Social Emotional Learning
Exploration!
What is Social Emotional Learning...
is an integrative process through which children acquire the capacity to understand, experience, express, and manage emotions and to develop meaningful relationships with others. By developing a strong sense of self and other, students will be better, happier children and students. They will be better adjusted and be able to have a deeper understanding.
Exploration Activities
Close your eyes and smell. Describe what you smell in a list or a picture.
Make a scale of objects from softest to hardest.
Taste something and try to describe the flavors.
Look at something from a distance and then walk up closer to it. What changes happen? What details come into focus? What do you notice?
Spin in a circle and then sit down. How do you feel?
Walk around without shoes and think about what your feet are feeling.
Sit down and close your eyes, breathe in and out through your nose only.Dont talk. What to you feel, smell, and hear?
Put your hands in your pockets and walk around for a minute. Now walk around with your hands out of your pockets. How do you interact with things differently? Does the world seem different if you cannot touch it? (here is wonderful video about using your hands)
Dring a glass of water slowly. Pay attention to how your body feels when you are done. Wait a little while. Now drink a glass of water quickly. Does your body feel differently?
Play the quiet game. For 10 minutes, do not talk, just listen to the people and things around you. What do you notice?
Say something kind to someone. Pay attention to the expression on their face and how they hold their body. Does it change? How?
Trace your hand and color it in. Think of all of the things you can do with your hands: how can you take care of yourself, how can you help others. What can you build or draw?
SOME BENEFITS OF MINDFULNESS FOR CHILDREN
Mindfulness is simply the art of paying attention. It requires that we slow down and learn to bring stillness to our busy minds.
Observational skills: Helping our children tune in and notice their inner and outer world sets them up for greater success and a richer experience of all life has to offer. They can pick up on greater subtlety in conversation, gather more information for problem solving and respond to situations with greater skill.
Concentration: Developing their ability to sustain their focus for longer is so important for learning. Their teacher's will appreciate it too!
Rest and Relax brain state: Our kids are often exhausted. It's important for their learning and growth that they have the opportunity to regroup and give their brains and bodies time to renew. This shouldn't only be happening at night when they sleep.
Safety: A child cannot explore and learn when they are under any stress or threat – so we need to ensure children feel safe for optimal development to occur. Mindful activities help create a steady and safe feeling for children of all ages.
Soothe Emotions: Children have so many demands on their emotions during the day. And they are still learning how to understand and manage them! Learning how to recognise and soothe their own emotions takes time but is a life skill worth investing in. It helps develop resilience. And it offers protection from stress, anxiety and depression down the track.
Feeling Kind and Connected: Children who are tuned in to their own emotions – and don't feel overwhelmed by them – are more likely to notice and feel empathy towards others. This reduces the occurrences of bullying, enables stronger friendships and develops advanced social skills. It supports caring, kindness, generosity, gratitude and enjoyment of other people's happiness.
