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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Two Stars and a Wish Poster and Feedback Slips
A set of feedback cards and display poster for the classroom.
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'My Goal Tree' - Goal Setting Worksheet
Grow new back to school goals with a printable goal setting tree template.
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Resilience or Not? Scenario Task Cards
Get students to explore real-life examples of resilience with this set of 16 scenario cards perfect for developing students' social-emotional skills.
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Resilience Writing Prompts
Use this set of resilience writing prompts to help your students reflect upon times they have observed resilience in themselves and others.
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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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Listening to Others – Discussion Task Cards and Poster
Give students the opportunity to work on their listening skills and learn what it means to be a good listener with this set of 42 discussion cards and classroom poster.
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Showing Compassion – Interactive Activity
Help students understand the importance of caring for others and how to appropriately respond with this interactive activity.
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Conflict Resolution Tips Poster
Display some top tips for solving playground conflicts with this colourful and informative classroom poster.
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Inclusion Poster
A beautiful poster to spread the message that inclusion is for ALL.
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Characteristics of Emotions - Posters
Help students learn the facial expressions and body cues that accompany the most common emotional states with this set of classroom display posters.
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Wellbeing Self-Reflection Prompts PowerPoint
Make mental wellness check-ins a regular part of your day with our collection of 50 student self-reflection prompts.
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Crab Mindful Colouring In Sheet
A crab mindful colouring in sheet.
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Behaviour Reflection Sheet (Lower Primary)
Get your young students to reflect on their behaviours with this reflection worksheet.
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Calming Down Strategies Classroom Poster
Make calming down strategies easily accessible for your students with this classroom display poster.
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Social Strategies Task Cards
A teaching resource to help students strategise solutions to problems around mental health and social well being
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Dealing with Bullying Poster
A poster to display in the classroom to encourage students to use the five Tool Kit resilience strategies.
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Emotional Self-Regulation Poster
Promote emotional awareness and self-regulation in your classroom with this classroom poster.
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My Personal Identity Teaching Slides (What Makes Me Me?)
Explore what makes each student an individual and help them explore their own identity with this set of teaching slides.
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Piecing Together Emotions – Puzzle Activity
Guide your students to identify the feelings and emotions of others with this social emotional learning puzzle activity.
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Dot Day Colouring Sheets - Mandala
Create designer dot art on International Dot Day with a set of printable mandala colouring sheets.
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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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Safe or Unsafe Social Stories Interactive Activity
Discuss safe and unsafe scenarios with this interactive activity.
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Understanding and Managing Anger Teaching Presentation
Teach your students about angry feelings with this comprehensive guide to understanding and managing anger.
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THINK Strategy Poster
A poster explaining the THINK strategy.
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Growth Mindset PowerPoint
A 12 Page PowerPoint Presentation on Developing a Growth Mindset for students.
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Diversity Is Our Strength Poster
Display this ''diversity is our strength' poster in your classroom as a reminder of unity and inclusion.
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Keeping My Hands and Feet to Myself Mini-Book
Teach your students about the importance of keeping their hands and feet to themselves with this printable mini-book.
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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 Feelings Volcano Worksheet
Prevent students from being overcome by strong emotions with this volcano-themed coping skills worksheet.
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Managing Emotions Mini-Book
Help your early years students explore and manage their emotional responses with this printable mini-book.
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Is It Safe or Unsafe? Task Cards
Explore safe and unsafe situations with this set of task cards.
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Kindness Reflection Mini Booklet
A printable kindness reflection mini book template for kids.
- 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