Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for Kids - An Overview

Introduction

Children should be trained to manage their social and emotional skills. This helps them to face their adversities better and excel academically, professionally, and socially. Social and emotional learning (SEL) lays down the foundation for positive, long-term benefits in children, adults, and, in turn, their communities by promoting innovative problem-solving, self-discipline, impulse control, emotion regulation, and more. Children strive to become better adults, benefiting their future workplaces and strengthening communities.

What Is Social and Emotional Learning?

Social and emotional learning is a broad term for how children learn to manage or develop social or emotional skills. Managing difficult emotions, making responsible decisions, handling stressful situations, goal setting, and nurturing healthy relationships are examples of social and emotional learning.

People often assume that these skills are acquired naturally during the course of a child's development. However, when a child does not master these skills, it can cause behavioral problems, resulting in improper behavior in school. This can negatively affect their emotional development and learning ability. Molding them in these aspects helps them to comprehend their emotions in a better way, get a complete understanding of emotions, and, in turn, empathize with people in similar situations.

What Are the Benefits of Social and Emotional Learning?

According to research, the benefits of social and emotional learning include:

• Better Academic Performance: Studies show that children who get SEL show an improvement in their academic performance as well. A study conducted in 2023 shows that children who have SEL training could get better scores in their exams, even though the training did not have any academic components. All these studies show that children who have strong social and emotional skills are less likely to be held back by a grade.

• Better Mental Health: Studies show that SEL can positively impact children’s mental health. They suggest that SEL programs can address significant factors that can cause suicidal tendencies and help in managing them. They are trained to be emotionally strong and manage adverse situations efficiently. However, more research is required to stabilize this.

• More Empathetic: Children are trained to manage their emotions better and empathize with their fellow children. They can relate to the feelings that the other children could possibly have and tend to react in a way that soothes their emotions. In addition, they are able to judge inequity and discrimination and encourage diversity and inclusivity.

• Better Social and Emotional Skills: A study in 2017 reveals that children who are trained socially and emotionally behave better than children who are not exposed to them. This can have long-lasting results and make responsible decisions later in life.

• Better Relationships With Peer: Children who are trained socially and emotionally are better able to maintain supportive relationships with their peers. In addition, they are better at making decisions that are in the best interests of the larger community.

What Are the Components of Social and Emotional Learning?

The concept of social and emotional learning revolves around five main components. These also help in their learning and development. They include:

1. Self-Awareness: Children can understand their strengths and weaknesses as a part of this program. They learn to handle their thoughts and emotions. Being aware of themself encourages them to be more self-confident and to overcome their challenges positively.

2. Social Awareness: It encourages them to empathize with others and view life from their perspective as well. It helps children to have compassion and understand others.

3. Self-Management: Children can manage their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. They are taught to achieve their goals.

4. Relationship Skills: SEL programs encourage children to develop better communication skills, be active listeners, navigate complex and diverse settings, and negotiate conflict.

5. Responsible Decision-Making: Children are taught to evaluate factors like consequences, ethical standards, and safety to make empathetic and constructive decisions.

What Are the Social and Emotional Learning Activities that Can Be Done in School?

Social and emotional learning in schools can be implemented through various activities. Some of them include:

• Trying to understand another person’s feelings based on their facial expressions, behaviors, and other indicators.

• Relaxation techniques like muscle relaxation (a method of deep muscle relaxation that involves tensing and then relaxing the muscles, one by one) and belly breathing (a breathing technique that helps one to focus on their diaphragm) help to manage stress, thereby helping them to put forward better behavior.

• Learning how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can impact the other person.

• Learning how to solve problems step by step.

• Identifying goals and taking action to reach those goals.

• Positive self-talk.

• Playing games to encourage the development of social skills like taking turns, sharing, helping, and compromising.

How Can Social and Emotional Learning Be Encouraged at Home?

Parents are a child’s first teachers. Hence, how they reinforce SEL can affect a child’s social and emotional development. Activities that encourage SEL at home can include:

• The children can be encouraged to understand the emotions of the various characters in books, television shows, and movies. They can be encouraged to analyze why they feel so and what could be done to manage them.

• Relaxation techniques include lying down and listening to a piece of soothing music, mindful muscle relaxation, and breathing techniques.

• Promoting an awareness of themselves through journaling and drawing.

• Children should be encouraged to do activities that encourage kindness, like being involved in charity and donating toys to the less fortunate.

• Social skills can be encouraged through taking turns and learning to manage their frustrations by playing simple board games or card games.

• The child can be encouraged to express the emotions they feel. This encourages them to analyze why they feel so. The parents or caregivers then can encourage the child to think about the steps that can help them to manage their emotions.

• Older children can be encouraged to write letters to themselves. The letter can include their emotions, why they feel so, and what could be done to reverse it.

Conclusion

Knowledge is power, but that knowledge must not be limited to academic knowledge. Children must be encouraged to learn about social and emotional skills. This helps them to have a better identity, manage emotions, set realistic goals, express empathy, build stronger relationships, and make better decisions. Social and emotional learning can have a huge impact in the long run, from improved school performance to healthier friendships. In addition, children who have strong emotional skills can form a more fruitful and empathetic community.