Social Emotional Learning Resources for 6-8
Welcome....
Supporting your student's overall social emotional health is an important part of their education and growth. During this unprecedented time of school closure, we hope you are able to use these resources to help your student understand that their feelings right now are okay. This doesn't give them the okay to be mean (though some student's may react this way because they don't know how else to express their emotions). It's often important to remind your student what they still have control over, especially when it seems as if they have zero control right now. On this page, you will find some articles to help you talk with and support your students. There are also links to different activities to help students (the entire family can use them) work on coping skills that are great ways to deal with the increased emotions right now. This page will be updated frequently with different activities and videos to continue to help your student grow in their social emotional learning.
Talking to kids about COVID-19
- Child Mind Institute "Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus" (English)
- CDC "Helping Children Cope with Emergencies" (English)
- Resource "So You've Got Questions about Coronavirus" (English)
- Child Mind Institute "Cómo hablar con los niños sobre el coronavirus" (Español)
- CDC "Cómo ayudar a los niños a sobrellevar las emergencias" (Español)
- Recurso "Preguntas sobre Coronavirus" (Español)
Mindful Breathing Activities for Kids & Teens
Mindful breathing is a technique that can help improve focus and restore calm into the classroom. best of all, it's a strategy that helps develop self-regulation skills, something that kids and teens need throughout their lives
Coping Strategies
Coping strategies are techniques people use every day to help regulate their emotions. It's what you do to stay in control of yourself when someone pushes all of your buttons. It also could be how you calm yourself down when you are so excited you just want to scream. During stressful times, coping strategies come in handy because they are a constructive way to move through the stressful feelings and situations in a healthy way. The link below takes you to a site with a lot of different strategies, tips and tricks that come with coping.
Good reminder from thecounselingteacher.com for parents. It's okay to "let go!"
Self-Care
Kids can practice self-care with guidance and support, it can become a whole family unit activity. This tool from thecounselingteacher.com provides additional opportunities for your student to practice self-care. They can do a calming strategies scavenger hunt, practice breathing techniques and focus on what they can and cannot control. They can also practice positive self talk, identify reasons to be thankful and start a gratitude journal. It also provides a coloring page with hygiene tips for kids.