about how they make us feel.

This can be an awkward time for some, so it might help to allow kids and teens to color or doodle while learning to sit with their emotions. Use these free mindful coloring pages to help learners “just be” as they feel their feelings.

Use mindful coloring pages to help learners “just be” as they sit with their emotions.

Step 5

Ask yourself what you need. Say or list what could help you move forward. The final step should be focused on moving forward. Teach kids and teens to think about what they need in order to move on with the rest of the day.

If there is something they are struggling with, it might help to make a plan. For example, if a student feels worried about a test coming up, they can make a plan to study for it. If a learner is struggling to focus because they are so excited about their weekend, maybe it would help to talk about it for a few minutes or write in a journal.

This ultimately teaches problem-solving along with all the other skills that have been targeted along the way.

It’s worth noting that emotions check-ins don’t always fix every problem or challenge. Kids and teens need to know that is okay. What’s important is that these daily check-ins can help us cope with those feelings along the way.

8 Mindful Brain Breaks with a Nature Theme

October 20, 2020 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Everyone needs a break in their day. This is true whether students are learning in the classroom (in person) or taking part in a virtual classroom and learning from a distance. Brain breaks are a healthy strategy to help kids and teens clear their minds, refocus, and start fresh.

As a bonus, mindful brain breaks are more than a quick break between academic tasks. They are actually a coping skill kids and teens can take with them wherever they go. By learning techniques for mindfulness, students can work to improve self-regulation skills, manage tough emotions, and develop a sense of calm in challenging times.

In particular, I’m a huge fan of brain breaks with a nature focus. Why? Nature is naturally calming. Everything from the feel of the wind to the sound of the birds singing brings about a sense of calm. Venturing off into nature to calm down is great, but sometimes we don’t always have that luxury. That’s where brain breaks with a nature theme come in.

It’s worth mentioning that all of the brain breaks listed below come from a Mindfulness Brain Breaks for Nature set you can grab and use with your learners. They are printable and digital, making it easy for you to use in the classroom or virtually.

Mindful brain breaks are a helpful tool to help improve focus, encourage self-regulation, and just give a fresh start. Use these mindfulness brain breaks in the classroom or virtually to help students to do their best!

Get started with mindfulness nature break breaks with your learners.

In the meantime, here are are 8 mindful brain breaks you can use with your learners (or just for yourself!) right away:

Mindful Observance. Pick any object around you. This can be anything from a water bottle to a book. Of course, it’s even better if you can choose an object from nature, such as a leaf, rock, or stick. Focus all of your attention on that object. Think about what it looks like, what shapes it contains, how it moves, and even how it makes you feel. Keep focusing on that object for at least two minutes.

Feelings of Gratitude. Sit comfortably. Breathe in and out. List 10 things in nature you are grateful for. You can say them out loud or write them down. Picture them in your mind as you think of them.

Be the Hawk. Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Imagine you are a hawk flying over land. Imagine what you can see, smell, hear, feel, and taste as you fly. Breathe in and out as you imagine this.

Like a Plant. Stand up tall like a growing plant. Stretch up to the sky and hold your pose. Think about all the ways you have grown in the past year. Release and come back to normal. Try again three more times.

Butterfly Breathing. Imagine you are a beautiful butterfly with colorful wings. Use your arms to pretend you are flapping your wings as you breathe in and out slowly.

Rainforest Visualization. Imagine you are standing in a rainforest filled with green plants and waterfalls rushing over rocks. Just breathe. Think about what you can see, hear, feel, smell, and taste.

Songbird. Imagine you are a bird perched on a branch overlooking a vast green forest. Quietly hum a song to yourself as you slowly breathe in and out.

Floating on a Cloud. Sit in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and imagine you are floating on top of a cloud. Relax all of your muscles and let the cloud control your weight. If you can, feel free to try this while lying down!

Remember that brain breaks should be simple and fun. While they might seem “silly” at first, practicing them a few times can provide kids and teens with the quick break they need to get back to learning their best.

10+ Phrases to Avoid Saying to Learners with Executive Functioning Challenges

October 6, 2020 by pathway2success 1 Comment

Kids and teens who struggle with executive functioning challenges go through a lot every day. From trying to focus in class, remembering to turn homework in, and working through daily challenges that pop up, it can be stressful. Executive functioning challenges are real.

What are executive functioning challenges?

Executive functioning skills are the life skills we use every day to accomplish daily tasks. They include planning, organization, time management, task initiation, self-control, working memory, flexibility, and perseverance.

When you think about it, these skills are ingrained in everything we do. For example, when you need to clean or tidy a room, you use a variety of skills all at once. You need organization skills to help you figure out where things go, time management skills to work most efficiently, self-control to help you stay with it when you want to watch television instead, and task initiation skills to get started in the first place.

Over 10 phrases to avoid saying to kids and teens with executive functioning challenges.. and what to say instead! Use these strategies to build kids up and help them become independent. — *Grab your free executive functioning skills poster.*

Humans aren’t pre-programmed with these skills. Some children learn them at home, with peers, during real life situations, and at school. While many kids and teens walk into the classroom with these skills intact, it’s safe to say that many still do not.

Kids and teens with executive functioning challenges are going to struggle with a variety of tasks. As individuals, we each have our own unique profile of executive functioning strengths and weaknesses, so this may look different for different kids.

You might see a student who loses homework assignments or never remembers to bring the right binder to class (planning and organization). This might be a child who continually calls out in class and acts in impulsive ways (self-control). You might see this in a learner who gives up too quickly on assignments because they are “too challenging” for that student (perseverance). Perhaps it is a teen who spends the entire working period on one math problem instead of being able to move on and work on other questions instead (flexibility and time management).

Can executive functioning skills be strengthened?

In a one-word answer: yes. Executive functioning skills can be strengthened and improved over time. Just like improving math or reading skills, learners can also strengthen their abilities to plan, stay organized, and use self-control in challenging situations.

Most importantly, adults (both parents and teachers) do not have to be experts in executive functioning skills to help kids and teens make improvements. There are many different ways to teach executive functioning skills to students, from board games to discussions.

If you need something to help young adults learn these skills right away, I’ve put together an entire yearlong executive functioning set filled with printable and digital activities.

Get started with executive functioning activities for the year.

How do our words impact kids with EF challenges?

As adults, we play a huge role in supporting learners through these challenges. And one thing is for sure – our words can be powerful.

Below, I highlight some phrases to try and avoid saying to kids and teens with executive functioning issues. Just an important note that many of these things I’ve said (some many times). This is in no way meant to shame or embarrass anyone who has said them. Instead, I share this as an educational and supportive post meant to help us all grow and learn along the way.

Additionally, this isn’t just a way to “sugarcoat” what we want to say. It’s really about working with kids and teens in the best way. If we can make small changes in what we say to help kids feel more confident, strong, and empowered, it makes sense to give it a go.

And of course, while the intent is focused on learners who struggle with EF needs, it should go without saying that many of these strategies could be applied to all kids and teens.

10+ Phrases to Avoid (and what to say instead):

#1 “This is easy.”

I am guilty of using this phrase in the past. It sounds like it should be encouraging, but actually can have the opposite effect. Just because something is easy for one person, doesn’t mean it is easy for another. And if a student is struggling with something that should be easy, it could be a big blow to their confidence.

What to do or say instead:

Teach positive affirmations to help kids and teens develop a positive inner voice. (example: “You’ve got this.”)
“On a scale of 0-10, how easy or difficult is this for you?”
“Let’s get started and see how you do.”
“How are you feeling about this so far?”
“Do you want me to show you some strategies that can help you through this?”
“You can do this with hard work.”

#2 “Hurry up.”

Kids and teens with executive functioning challenges are more likely to take longer on tasks. This can be due to slower working memory, weak attention skills, or difficulty with task initiation. While it’s normal to want to move along quicker, telling a child or young adult to hurry up actually can have the opposite effect. It can create feelings of shame, worry, and anxiety. It’s clear that doesn’t solve the problem and often only makes it worse. Instead, let’s remind kids and teens to go at the pace that’s right for them.

What to do or say instead:

Remember to have empathy and give patience first and foremost.
Give wait time.
“Think about it and I’ll come back to you in a few minutes.”
Give a heads up before calling on a student in class.
Make a checklist for tasks together to serve as a written and visual reminder. This can help build independence.
“Go at the pace that’s right for you.”
Teach time management skills.
“Let’s take a time check. Think about where you are and what you need to finish.”

#3 “I already told you.”

Imagine this situation: A child finally figures out that they need to get started on an assignment but realizes they have no idea what to do. When they go and ask for help, they are told, “I already told you.” This is a huge motivation and confidence killer. There are several reasons why the student might not have understood or heard the instructions the first time around. The goal is always to help kids and teens learn the skills and become independent. So, when a learner comes around asking for help, it’s important to give them that support instead of turning them away.

What to do or say instead:

“What could you use help with?”
“Where could you find that information?”
“Do you need a refresher? That’s okay! We all need that sometimes. I can explain.”
“What questions do you have?”
Incorporate visuals and written reminders to help promote independence.
Provide interventions for attention skills.

#4 “I’ll just do it.”

Learned helplessness is a real threat for kids and teens with executive functioning challenges. This is what happens when they learn they just can’t do thing on their own. Eventually, they figure out it’s easier if someone else just does it all for them, stripping them of their independence. Even though it’s often more challenging and time consuming for kids and teens to complete tasks on their own, it’s critical they go through the process.

What to do or say instead:

Give prompts and encouragement, but let the child do it independently.
“What do you think you should do next?”
On most challenging tasks, take turns with the student. For example, the adult can write one sentence and the student writes the next. This provides support, while still setting the expectation that the child is also doing the work on their own.

#5 “You’re lazy.”

Kids believe what is said about them. By labeling a child or teen as lazy, it can be incredibly dangerous in the long-term. And while it’s pretty obvious that this is a phrase no adult should ever say directly to a child, I think it’s worth stating that it’s not something that should ever be said about a kid, either.

What to do or say instead:

Teach strategies for task initiation.
Consider incentives to help motivate the child or teen.

#6 “You should already know how to do this.”

As educators, we’ve all thought this one. We teach a skill or expectation and have the belief that every child should know how to move forward on their own. In reality, that’s not always the case. If a child or teen doesn’t complete a direction or task, there is a reason why. Consider where the breakdown is and go from there.

What to do or say instead:

“What do you think you should do?”
“Where could you find the directions for this assignment?”
“Who could you ask if you are stuck?”
“What strategies can you use if you are stuck?”
Stop and consider what skills that student might need to be taught. If they are lacking a skill, teach it explicitly before moving on.

#7 “Calm down.”

Telling an agitated person to calm down doesn’t actually help anyone calm down. Working through executive functioning challenges can absolutely be stressful and difficult day after day. And it’s okay if kids feel frustrated sometimes. Instead of “calm down,” try teaching and practicing some coping strategies together.

What to do or say instead:

Teach and practice coping strategies together. Use this free coping strategies activity to help students develop their own coping strategies list.
Practice mindful breathing exercises.
“Let’s take a walk together.”
“Let’s take some deep breaths together.”
“I can tell you are frustrated. It’s okay to feel that way.”
“What would help you right now?”
Create a calm down area to support self-regulation.
Create a coping strategies binder for the student to use when needed.

#8 “Act your age.”

The idea of acting your age is an interesting area for discussion when it comes to executive functioning skills. Some researchers, such as Dr. Russell Barkley, have indicated that learners with EF weaknesses (specifically learners with ADHD) actually behave younger than they would without those challenges. Quite often, this statement is really intended to help kids and teens make better choices. Here are some strategies to get there.

What to do or say instead:

“What are the expectations you should be following?”
“What should you be doing right now?”
“I know you can make a better choice. I believe in you.”
“Let’s reflect. What did you do well? What could you do better for next time?”

#9 “You need to redo this. You did it wrong.”

Kids and teens mess up sometimes (we all do, right?). So, there is nothing wrong with having them redo assignments or tasks when they aren’t right. In fact, it’s often important. What’s critical is the way that we, as adults, approach this. Simply telling a child they did something wrong often invites shame and discouragement. When we want kids to improve, it’s important to build them up and help them understand what they can do better.

What to do or say instead:

Use rubrics or checklists and have students assess themselves first.
“Let’s reflect together. What did you do well? What could you use help on or improve?”
“Before turning that in, I’d like to to re-read the directions and make one improvement.”
Use the sandwich technique (give positive feedback, then criticism, and then more positive). Ex: “You really did a great job on your introduction here. I like how you explained your argument clearly. I noticed on your next paragraph, you could add some extra details to support that claim in a stronger way. You made a HUGE improvement from the last paper, so I’m so excited to see the final product. Keep it going!”

#10 “Sit still.”

Many kids and teens with executive functioning challenges have difficulty sitting still for extended periods of time. If a student seems like they need to move, it’s usually because they do in fact need to move. Further, many times these students often learn better moving than sitting still.

What to do or say instead:

Give movement breaks.
Incorporate brain breaks between tasks.
Allow students to stand while working.
Consider flexible seating.
“Could you answer up at the board for me?”
Practice mindfulness.
“Let’s take a movement break before getting back to work.”
“Go ahead and stand while you work if that’s best for you.”

#11 “I like the way _____ is acting.”

This is one of the phrases many of us educators learned in college. It is supposed to be a classroom management strategy. Instead, it teaches kids and teens to always compare themselves to others. While the intent is good, the impact can be a negative one for learners.

What to do or say instead:

Instead of comparing, just be explicit with expectations.
Meet privately with the student if they are not meeting expectations.

#12 “You should have brought that with you.”

Kids and teens with executive functioning challenges are more likely to forget things. Usually, they know this. They don’t want to forget things; they just struggle with planning and organization.

What to do or say instead:

Incorporate interventions for organization.
Come up with strategies with the student to help them remember the materials they need. For example, come up with a list to keep on their binders or in their lockers. You can even post reminders at the front door before kids walk in.
Set up a classroom office with supplies for students who need them.
“Here, I’ve got this one you can borrow.”
“Is there a classmate you can share with today?”

#13 “Quit doodling.”

Sometimes, when we see someone doodling, we assume that means they are not listening. It’s important to adjust that mindset. For some learners, doodling is a way to keep their hands busy while they are taking in information. Rather than asking kids to stop doodling, give a simple check-in to assess for understanding.

What to do or say instead:

“Can you draw a picture about what you’ve learned so far?”
“Tell me your three biggest takeaways from the lesson?”
“What are your thoughts on that?”

#14 “You’re late.”

Kids and teens with EF challenges struggle with getting to class on time. Perhaps they lost track of time (time management) or started down the hall with the wrong binder (organization). Regardless of the reason, they usually know they are late. This statement can start the tone off in a negative way.

What to do or say instead:

“I’m happy to see you.”
Develop strategies and supports to help assist with getting to class on time, like checklists and a schedule.

#15 “You’re on your own.”

While it’s true that we want all learners to be independent, they also need to know we’re here to help them along when things get tough. Kids and teens with executive functioning challenges are notorious for giving up prematurely because tasks feel too difficult for them (perseverance). Instead of telling them they are on their own, remind them they can do it in the first place.

What to do or say instead:

“You can do this. I believe you.”
“I want you to try on your own first, but I’m here if you need me.”
Teach and practice perseverance.
Teach and practice positive affirmations.

Member exclusive:

When working with any kids or teens, our words mean a lot. If you take just one thing away from this post, I hope that it is that you can absolutely help kids and teens improve their executive functioning skills. Sometimes, that might be big things like teaching skills directly. Other times, it might just be considering the very things we say.

15+ Positive Affirmations Activities for Kids and Teens

September 20, 2020 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Positive affirmations are the encouraging words we say to encourage and motivate ourselves along the way. These are phrases like, “I can do this,” and “Today will be a great day.” Seemingly simple words that have a big impact on our minds.

Just some of the benefits for using positive self-talk include:

It builds confidence. In order for kids and teens to feel proud and confident of their abilities, they have to remind themselves what those strengths are.
It increases motivation. Sometimes, starting a task or chore can be hard. Kids and teens can use positive words to propel themselves forward.
It serves as a coping strategy. We all experience emotional ups and downs. Using positive self-talk is a simple technique kids and teens can take with them anywhere to deal with emotions.
It promotes self-love. Caring about yourself is important. It’s always worth the time to teach kids and teens they are valuable, beautiful, and enough the way they are.

Before getting started practicing positive affirmations with kids and teens, teach learners what positive self-talk is and how it will help them. It’s worth mentioning that they might not be believers at first. That’s okay! Positive self-talk is a practice, meaning it is an activity we get better at every time we do it.

Here are ideas for practicing positive affirmations:

List Favorite Affirmations

Read through a list of positive affirmations. Then, have kids and teens choose their top 10 affirmations to say to themselves. What’s great about this activity is that everyone’s list will be different! Students can post their top 10 list in their lockers, on their desks, or keep in their binder to read when they need. Grab this free printable list or head over to read 101 positive affirmations for kids and teens.

Affirmation of the Day

Choose one positive affirmation for the day. Make it a point to focus on this positive thought in the morning and several times throughout the day. Once students understand the idea, you can have them choose the positive affirmation of the day too.

Morning Affirmation Ritual

Make positive affirmations a daily routine! Come up with a list of favorite affirmations and build time into the schedule to read them every morning. This can be done at home or first thing when students arrive at school each day. Use this free sample list or come up with your own!

Affirmation Circle

Stand in a circle. Have one child start by reading or saying a positive affirmation aloud. Have that student call on another student to have them read an affirmation aloud. Keep the affirmation circle going until all students have said at least one affirmation aloud. You can add movement by having students toss a ball to whoever gets to read next.

Sing It!

Sing each positive affirmation to the tune of a favorite song or just an instrumental background. Make this a challenge to see who can come up with the best song.

Fill in the Blank

Provide a sentence starter, such as “I am…” or “Today, I will…” and have learners fill in the blank. Kids and teens can do this in writing or out loud. Another thought is to write this sentence starter on the board. Then, have students come up and finish the statement. When all students are finished, the board will be filled with many different positive affirmations, such as: I am strong, I am beautiful, I am unique, and I am enough. You can even try these Positive Self-Talk Boom Cards to build on these skills in a digital way.

Around the Room

Write positive affirmations on popsicle sticks or slips of paper. Put them all together in a bag or box. Go around the room and have students randomly pick out a slip to read. This gives every learners a chance to read a random positive affirmation.

Beach Ball Affirmations

Use an inflatable beach ball and write different affirmations all over. Toss the ball around. When one student gets the ball, they need to read aloud the positive words that are where their pointer finger touches. Then, they can pass the ball to someone else and continue the process.

Positive Thoughts Breathing

Give positive thoughts breathing a try. In this technique, you might first want to teach about mindful breathing, a practice where we focus on our breath to help calm our bodies and minds. To give it a try, think of a positive thought as you slowly breathe in. Hold your breath for a few seconds and then breathe out.

Write a Poem

Have kids and teens write a poem using only positive affirmations. They can use a positive affirmations list to help them, or they can come up with encouraging words on their own. Give a chance to read poems aloud. As an extension, students can write out their poem on poster board or larger paper and then make designs around it.

Sticky Note Reminders

Have kids list out some different positive affirmations on sticky notes. Then, place them in spots where they might randomly remind them of the encouraging words. For example, kids might place inside their math book, in their homework binder, in their locker, or on their fridge at home. These can serve as mini-reminders to help kids do their best, think positively, and stay focused.

Positive Affirmation Collage

Have students create their own collage with a picture of themselves in the middle. All around their picture, they should add words and images focused on positive affirmations. This can be the most fun when students clip words out of magazines but you can also have them write the positive words on paper and paste them right on to their collage. Learn more about other ways to integrate social emotional learning into art.

Make an Affirmation Mini-book

Have kids and teens choose their top positive affirmations. For each page, list out that positive affirmation and draw a picture. Put the book together as something kids and teens can use when they are feeling overwhelmed or need a boost.

Design Affirmation Posters

Have students choose their favorite positive affirmation and design it into a poster. They can color and add pictures however they want. Once finished, students can hang on to their poster or you can post them around the room. You can even put them up as a bulletin board filled with words of encouragement.

Use Real-Life Scenarios

Give practice for using positive affirmations by using real-life scenarios. You might ask kids and teens, “Imagine you are about to take a test, but you feel overwhelmed. What would you say to yourself?” You can even do this activity using characters in a story or novel.

Highlight the Lyrics

Several popular songs include lyrics with positive affirmations. Some examples include “Roar” by Katy Perry, “Good Life” by One Republic, “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Beautiful Life by Ace of Base. Print the lyrics out and have students read them. They can highlight the positive words, read, and even sing them.

I hope these activities are helpful techniques you can use to unleash the incredible power of positive thinking with kids and teens. Do you have a favorite? Share in the comments to let others know!

30+ Ways to Integrate SEL During Distance Learning

September 1, 2020 by pathway2success 1 Comment

Over 30 fun and engaging ways to integrate social emotional learning skills for distance and virtual learning. This list includes lots of free digital resources, activities, ideas, and links to help teachers, educators, and parents build SEL skills while teaching remote or during homeschool. This list focuses on strengthening skills for building empathy, working through challenges, improving self-control, and much more! #pathway2success

Integrating social emotional learning skills is a critical element to any classroom. These are the skills that help learners understand their strengths and challenges, recognize emotions, become socially aware, develop empathy for others, build meaningful relationships, and make positive decisions. Truthfully, the skills listed are only a fraction of what social emotional learning encompasses, but it is enough to highlight how important these life skills really are.

In every classroom all over the world, integrating social emotional learning is a necessary method to helping kids and young adults become successful. Add distance learning into the equation and SEL takes on even more importance. Normally, in the classroom, learners are engaging with peers, starting conversations, working with partners, developing friendships, learning the social rules, resolving conflicts, problem-solving, and learning to make positive choices along the way.

This year, for many, is different. Learners won’t have access to all of those natural social-emotional situations in the classroom. And while it isn’t a perfect situation, it’s worth highlighting there are many ways to integrate social and emotional learning skills virtually.

Below is a list of over 30 strategies, ideas, links, and resources (many that are free) to build social emotional learning skills from a distance. This list is purposefully long to give lots of choices and options for educators. Instead of trying to do everything, choose a few strategies to implement and see where they take you.

Strategies for Integrating SEL Virtually:

1. Start the day with virtual greetings

Greetings are always a healthy way to start the morning with students. Teaching digitally is no exception to this! Before starting your lessons or activities, take a minute to do virtual greetings such as an air first bumps, heart hands, or an air high five. You can choose a daily greeting or let your students pick. Use this free visual with daily greetings to get started.

2. Develop a mindful morning practice.

The start to the morning can mean everything. Take 5 minutes and begin a mindful practice to help learners develop a sense of calm. You can do this with different activities, such as mindful breathing, practicing gratitude, and using positive affirmations. I developed a free mindful morning routine that incorporates these techniques and more.

3. Use break-out rooms for team-building.

Kids and teens need practice working together. This builds a number of social emotional skills, such as conversation skills, conflict resolution, problem-solving, perseverance, and teamwork just to name a few. Breakout rooms can be a great way to allow students this partner/group time. One important tip is to be explicit as to what you want students to accomplish during their group time. Have them come back and share their progress or provide you with the work to allow for accountability.

4. Start with morning meeting.

Morning meeting is a semi-structured time each day that gives students the chance to talk, share, and learn new skills. It’s intended to be fairly short but meaningful. So often, this can be one of the best times to integrate SEL skills. After greetings, discuss a social emotional skill and give kids practice with it. For example, if you are learning about self-awareness, have students reflect on waht makes them unique. Give them the chance to share some interesting things about themselves or words that describe who they are.

If you’re not familiar with morning meeting, read here about how you can get started in five easy steps.

Not only does this build on critical social emotional learning skills, but it promotes a positive community too. Every classroom (in person or digital) can start with a morning meeting. You can design your own daily morning meeting times, or use these morning meeting activities I’ve developed (and this set for elementary kids too!).

5. Use discussion starters.

One of the simplest strategies for integrating SEL skills is just talking with kids and young adults. Ask them what words best describe them, what goals they have for the future, and to describe someone important in their lives. Not only do these questions build meaningful relationships among you and your learners, but they give you valuable insight to who students are and what they need. Use these free relationship-building questions to start building those relationships right away.

6. Host a weekly show-and-tell.

Kids and young adults need to share about their own lives! During distance learning, so much “down time” is taken away, from the quick chats before class to the lunch discussions with peers. Give students some of that time back with a scheduled weekly show-and-tell. Allow time for students to share something they’ve done, a new activity they’ve tried, something they’ve learned, or anything else.

What’s important is that this shouldn’t have to be connected with academics. Allow kids to show off their dirt bike, take a tour of their house, showcase a new trick they’ve taught their dog, or talk about how they beat a level in a videogame. This share time is essential to building confidence and a positive classroom climate.

7. Use journal writing.

Journaling is a healthy way to integrate social emotional skills into the academic classroom. There are multiple options for using a journal to support SEL skills. Start with a topic your students need, such as learning about feelings or making positive choices. Create daily prompts for kids to respond to. Then, give time to discuss as a group to allow for shared learning. Use this SEL Journal to target social emotional skills throughout the entire year or make your own!

8. Schedule weekly check-ins.

While whole class and small group meetings are important, individual check-ins with students can give a great deal of insight about how they are doing. Schedule short weekly check-ins with students to ask how they are doing, what’s going well, and what they need help with. In some cases, teachers may not have the time or flexibility to meet individually with all students (especially educators teaching large groups or caseloads in the upper grades). If that’s the case, meeting individually can at least be a targeted intervention for the students who need a little bit extra support along the way.

9. Give non-digital brain breaks.

During distance learning, not everything needs to be digital! Give non-virtual brain breaks to help break up the academic work. Assign activities like coloring, journaling, making a gratitude list, taking a walk outside, going on a scavenger hunt, and doing a chore at home. Use these free printable mindful coloring activities to start!

10. Play games.

Games are another brain break that can also serve as a way to teach SEL skills. Play BINGO to work on attention and listening skills. Use charades to work on social cues. Play Simon Says to practice attention, listening, and self-control.

11. Use read alouds.

One of my favorite ways to integrate social emotional learning is using read alouds and picture books. This can be done a few different ways. First, you can choose a book using this list of 100+ read alouds for SEL skills. The list is organized by SEL skill, making it easy to target a skill your students need.

The other option is just to choose any book you want. You can almost always integrate 1-2 SEL skills just by talking about the characters’ emotions, their perspectives, what problems they are working through, and how they persevere in the end. There are a number of YouTube videos with books already read aloud for you and your students, or you can read live during a meet.

12. Watch videos.

Videos and movie clips are a fun and engaging way to work on social emotional learning skills through distance learning (and in the classroom). Just like with literature, video clips give the chance to talk about emotions, empathy, perspective-taking, problem-solving, perseverance, and more.

13. Teach SEL skills explicitly.

Teaching social emotional skill explicitly is always worth the time it takes. In a perfect world, learners would come to class with skills for showing empathy, working well with others, and persevering through challenges. As educators, we know that’s not always the case. Teaching skills explicitly means talking about a skill, teaching what it means, why it is important, and giving meaningful practice so that students can build on that skill.

I recently created a digital social emotional learning workbook for students to learn about SEL skills like empathy, respect, organization, attention, teamwork, and more. When activities are more fun and interactive, students are more likely to engage and learn.

Spend time talking about one skill each day to help cover the SEL skills your learners need for success. Just one more important note: you don’t need to be an expert on SEL skills to teach them to your students! It’s better to start and learn together than never start at all.

14. Model flexibility and perseverance.

As educators, kids and teens are always looking at us as a role model. Even in difficult circumstances (and maybe especially in difficult circumstances), it’s important to model flexibility and perseverance. Be mindful of the words and tone you use when discussing distance learning. Even though a distance learning situation is far from perfect, the mindset you start with sets the stage for how students deal with the situation too.

15. Use digital tools to help kids share ideas.

There is an endless amount of digital tools for teachers and students to use during distance learning, from Zoom to Flipgrid to Seesaw and Screencastify. Choose a program or platform that can help students share ideas and collaborate, something that is essential for kids to build relationships, confidence, and problem-solving skills. With the help of some amazing educators, I’ve compiled a list of digital tools that help students share ideas and build relationships. Rather than getting overwhelmed with all the new technology, try to start with 1-2 ideas and start from there.

16. Practice and model coping strategies.

Managing emotions is always an important skill, but probably even more important for kids right now. Spend a few minutes each day (or week) practicing coping strategies together. These are activities like listening to music, practicing mindfulness, exercising, and coloring. It’s important to give learners a variety of skills to practice. As individuals, we all have different strategies that work best for us. By practicing coping strategies together, this can help students find the activities that work best for them.

You can even help students create their own coping strategies notebook. Choose a strategy, have them list out the steps, and they can add a picture of themselves doing that strategy. This is a teaching tool, and a support for later on. Students can return back to their coping strategies notebooks to remind them of calm down skills in the moment.

17. Use positive affirmations.

Positive affirmations are the positive words we say to ourselves. These words can provide assurance, encouragement, and support through tough times. Positive affirmations can be a healthy way to start the morning or even act as a coping strategy in stressful moments. By using positive thinking, students can build confidence, calm emotions, and refocus for the day. Use this free positive affirmations list to help students develop a positive voice and make their own lists.

18. Use brain breaks between tasks.

We all need breaks sometimes, especially after looking at a screen for hours. Make sure to integrate brain breaks in between tasks to give students a quick reset before moving on. During a break, you can play a game (like Simon Says or I Spy), play a quick video, exercise together, or just have an off-topic chat. Not only are these breaks essential to everyone’s social and emotional well-being, but they also provide another opportunity to build relationships at a distance.

19. Integrate SEL skills in academics.

Every teacher is a teacher of social emotional skills! When you are intentional, it can be much easier to integrate SEL skills into what you’re already doing. Before starting group work, take a few minutes to remind students what group work looks like and sounds like. Before taking a test, practice mindfulness to help kids clear their minds and start fresh. These are just a few simple and quick examples of how you can add SEL skills into your every day.

If you need ideas for what skills to focus on, use this free printable social emotional learning skills at a glance page to help. It covers several skills for every domain of social emotional learning from self-awareness to decision-making.

20. Assign art, crafts, and other non-digital activities.

Arts and crafts are an option educators can use to break up the monotony of screen time. So often, art can be an excellent way to work on SEL skills. Have students make their own self-collage to showcase their strengths and talents. This builds self-awareness and confidence. Learn more ideas about using art activities for social emotional learning.

If you’re looking for more activities to use right away, I’ve developed a set of activities to target social emotional learning with art.

21. Host special days.

Host special days to create a positive climate for your learners. Days like “pajama day” and “crazy hat day” shouldn’t be just for the classroom. You can choose to schedule these days or add them in an an incentive along the way.

22. Allow students to share work.

Kids and young adults need time to share their work with each other. This can be a positive way to build confidence, work on public speaking, and allow students to get outside their comfort zones. Using platforms like Zoom and Flipgrid can be a helpful solution to allow student discourse and sharing of work.

23. Respect boundaries and privacy.

It’s important to mention that when educators teach students from a distance, they are in the homes and personal lives of their students. Some students may not be comfortable showing their home or even their face through certain platforms. It’s critical to respect those boundaries and privacy in a difficult time. If needed, meet privately with students via online platforms or a phone call instead of requiring students to be on camera.

24. Send snail mail.

A quick and simple handwritten message to your students can mean a lot. Consider sending out snail mail to students with a positive message to provide encouragement and confidence through their distance learning journey.

25. Assign SEL activities as homework.

Sometimes, time doesn’t allow for all the social emotional skills to be taught during school time. When that happens, consider providing additional practice as homework for students. If you are teaching about kindness, assign students to complete 1 kind act and then write about what they did. If you are learning about decision-making, have students draw themselves making a positive choice.

Use this yearlong set of SEL choice boards to provide additional practice as you need. It includes over 300 unique learning activities in the form of engaging choice boards as students learn about skills that matter most. If you want to take a peek, you can even get started with this free set.

26. Use digital task cards.

Task cards are often a favorite in the classroom. During distance learning, they don’t need to be forgotten. You can use digital-friendly task cards to work on social emotional skills. Try these free social problem-solving task cards to get started. You can read them with your students, discuss, and have students add their own individual responses to show what they’ve learned.

27. Use digital calm down tools.

Virtual calm down activities such as apps, games, and animal live cams can be a tool to help students regulate emotions in the moment. I’ve added several free links to help you get started!

One of my favorites, though, is this mindfulness digital workbook filled with activities from A-Z that help kids and teens calm down.

28. Teach about adversity.

Going through a difficult situation requires perseverance and resilience. One of my favorite ways to teach about adversity is researching famous athletes, actors, and others who have persevered through challenging times. For example, Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Imagine what might have been if he had given up! This is such an important lesson for students as they are coping with challenging times of their own. You can also explicitly teach about overcoming adversity with this free workbook.

29. Practice mindful breathing.

Mindful breathing is one of my favorite techniques for managing emotions. It’s one of those skills that kids and teens (and yes, even adults) can practice anywhere and anytime. Use fun and engaging mindful breathing exercises like “Cool off the pizza” to help these techniques stick in the minds of young learners. Learn more about breathing exercises you can try with your students in person or virtually.

30. Give choice.

Students need choices to build independence. When working on academic work, provide options for how students can show you what they’ve learned. For example, allow students to write a journal entry or create a video. You can also give options for the topics kids are covering. If your goal is for them to write an essay, allow each student what they will be writing about. These are just small examples that can have a big impact.

31. Create a kindness challenge.

Kids and young adults love challenges. Create your own kindness challenge to help students practice compassion and empathy for others. You can get started by teaching kindness with a free activity.

32. Practice gratitude.

Practicing gratitude helps boost self-awareness and positive feelings. It’s a healthy technique to teach kids and young adults to start their days in a more positive place. You can even use this as a brain break. Have students take 5 minutes and list 5 things they are thankful for. These can be silly or small things, like feeling thankful for a certain candy they like. Gratitude statements can also take on a bigger meaning, such as feeling grateful for family, friends, or a comfortable bed to sleep in. Best of all, this is a practice you can do every day or once a week.

33. Discuss daily SEL topics.

Social emotional learning skills are so important that they should be talked about every single day. Spend 10 minutes each day discussing important topics, like empathy, confidence, self-control, integrity, friendships, and everything in between.

Simply put, there are enough SEL skills to cover an entire year. I know this because I developed this yearlong set of SEL prompts and discussion starters to highlight skills from self-awareness to decision-making. It is distance-learning friendly, but can be used on the whiteboard once you are back in the classroom too.

34. Take virtual field trips.

Even if real in-person field trips are off the table, virtual field trips can be a positive experience for learners. A number of museums, farms, zoos, and landmarks offer tours that can help students see the world without ever leaving their house. Good Housekeeping compiled this list of virtual field trips from Ellis Island to Mars.

Even though the actual field trips may not explicitly teach social emotional skills, these skills can be integrated right into the discussions as you learn together. Consider what the setting is, what the social expectations might be, how students might prepare for actually visiting that place, what interactions they might have, and more.

35. Schedule weekly reflections.

Take a few minutes at the end of the week to reflect on progress, growth, and plans for the incoming week. This gives students a chance to feel proud about what they did well, own their mistakes or mishaps, and make a goal for the future.

36. Stay in touch with parents.

Keep parents involved in a positive way. Give a friendly reminder what social emotional skills you are targeting this week. You can even suggest a few activities at home kids can do to practice those skills. Most importantly, though, check in with parents to see how your student is doing at home and what they might need. That relationship (like all relationships) is going to play a huge role in student success.

37. Use apps to build SEL skills.

There are a number of interactive apps and web-based games to work on social emotional skills from a distance. Use Conversation Planner to work on building conversation skills and Stop, Breathe, & Think to work on emotions and mindfulness. These are free, but there are also many paid apps to support SEL as well. Read more about different apps to support social emotional learning.

38. Practice and model self-care.

Self-care is important for everyone, including educators. Model self-care by spending the time you need on yourself. That most likely means setting up boundaries for when you will and will not be available to support students at home. It also means giving yourself time to take a walk, exercise, read, and spend time with family. If you need more reminders, grab this free printable self-care for educators poster. You matter.

39. Use digital lessons and activities.

While I’ve mentioned lots of free (and paid) virtual lessons in this post itself, I thought it was worth sharing that I’ve got a lot more! A huge goal of mine recently has been to add digital content into my social emotional learning resources to provide extra value to educators whether they are working in the classroom or at their computers. I recently wrote another article focusing on SEL activities for the virtual classroom (and yes, it includes 9 amazing freebies you can use right away!).

This list has taken on more strategies than I had originally planned, and I’m so happy to give many options to educators working through distance learning. If you have another suggestion I haven’t written about, feel free to reach out!

SEL Lessons and Activities for the Virtual Classroom

August 16, 2020 by pathway2success 1 Comment

Social emotional learning is playing a huge role this school year. Of course, SEL is important all of the time, but right now kids and young adults are in special need of support. In order for kids and teens to succeed academically, they also need skills for understanding emotions, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and persevering through challenges. These are just a few small examples of social emotional skills that we use every day.

If you’re unsure about what SEL is, it might be helpful to read about social emotional learning and what the five core domains are!

With all of that said, it’s important for educators to have access to digital social emotional learning lessons and activities. I’ve put together this list with resources to help educators get started.

Besides some of my favorite and most popular paid digital SEL resources, I’ve listed free materials as well. As someone who taught 10 years in the classroom myself, I understand that resources are limited. Free materials are also a great way to test out an activity before making the purchase.

One more note that all materials include digital and print activities to allow you to meet the needs of your students and whatever the year brings you.

DIGITAL SEL RESOURCES

Social Emotional Learning Journal

This social emotional learning journal is a yearlong journal to target SEL skills from self-awareness to decision-making. The idea is simple: just assign one section per day to cover social emotional learning throughout the entire school year. It covers critical topics like friendships, empathy, values, self-control, and a lot more.

Social Emotional Learning Digital Workbook

This SEL digital workbook is a fun online tool to teach social emotional learning skills from A-Z. It includes 40 mini-lessons on various SEL topics, giving kids and teens practice with those skills in a digital way. The activities even use moveable pieces in Google Slides, making the lessons interactive and fun!

I get asked about this one a lot, so here’s a video!

Mindful Breathing Cards

Help kid and young adults learn skills for mindfulness with mindful breathing cards. Practicing mindfulness with deep breathing can be a simple, fun, and effective way to work on self-regulation skills. These breathing activities are also memorable and fun, which means students will be able to use them when they really need them most.

SEL Complete Curriculum

This complete social emotional learning curriculum has everything an educator needs to teach SEL for the entire year. It includes five units targeting the core domains of SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and decision-making. Updates were recently added to allow kids and teens access to a completely digital student workbook.

SEL Daily Prompts

One simple way to integrate social emotional learning is with SEL daily prompts. These questions give one meaningful prompt each day to help teach and practice social emotional skills. A student journal is included, allowing kids and teens a space to share their thoughts before moving on.

SEL Choice Boards

Make learning SEL a little bit more fun with social emotional learning choice boards. These boards cover important SEL topics in a fun and unique way. Each board includes 9 activities to target each SEL skill. You can choose to assign all 9 activities or let kids choose their favorite for the week. This can be a homework assignment or extra for early finishers.

Coping Strategies Menu

Help kids and young adults determine which coping skills are best for them with an interactive coping strategies menu. In order to effectively manage emotions, kids and young adults need to practice coping strategies before they are overwhelmed. This activity can help open the door to working on skills to help kids develop stronger self-regulation skills.

Mindfulness Journal

Help integrate mindfulness with a daily mindfulness journal. Another yearlong journal, this activity provides practice using senses, visualizations, gratitude, mindful puzzles, and more.

Social Emotional Learning Digital Workbook

This social emotional digital workbook is a helpful tool to teach SEL skills in a fun and interactive way. It includes step-by-step and guided practice on 25 unique social emotional learning topics from empathy to problem-solving. Digital moveable pieces are included to help make this activity more fun and engaging for younger learners.

FREE DIGITAL SEL RESOURCES

Mindfulness Morning Check-In

This mindfulness morning check-in is a free daily quick activity to encourage learners to start the day in a more mindful way. It includes 5 activities: taking deep breaths, using senses, practicing gratitude, using positive self-talk, and identifying something to look forward to.

Perspective-Taking Lessons

Use perspective-taking lessons to introduce the idea that we all think differently, and that’s perfectly okay.

SEL Journal

Grab a free week of this social emotional learning journal to help kids learn about their individual strengths and challenges. This is a helpful introduction to self-awareness while testing out this yearlong SEL Journal.

SEL Choice Board Activities

These SEL choice board activities teach about managing emotions, strengths and challenges, responsibility, and more. This free set includes a total of 36 activities targeting social emotional skills.

Positive Thinking Affirmation Activity

Start the day with positive thinking affirmations to boost confidence and morale. Students can make their own positive self-talk list using the statements to read when they are stressed, upset, or just to start the day in a positive way.

Social Problem-Solving Task Cards

This social problem-solving task cards set has been turned digital to help kids and young adults learn strategies for problem-solving in all elements of life.

Coping Strategies Challenge

Use a 30-day coping strategies challenge to help kid and teens learn a variety of coping skills they can use in their life. Let students choose activities or select them and complete together!

Read Aloud List for Social Emotional Learning

Use this SEL read aloud list to select books that teach critical SEL skills. It includes a list of various read alouds that target skills like confidence, empathy, growth mindset, goals, self-control, study habits, and more.

Coping Strategies Notebook

Use this free coping strategies notebook to help kids and teens create their own individualized list of coping skills that work for them.

I hope this list has been helpful to you. It truly is filled with lessons and activities I wish I had years ago.

I’m always in the process of adding new digital resources to support social emotional learning. If there is a lesson you’d like to see, let me know!

12 Reasons Why Every Class Needs Morning Meeting

August 10, 2020 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Morning meeting is a daily time to meet with students and help frame the day for success. Sometimes it might be called a daily check-in or morning circle. Whatever you call it, the idea is pretty simple. Educators sit with their students, greet each other by name, talk about topics that matter, and give everyone a chance to share.

Morning meeting is also a technique that can be used across all age and grade levels. For elementary learners, morning meeting would most likely happen the first 10-20 minutes of the day in the regular classroom. For secondary learners, morning meeting could take place in homeroom or advisory. It’s always important to make sure the morning meetings work for you and your classroom.

If you are teaching online, it’s worth mentioning that morning meeting can be practiced virtually online, too. Just like your in-person morning meetings, start with greetings, discuss important topics, and give time to share.

Whether you are face-to-face with learners or virtual through an online program, morning meeting sets the tone.

Here are 12 reasons why all educators should implement a morning meeting:

#1 Morning meeting builds strong relationships. By meeting and talking about things that matter to kids each day, you are helping to build strong relationships and a climate of trust. Not only do educators get to know their students on a deeper level, but students will learn from other students, too. During this time, students will likely share their thoughts, feelings, problems, needs, and hopes for the future. You can use this free printable of 100+ relationship-building questions to ask during your morning meetings.

#2 Morning meeting is the perfect time to teach SEL skills. I developed an entire yearlong set of morning meeting cards that focus on social emotional learning skills. Grab them if you’re looking for a no-prep way to run your morning meetings and integrate these skills! Even if this set isn’t something you want to invest in yet, try integrating SEL skills into your morning meeting times right away. Spend a day talking about skills that matter, like empathy, friendships, coping skills, growth mindset, developing goals, responsible decisions, and more. Talking about these skills directly will make a big difference for your learners. Grab this free printable SEL poster to highlight different skills you can target during your time!

#3 Morning meeting can be an outlet for mental health supports. The goal is that with time and consistency, morning meeting can be a place where students will feel comfortable voicing their concerns, thoughts, and needs. This can create a safe space for all learners. Additionally, morning meetings provide the perfect setting to talk about strategies for managing stress and mental health, such as coping skills, healthy habits, and dealing with tough emotions.

Morning meeting or circle time is the ideal time to teach social emotional skills to your students while building community and strengthening relationships. Learn what is morning meeting, why it matters, and grab some activities to get started.

#4 Morning meeting can help learners build confidence. Morning meeting is daily group that gets together to talk about topics that matter, so how can this build confidence? Learners get to know each other so well that they start to feel comfortable stepping outside their comfort zone! They are better able to take risks, share their voice, and feel proud of who they are as individuals. Best of all, these skills don’t just show up in morning meeting. Students who feel more confident might be more likely to succeed in all areas of the curriculum, too.

#5 Morning meeting is a time when kids can just share what is on their mind. This point maybe isn’t obvious, but it’s important. So often, the school day is extremely busy. There aren’t always chances for kids to talk about a new artist they are interested in or the soccer game last weekend. It’s always important to dedicate part of morning meeting to just a share-out time when kids can share what is on their minds.

#6 Morning meeting helps students problem-solve. Let’s face it: kids and young adults deal with some challenging situations from day-to-day. Morning meeting can be a space where learners can ask for feedback or ideas about how to solve problems in their life, like someone being mean on the bus or how to handle a fight with a friend.

#7 Morning meeting is an emotional check-in. A daily morning meeting is a simple check-in time for each student to think about (and share) how they are feeling and what is on their mind. A daily check-in builds self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Most importantly, this can be a big deal for students who might need some extra support.

#8 Morning meeting builds community. This goes beyond just strong relationships with each other. Building a community means caring about each other, having empathy, working together, giving support, and always including others. When you start your day with your group and talk about issues that matter to your learners, it helps build the foundation for that community. Not only does this benefit your classroom by teaching skills for working together, but it also gives the feeling that we’re all in this together.

#9 Morning meeting can teach and discuss academic skills. Morning meeting can provide an outlet to teach skills like studying for a test, getting organized, paying attention in class, and time management. These self-management skills are foundational to academic and personal success. Sometimes, in the busy school schedule, there isn’t always a perfect time for them, which is why morning meeting can be a great solution.

#10 Morning meeting can reduce behavioral challenges. When students feel valued, supported, and listened to, it makes sense that there would be less behavioral challenges. A research study showed that greeting students each day reduced behavioral challenges. Now, just imagine taking 5-10 minutes each day with greetings and discussion. One major benefit to morning meeting is that this time can turn diminish behavior problems before they even start.

#11 Morning meeting teaches that all voices matter. One important aspect to morning meeting is that all students have a chance to share. When morning meeting becomes a daily practice, it teaches all students to respect and listen to one another. Not only is this an important skill for the classroom, but an important life skill, too. Help show that every voice matters by starting with a daily greeting. Download a free poster with daily greetings to build community to start.

#12 Morning meeting increases student engagement. A daily check-in and discussion time can be the perfect recipe to help wake up and engage young minds. Morning meeting focused on social emotional learning can help students become more focused, alert, and ready to go for the rest of the day.

Getting Started

Now that you understand the value and importance of morning meetings, give them a try! You can always start on your own just with greetings, sharing out, and daily activities.

Head over here to learn more about leading morning meetings, setting up your expectations, and how to get started.

If you’re looking for a bit more structure and focus on social emotional learning, I’ve developed a Morning Meeting for Social Emotional Learning for the entire year. If you work with older learners, you can check out this set of SEL morning meeting cards for older kids too!

I’ve added computer-friendly pages to each set to help educators teach virtual morning meetings from a distance. Just share your screen and discuss the questions to get started. Try it out and let me know how it works for you!

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