SEL Activities
Welcome to our Social Emotional Learning Activities page. Below you will find resources- reflection questions and activities as well as a calendar version of activities- in the following skill areas: Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision Making, and Motivation.
Resources are organized by age level- elementary, middle, and high school students or adults. These activities are typically used in a classroom or at home. All materials required for the activities are items that you already have in your classroom or office.
Social Emotional Learning
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process of developing emotional intelligence skills that are crucial for success in daily life. Development of SEL skills has been shown to increase academic, emotional,social, and career success.
According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), Social Emotional Learning is “the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”
Here at STRUT, our tools are fully aligned with CASEL’S core competencies and we add a 6th–motivation –which is critical for success!
- Self-Awareness: the ability to identify and assess your thoughts, feelings, and values, as well as how they intersect with your behaviors
- Self-Management: the ability to not only identify but regulate emotions, thoughts, and actions
- Social Awareness: the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, as well as learning social and ethical behavior
- Relationship Skills: the ability to get along and make meaningful connections with people in their life
- Responsible Decision Making: the ability to make positive, constructive choices about your behavior
- Motivation: the general desire or willingness of someone to do something
Suggestions on how to use:
- Begin by taking our FREE EQ Assessment. SELDA (Social-Emotional Learning Diagnostic Assessment) is the first all-encompassing and most-sensitive digital diagnostic emotional intelligence (EQ) assessment, built exclusively by STRUT with you in mind.
- By way of assessing 18 different, yet equally important, and interconnected social-emotional skill areas, you can confidently evaluate your EQ for daily self-improvement and personal growth. At the end of the assessment, you will be presented with a snapshot of your EQ which you can use to reflect upon.
- Reflect upon your EQ by working through these SEL activities. There are questions and activities for each Core Competency.
- Each Core Competency is broken up into age groups: 3rd-5th, 6th-8th, and 9th-Adult.
- Activities can be completed Digitally and Non Digitally. Remote learning does not mean that everything has to be learned digitally. However, all non-digital activities can also be completed digitally. For example, for activities that say “write,” students can also share with their peers during breakout sessions on zoom or record video logs which they can share or keep for themselves.
- For Digital Activities: Use GoogleDoc, Blogger, Padlet, Google Slides, or Flipgrid to complete activities. Teachers can also use Zoom, Google Classroom, or Skype to interact with their students.
- For Non-Digital Activities: Use paper and pencil, crayons, or markers to complete activities.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. How does your body feel when you have strong emotions? For example how does your body feel when you are really scared, excited, or mad?
2Q. How are you feeling today? Feelings change all the time and that’s normal, What causes your feelings to change from day to day?
3Q. Think of something that you’ve done this week that you were really proud of. What was it? Why were you so proud of yourself?
4Q. How do you describe yourself? Do you use kind words to describe yourself?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Write out a morning routine with at least 5 activities that you should do when you first wake up. Post it by your bed and try to stick to it every day for 1 week.
2A. Make a list of problems that an adult should help with, problems you can solve on your own, and problems you can let go.
3A. Think about the last time you got really mad or had a tantrum. What made you so mad? What did you do? What will you do the next time the same thing happens?
4A. Think of some encouraging words to tell yourself when you are having a hard time. Create a poster by writing your ideas down on a big piece of paper and decorate it. Post it somewhere so that you can cheer yourself up when you are having a tough time.
DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
- Make time for Mindfulness Meditation in a remote classroom:
Mindfulness, the ability to focus on the present and accept one’s circumstances, is a self-awareness skill that can significantly reduce stress and anxiety. To teach mindfulness in a zoom meeting or google meet meeting, put on a guided meditation recording or read one aloud to your students. Encourage them to put their thoughts and feelings aside and focus on the meditation as much as they can. - For younger students, teach simpler breathing exercises on zoom or google meet to help students develop mindfulness without overextending their attention span.
- Reflection: Reflection not only helps students develop self-awareness but empathy and compassion, too. Start each day by giving students five to ten minutes to think about a prompt that encourages self-reflection. By practicing reflection every day, this can help students learn to consider their thoughts and feelings in a self-aware way. Have students record a video and send to teacher answering the prompt.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What does it mean to be confident?
2Q. How can emotions impact actions?
3Q. What are strengths? What are challenges?
4Q. What is a problem you are dealing with right now? If someone were giving you device about how to solve your problem, what do you think they would say?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Write about a time when you felt confident. What contributed to this feeling?
2A. Write about a time your emotions impacted your actions.
3A. Make a T-chart. List your strengths on one side and your challenges on the other side.
4A. Pretend a friend of yours has the same problem you are dealing with right now. Write a letter to that friend. What advice would you give?
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What kind of person do you want to be today?
2Q. What assets do you see in yourself? In your family? In your community? In your culture?
3Q. What internal qualities or external supports have helped you accept new challenges and adjust to change?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Every morning when you wake up, write down what you want to accomplish and how you want to act. At the end of the day, Reflect: write down one “rose,” or good thing that happened, and one “thorn,” or challenge that arose. Share your “rose” and “thorn” with a friend.
2A. Write down 3 positive things about yourself and post them where you can see them every day. Write a letter to a family or community member and tell them you are thankful for them.
3A.Think about a recent challenge you have experienced. Write down how you overcame it and what you will do when new challenges come up.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What is something you are good at? Something you want to get better at?
2Q. How can you tell if you need help or if you can solve the problem on your own? How can you tell if the problem is small enough to just let it go?
3Q. What happens when you get really mad? Do you sometimes have tantrums? Are those helpful? What could you do instead?
4Q. What do you say to yourself when you are struggling with something? Do you tell yourself you can do it? Do you get mad at yourself? Which do you think is more helpful?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Write out a morning routine with at least 5 activities that you should do when you first wake up. Post it by your bed and try to stick to it every day for 1 week.
2A. Make a list of problems that an adult should help with, problems you can solve on your own, and problems you can let go.
3A. Think about the last time you got really mad or had a tantrum. What made you so mad? What did you do? What will you do the next time the same thing happens?
4A. Think of some encouraging words to tell yourself when you are having a hard time. Create a poster by writing your ideas down on a big piece of paper and decorate it. Post it somewhere so that you can cheer yourself up when you are having a tough time.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What is a routine? Why are routines important?
2Q. Who in the school, your family or your neighborhood can you go to if you are having a problem?
3Q. What does it mean to have Self-Control?
4Q. What is a recent goal you achieved?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Write about a time you practiced a skill in or out of school and got better.
2A. Describe a time and situation you needed help. Who helped you solve the problem? Share with a partner.
3A. Our self-control is our own ability to regulate our thoughts, words, feelings, and actions. Write about a time when you used Self-Control. What did you do? Were you proud of your choice?
4A. Write about the time you achieved that goal. How did you do it? How did you stay motivated to reach your goal?
QUESTIONS:
Q. When are there times during the day when you need a break?
2Q. Are there times during the day when you feel emotionally overwhelmed?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Use Self-talk. Self-talk is “the act of practice of talking to oneself, either aloud or silently and mentally.” Generally, negative self-talk makes us feel worse, but positive self-talk can make us feel better because it triggers problem solving and helps remind ourselves that making mistakes is part of life. Remember to take those breaks when you need them.
2A. Grounding techniques are a stress management exercise used to orient someone in the present when they’re emotionally overwhelmed.
- Name five different things you can see around the room
- Listen to energetic or relaxing music for one minute
- Hold an object in your hands and focus on the color or texture
- Take ten deep breaths, counting each one as your chest rises
- Eat a piece of candy and choose three words that describe its taste.
DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
- Use Google forms, Flipgrid (video recording), and monitor progress to make time for Goal Setting: The WOOP activity from Character Lab helps students find their wishes and develop an action plan to fulfill those wishes. WOOP is named for each step in the process: identifying your Wish, imagining the Outcome, anticipating the Obstacle, and developing a specific Plan.
- W: What is an important wish that you want to accomplish? Your wish should be challenging but feasible.
- O: What will be the best result from accomplishing your wish? How will you feel? Pause and really imagine the outcome.
- O: What is the main obstacle inside you that might prevent you from accomplishing your wish? Pause and really imagine the obstacle.
- P: What’s an effective action to tackle the obstacle? Make a when-then plan.
1Q. What is empathy? Why Is it important to think about other people’s feelings?
2Q. How can you show kindness to your family?
3Q. What can you do when you notice that someone is feeling left out or lonely?
4Q. Do you like working in groups? How can you work together with someone who likes to do things differently?
1A. Think about your favorite character from a book, movie, or tv show. Draw yourself as that character, and think about how you would feel as that character.
2A. Make a list of things you can do to be kind at home. Try to complete at least 1 activity each day for one week.
3A. Think of someone you know that you haven’t talked to in a while. Call that person to see how they are doing or make a card and send it to them in the mail.
4A. Write about a time you disagreed with a group member. How did you handle it?
1Q. Why is it important to know social expectations? Take a look around you. What is socially expected of you?
2Q. How do social expectations change based on the situation?
3Q. Manners are a person’s outward way of behaving towards others. What are some examples of manners you use everyday?
4Q. Why is respect important?
1A. Make your own Rules/ Expectations board for school and share yours with a classmate.
2A. Think of two different situations. For example: the movie theatre and a sporting event. Make a chart and write about how social expectations are different based on the situation.
3A. Write about the importance of manners. What would situations look like if someone didn’t use manners?
4A. Pick a situation either at home or at school. Write about how you can show respect to the people around you.
1Q. What emotion are you feeling today?
2Q. Who are you most connected to in your day to day life?
1A. Have each student call out the emotion they’re feeling. This helps each student know how they and other students are feeling, what different emotions look like, and how to better interact with their peers based on how they’re feeling.
2A. Write the names of family members, friends, teachers, mentors, and neighbors in your life. Scatter their names on a blank piece of paper. Branching out from the names you already wrote, write the names of the people in their lives. Write the names of your family members and their ancestors. Write the names of your friends’ friends and your teachers’ friends and so on. Attach photos to certain names if you would like. Notice all the connections in your life. Post this connection map somewhere special: bathroom mirror, locker, or your desk. When you feel like you need support, remember this map and feel more connected.
- Empathy with movies – With distance learning and extended time at home, videos will likely be popular. Have students pause to discuss feelings, emotions, consequences, and other valuable concepts.
- Example: The Present Short Film by Jacob Frey.
In this video, a mom brings home a new dog for her son. As kids watch the video, they’ll see that the dog is missing a leg. At first, the boy tries to
ignore the dog, pushing him away. As the movie progresses, the dog wins over the boy for one very big reason. You can use this video to discuss
why the boy was so upset at first, as well as why the dog helps the boy in the end. - Listening Circles: During a zoom meeting- use breakout rooms to complete this activity. To begin this activity that teaches active listening, separate your class into groups of four or five students. Have students take turns answering a get-to-know you question. If any student interrupts the person talking, remind them that everyone gets to a turn sharing their answer.
Here are a few question ideas:
- Where would you travel if you could go anywhere in the world?
- What makes you feel happiest?
- If you were an animal, which one would you be?
- Who do you look up to the most and why?
- When you grow up, what do you want to be?
- At the end of the activity, come together for a class discussion about what they learned in their groups. To make sure every student feels included, try pairing students up and having them share one thing about their partner after the activity.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What are some qualities that you want in a friend?
2Q. How do you show people that you are thankful for them?
3Q. How do you tell people that they have upset you? What should you say and not say?
4Q. What can you do when you have hurt a friends feelings?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Draw a picture of your friend. Label your friend with 4 qualities.
2A.Write three thank you letters to friends or family members and let them know why you appreciate and love them.
3A. Make a T-chart. On one side, list helpful things to say to let someone know they have upset you or hurt your feelings. On the other side, make a list of things that would not be helpful to say. Remember to say the helpful things when someone has upset you!
4A. Write a letter to someone whose feelings you may have hurt. Tell them that you are sorry and how you will fix it.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. Learning to work with others is important in life. When are some examples of times you will work with others now and in the future?
2Q. How can we make sure we are doing our best work when working with a group?
3Q. Sometimes challenges and conflicts can happen in groups even when there are rules. What are some challenges you have experienced when working in a group?
4Q. How will you act when working in a group?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Make a list of times when you had to work together with someone to accomplish a goal.
2A. Create a list of Group Rules and post it somewhere you can see when it is time to work with a group.
3A. Write about a challenge you overcame when working with a group. What was the challenge? How did you work together to overcome the challenge?
4A. Students get into groups and go on a classroom scavenger hunt. Afterwards, reflect: how did your group work together? Were there any conflicts?
QUESTIONS:
1Q. How are the people around you similar/ different from you?
2Q. How can we make sure we are doing our best work when working with a group?Who is someone that has helped shaped who you are in a positive way? What specific things has that person done to help you?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. On a piece of paper, journal about yourself using this framework:
- 3 unique things about your family
- 2 challenges you’re currently facing
- 1 goal or dream you have
2A. Then get with a partner and share out. The goals are to develop a stronger understanding of peers and to demonstrate respect for differences and exhibit empathy.
Write a letter to that person clearly explaining the impact that this person/moment has had on your life. Express gratitude and give your letter to that person if possible.
DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
- Virtual “Hangouts” – Encourage parents to set up their children with a friend for a virtual chat on a platform, such as Zoom, Facebook Messenger Kids, or a Facetime call.
- Write & Send an Email – After a short lesson on how to write an email, have kids write one to their teacher, a friend in the class, or a family member. They will enjoy getting an email message in return!
- One Kind Word: Have students write for 3 minutes about one kind or thoughtful thing they can do today to make someone in their life feel valued. Ask them to write down:
- the person’s name
- what kind or thoughtful action or words they have planned for that person
- why they think that action will make the person feel valued
Have students share in pairs, small groups, or to the class either what they plan to do and/or how it feels to plan kind actions for another person.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. Having responsibility means being accountable for your actions and what is expected of you. Why is it an important skill to develop?
2Q. Why is it important to follow directions from adults? How can you remind yourself to follow directions, even if you’d rather be doing something else?
3Q. How can you tell if something you
want to do is safe?
4Q. Consequences are the things that happen after we make a choice. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they are not. Why is it important to think about consequences before you make a decision?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Make a T-chart. On one side make a list of things you are responsible for at home. On the other side, make a list of things you are responsible for at school.
2A. Write a letter to yourself and explain why it’s always important to follow directions from grown ups who care about you.
3A. Make a list of activities that are safe and
not safe to do alone.
4A. Think about a choice you need to make, jot down what the positive and negative consequences of that choice could be.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What in life is important to you? How do you know when something is important to you – that you value it?
2Q. When you say one thing, but do another, what does that tell people about your values?
3Q. What can you do when you need to make a difficult decision?
4Q. How is being responsible related to decision making skills?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Draw or write on a poster board the things in life that are important to you.
2A. Write about a time when you did something that did not align with your values. How did you feel? What can you do instead next time?
3A. Write down the following steps:
- Identify the decision to be made
- List your options
- List possible consequences
- Make your decision
- Reflect on your decision
*Remember to go through these steps when faced to make a difficult decision
4A. Write about a time you were responsible and used the decision making steps to make a decision.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What is support? What does it mean to feel supported and to be supportive?
2Q. What are things you feel supported on? What are things you wish you could get help with?
3Q. Is there something you could use some help on in your life? Who can you go to if you need support?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Define support in terms of self, others, and environment and create a personal definition of support. Then create a class definition of what being supported and supportive means to them.
2A. Two Stars and a Wish: journal two things that you felt supported on (stars) and one thing you wish you could get help with (wish). If working in a group: put two stars and the wish on sticky notes or in another creative form on the wall. Then do a gallery walk and offer suggestions to each other.
3A. Write a note to that person or create an outline of what you might say.
DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
- POOCH is a process for problem-solving that can help students thoughtfully generate solutions to problems by thinking through possible options and outcomes. The steps are as follows: Identify the problem. Explore different options to solve the problem. Discuss an outcome for each option. Choose an option. Reflect on how things went. Use the POOCH template regularly when faced with difficult decisions.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What do you enjoy learning about?
2Q. What is motivation? What does it mean to feel motivated and to be motivating?
3Q. What energizes you? What does being energetic feel like?
4Q. What have you recently accomplished?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Offer your students “Choice Boards,” and allow them to tailor their own learning activities to
individual preferences.
2A. Define motivation in terms of self, others, and environment and create a personal definition of motivation. Then create a class definition of motivation and class vision of motivated and
motivating behavior.
3A. Write about a specific time it might be helpful to harness energy to get motivated.
4A. Make a family bucket list:
Gather your family together and brainstorm a list of accomplishments, experiences, or achievement goals. At the end of the year, you can look back
at all the things your family has accomplished!
QUESTIONS:
1Q. What are you motivated by?
2Q. What are some examples of times when you know you should be motivated to do something but you are not?
3Q. What is an important dream you have, something you want to accomplish?
4Q. What might be some fears and doubts you face when working towards your dream?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Make a list of things that motivate you at home and at school.
2A. Think about a time when you were not motivated to do something. What were the obstacles or barriers that sabotaged your motivation?
3A. Write about your dream and the steps you need to take in order to accomplish it.
4A. Identify habits you can create to increase your motivation. Write down these ideas on index cards and use them to remind yourself to stay motivated.
QUESTIONS:
1Q. Do you think it is better to have a growth or a fixed mindset? How does each type of mindset impact your feelings and actions?
2Q. What are some examples of times when you know you should be motivated to do something but you are not?
3Q. What are different ways you praise yourself?
NON DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
1A. Have your students share moments when they have demonstrated a growth and fixed mindset.
2A. Consider including “20% Time” or “Passion Time” into your student’s school schedule. For that time, let your student choose what they would want to learn.
3A. “You are smart,” can actually decrease motivation in the long-run since it maybe deter you from trying anything that may make you “unintelligent”. Stop saying, “You are so smart”, and start saying..
You tried really hard and that. You never gave up, even when it was hard. You have really improved on_____. You really handled that situation well
because of ______. You remembered to _____! Great thinking!
DIGITAL ACTIVITIES:
- Thrively is a great online tool that will provide a detailed picture of each student’s interests and skills. You can join for free!
- Have your students create a vision board using Canva. A vision board is any sort of board on which you display images that represent whatever you want to be, do or have in your life.
Activities. (2020). InspirED. Retrieved from https://inspiredstudents.org/activities/
Aguilar, C. & Bridges, C. (n.d.). A guide to the core SEL competencies [Activities and strategies included].Panorama education.
https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/guide-to-core-sel-competencies
CASEL. (2020). Self reflection prompts. https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/SEL-ReflectionPrompts.pdf
Changing Perspectives. (2020). Social-emotional learning at home activities for grades K-8.
https://changingperspectivesnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/changing-perspectives-SELlearning-at-home-activities-COVID19.pdf
Eichholz, T. (2016, August 15). 15 actionable strategies for increasing student motivation and engagement.Getting smart.
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2016/08/15-actionable-strategies-for-increasing-studentmotivation-and-engagement/
Illinois Digital Educators Alliance. (n.d.). Ideas for @home learning. https://ideaillinois.org/Home-Learning
Waterford. (2018, December 19). 15 activities for teaching CASEL core competencies.
https://www.waterford.org/education/15-activities-for-teaching-casel-core-competencies/
4 weeks of SEL lessons and activities for distance learning. (2020, May 11). Lalilo blog.
https://lalilo.com/blog/2020/05/11/4-weeks-of-sel-lessons-and-activities-for-distance-learning/
