What is Social Emotional Learning?
Resources for Parents
Your Partner in Your Student’s Success
As parents, we all want our children to succeed in life. While success in school is important, it’s not the only thing.
Since babies don’t come with an instruction manual, parents learn “on the job.” And you teach your children so much, including how to share and be a friend, be responsible, be a good brother or sister, follow instructions, and care for their toys and things.
When children go to school, these same life lessons can look like getting along with others, working together in groups, sharing ideas, listening to others, doing your homework and handing it in on time, studying for tests and doing your best, and learning from your mistakes, as well as many others. These and many other skills can fall under the umbrella of life skills, otherwise known as social emotional learning (SEL).
What SEL is NOT:
SEL is Not Therapy or Counseling
While SEL focuses on positive life skills, it is not the same as therapy or counseling. Instead, it is a proactive way to promote positive skills development.SEL is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution
SEL is not a rigid curriculum that applies equally to all students. Instead, it allows teachers to meet students where they’re at and help them develop essential skills.SEL is Not About Feelings
Some people may perceive SEL as groups of students just sitting around talking about their feelings all day. It is not. SEL helps students prepare for the real world and their first jobs by building the conflict management, problem-solving, and positive decision-making skills employers look for.
SEL is your partner for helping students learn life skills and remove learning barriers that hinder success in school, career, and life. It teaches kids and students how to build healthy relationships and calm down in stressful situations so they can make responsible decisions.
How do Our Programs Help students?
By partnering with you and your school, our programs create calm classrooms by developing positive behaviors that help students thrive in real-world situations. Research shows that students do better in school when they are able to focus on a test or academic subject instead of their personal problems.
Real World Success
Our programs help students develop the skills they need to succeed in school and life, such as self-control, problem-solving, and decision-making.Make Better Choices
Our programs help students develop healthy relationships with peers and adults, reducing bullying, fighting, and negative peer pressure to try drugs, alcohol, and/or vaping.Increased Resiliency
Our programs teach students to recognize and manage how they react to other people and situations, helping them bounce back quicker from difficulties, learn from mistakes, and make better choices in the future.
Our Programs Support your Positive Parenting Strategies
Family values are important, and our programs can support your work at home. Our programs partner with parents to help their children learn important skills for life. We offer send-home letters to share with families what their students learn in the classroom. Parents can partner with us when you:
Model Positive Behaviors
Children learn by example, so modeling positive behaviors is important. Parents can demonstrate by using clear communication, calming down, and making good decisions in front of their children.Create a Supportive Homelife
Kids need to feel safe and happy at home to learn how to be good friends and handle their feelings. Parents can help by allowing kids to talk and solve problems when things get tough.Practice, Practice, Practice
Parents can give children a chance to practice these skills in different settings. For example, when kids have problems with their brothers, sisters, or friends, parents can help them use their thinking skills to figure out how to calm down and solve the problem positively.
Parent Connections
Our programs include send-home letters to keep parents informed and connected with what students learn in the classroom.
Access the Parent Communications Toolkit Canva Templates for your school or district.
Read More
Podcast
Listen: Educators and Parents Discuss SEL Strategies in the Real World
Other Resources
Visit Learning With SEL to download a parent toolkit to help talk with others in your community and schools.