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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Visual Daily Timetable - Desk Strip
A visual timetable for students who could benefit from having the days activities displayed on their desk.
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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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Cooperation Social Stories - Interactive Activity
Help your students differentiate between uncooperative and cooperative behaviour in social situations with an interactive activity.
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'Ways To Show Empathy' Classroom Poster and Worksheet
Teach your students how to share the feelings of others with this empathy for kids poster and worksheet.
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Everyone Belongs Mindful Colouring Page
Decorate your classroom or school with these colouring pages for Harmony Day.
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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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Places I Belong Cut-and-Paste Worksheet
Encourage students to think of the different places they feel a sense of belonging at school and in the home environment.
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Self-Awareness Worksheet
Help your students build self-awareness by reflecting on the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in the specific scenario outlined on this worksheet.
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Making Good Choices Mini-Book
Help your students develop strategies for making good choices with this printable social story mini-book.
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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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Grow a Friendship Garden – Friendship Activities
Encourage students to make a friendship garden grow with this activity bundle that includes friendship worksheets, writing templates, craft templates and scenario cards.
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How to Be a Good Friend – Mini-Book
Encourage students to build relationships by learning how to be a good friend with this printable mini-book.
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Stick With Kindness Craft and Writing Template
Discuss the importance of kindness and explore why we should ‘stick with kindness’ with this writing and craft activity.
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Emotion Strategies Wheel
Help your students self-regulate when they experience 'big' emotions with this hands-on emotions wheel with accompanying calming strategies.
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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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What Is Resilience? Teaching Slides
Teach your students the meaning of resilience with this age-appropriate slide deck perfect for your social-emotional learning lessons.
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Reflecting on Choices Writing Prompt Pack
Encourage students to reflect on the choices they’ve made and their respective outcomes with this set of 8 writing prompts.
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Safe or Unsafe Scenario Task Cards
Discuss safe and unsafe situations with this set of scenario task cards.
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Safe or Unsafe Social Stories Interactive Activity
Discuss safe and unsafe scenarios with this interactive activity.
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Inclusion Poster
A beautiful poster to spread the message that inclusion is for ALL.
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Managing Anger Worksheet (Upper Primary)
Help older students identify and manage angry feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet.
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Managing Anger Worksheet (Lower Primary)
Help students identify and manage their anger with this self-relfection worksheet.
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The Worry Waterfall – Anxiety Management Poster
Teach your students how to deal effectively with worrying thoughts with this classroom poster.
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Visual Reward Chart
A visual reward chart along with token and reward cards to use in the classroom.
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Developing a Growth Mindset – Worksheets
Help your students develop a growth mindset and set achievable goals with a printable pack of growth mindset worksheets.
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Random Acts of Kindness Calendar
16 random acts of kindness tasks for students to do for others.
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Bullying Role Play Cards
Equip students with anti-bullying strategies with printable role play cards that will help them recognise and respond to different types of bullying.
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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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Dealing with Bullying Board Game
A fun board game for students to play when encouraging the use of resilience strategies.
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Social Stories – Pictures and Templates
81 social story pictures and 9 templates to use with children in your classroom.
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Growth vs. Fixed Mindset Statements - Worksheet
Assess student understanding about the different statements that one might say to distinguish between having a growth or fixed mindset.
- 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