Social Emotional Learning Teaching Resources
Are you on the hunt for social emotional learning activities, printable PDFs, and more to bring SEL to life in your primary lessons this school year? The list of academic benefits of SEL instruction is a mile long, and the Teach Starter teacher team has created a robust collection of social and emotional learning resources made with teachers – and your students — in mind.
We've made planning your social-emotional learning lessons simple with printable SEL worksheets and digital social and emotional activities designed specifically for the needs of primary school students. Each resource in this collection has undergone rigorous review by the expert teachers on our team to make sure you'll be comfortable passing them out in the classroom or sending them home in a student's bag.
Pardon us if we're sharing something you already know (feel free to skip right to the social emotional learning activities!), but if you're new to incorporating SEL into your classroom, you may need a quick refresher! Read on for a guide from our teacher team!
What Is Social-Emotional Learning?
The most common social-emotional learning — or social and emotional learning — definition describes SEL as 'the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.'
It's a bit of a mouthful, but essentially social and emotional learning covers five core competencies:
- Self-Awareness
- Self-Management
- Social Awareness
- Relationship Skills
- Responsible Decision Making
Where Did Social Emotional Learning Come From?
Teachers have been teaching many of the skills that now fall under the social and emotional learning curriculum for centuries. It's always been our goal to help shape little minds to be caring, productive, and engaged citizens.
But the roots of what we now consider SEL can be traced back to a project in the New Haven, Connecticut schools in the United States where school administrators worked with Yale University researchers, parents, mental health workers and teachers to refocus not just the school's academic programs but their social ones too. The project started in the 1960s at two schools considered 'underperforming,' and by the 1980s, these same schools had academic scores that were at the top of American school rankings.
From there, the K-12 New Haven Social Development program was born, establishing a framework for incorporating social and emotional learning into the curriculum. Meanwhile, the non-profit Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) was born in 1994, helping to really bring the term 'social and emotional learning' into the zeitgeist.
CASEL was born out of the New Haven projects and helped shape the official definition of SEL listed above in 1997. It now works to expand SEL in schools around the globe.
Why Is Social-Emotional Learning Important?
Not sure you have time to fit all of this in alongside the standards that you're preparing students to meet? A solid social and emotional learning curriculum will help students with everything from managing emotions and developing coping skills to setting positive goals, engaging in positive relationships and solving problems effectively — all important competencies for your classroom.
The importance of SEL is hard to overstate, but here are a few core benefits:
- Promote mental health and well-being — Teaching social and emotional lessons in the classroom can help students develop the skills they need to manage their emotions, build positive relationships and cope with stress and challenges. It's a small step toward better mental health for all.
- Improve academic performance — There's strong research showing that students who have strong social and emotional skills are more likely to be engaged in learning and perform better academically.
- Create a positive classroom culture — Teaching social and emotional lessons can help create the kind of classroom culture where students feel safe, respected and supported — exactly what we all strive for!
- Prepare students for life after school — Social and emotional skills are essential for success beyond the classroom, be it at home in the immediate future or in uni or the workforce. Teaching these skills helps students be better equipped to handle the challenges they will face.
- Address specific social and emotional needs — Teaching social and emotional lessons can help address students' specific needs, such as building self-esteem, managing emotions and developing empathy for others. This can also help to create a more inclusive and equitable classroom where all students feel respected and valued. It's also good for your overall classroom management.
How to Teach Social and Emotional Lessons
There's little question that there's value in social and emotional learning, but how do you actually teach it? There's no simple answer here, as the exact methodology will differ based on year level, individual student needs and even your classroom dynamics!
That said, here are some strategies from our teacher team to keep in mind as you consider how you're incorporating the components of SEL in your instruction:
- Modelling — This is likely no surprise — we are our students' role models in the classroom for so much. Don't underestimate the value of your own active listening, displays of empathy and self-regulation, and other skills that are essential for your students' social and emotional development.
- Classroom Culture — Establishing a safe and supportive learning environment where students feel respected, valued and empowered goes a long way. Fostering a sense of community, promoting positive communication and encouraging collaboration and teamwork are all helping kids build their SEL quotient!
- Integration — Of course, you can (and should) have explicit instruction on SEL, but you can also incorporate SEL concepts into your core subject lessons. Discuss emotions related to a character in a book or working on group projects that require collaboration and communication. If you're teaching maths, emphasise the importance of perseverance and problem-solving skills. Teaching HAAS? Discuss empathy and the ability to understand different perspectives. It all comes together!
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Australian Animals Christmas Mindful Colouring Pages
Bring an Aussie animal Christmas theme into the classroom with these printable mindful colouring pages.
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Christmas Mindful Colouring In Sheets
Print a set of 3 mindful Christmas colouring in sheets for student gifts or use in the classroom.
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Christmas Brain Breaks - Activity Slides
Add some Christmas Brain Breaks to your classroom festivities to help boost engagement and attention during the holiday season.
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Christmas Tree Colouring - Mindfulness Activity
Celebrate the Christmas Season with a fun Christmas tree colouring page.
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Santa Colouring Page - Mindful Colouring
Use a Santa colouring in page as a fun art activity with your students.
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End of the Year Mindfulness Colouring Sheet
Calm the end-of-year chaos with a printable end-of-the-school-year colouring page.
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2025 Goal Setting Worksheet
Inspire your students to reflect and set goals for the new year with a Goal Setting worksheet.
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Christmas Random Acts of Kindness Calendar
Inspire Random Acts of Kindness this holiday season with a printable Christmas Kindness Calendar.
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Have a Bright Year! Lightbulb Craft
Brighten up your classroom with a fun Lightbulb-themed goal-setting craft activity.
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I Am Worksheet - Affirmation Art Activity
Use this ‘I Am’ Worksheet to inspire your students to share how special they are at the beginning of the school year.
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My Hopes and Wishes Jar - Goal-Setting Activity
Sets goals for the new school year with a goal-setting activity.
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Team Building Games for Upper Grades
Encourage communication and cooperation with a set of 10 team building games.
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Mindfulness Colouring In Sheets - Portrait
A set of 3 mindfulness colouring-in sheets.
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Calm Down Corner Classroom Decor Pack
Create a classroom calming corner with a printable Calm Corner Decor Pack.
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Sloth Mindfulness Colouring Pages
Use these sloth-themed colouring pages to bring a bit of creative calm into the classroom.
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Space-themed Mindfulness Colouring in Pages
Use this space-themed colouring page to celebrate World Space Week or as a brain break activity during class.
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Free Blank Face Template Pack
Use these free blank face templates to create fun back-to-school art celebrating the individuality and diversity of your new students!
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Find a Friend Who…Worksheet
Encourage students to engage with different classmates and learn about others with this whole-class activity.
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12 Days of Christmas Kindness - Christmas Classroom Display
Celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas, and encourage kindness in the classroom with a printable Random Acts of Kindness display.
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Printable SMART Goals Template
Start the school year by having your students use a printable template to set their own S.M.A.R.T. goals.
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Resilience Word Search
Use this resilience word search to immerse your students in the key vocabulary related to this important social-emotional skill.
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Mindful Colouring - Plant and Flower Colouring In
Pick a pack of flower colouring pages to bring a bit of the outdoors into your classroom.
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Personal Identity Activity (My Identity Wheel)
Explore personal identity by completing this personal identity wheel template.
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Positive Growth Mindset Posters
Positive growth mindset posters to display in your classroom.
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When You Enter This Classroom - Door Display
Welcome your students into your classroom with a ‘When You Enter This Classroom” Student Affirmations Classroom Door Display
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Classroom Catastrophe Scale – Display
Help your students gauge the severity of everyday challenges with this wall display.
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Kindness Word Search
Download a printable word search about kindness to explore this important aspect of social awareness with your students.
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Mindfulness Bookmarks to Colour
Bring calm to the classroom with these mindfulness colouring bookmarks.
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Goal Setting Firework Template
Prompt students to set various personal and academic goals at the start of the new year with our fireworks-themed goal-setting template.
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Cooperation Puzzles - Teamwork Activity
Explore the benefits of cooperation with a tangram-style team-building activity.
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Gratitude Tree and Leaves Template
Create a gratitude tree display with a printable tree and leaves template.
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Twelve Days of Kindness – Christmas Challenge Worksheet
Challenge your students to commit 12 random acts of Christmas kindness with a printable kindness activity .
- Social Emotional Learning Templates
- Social Emotional Learning Worksheets
- Social Emotional Learning Posters
- Social Emotional Learning Games
- Social Emotional Learning Labels, Signs & Decorations
- Social Emotional Learning Teaching Presentations
- Social Emotional Learning for Preschool/Kindergarten
- Social Emotional Learning for Foundation Year
- Social Emotional Learning for Year 1
- Social Emotional Learning for Year 2
- Social Emotional Learning for Year 3
- Social Emotional Learning for Year 4
- Social Emotional Learning for Year 5
- Social Emotional Learning for Year 6
- Social Emotional Learning for Year 7