How to Teach Social Emotional Skills in Whole Group
For the last couple of years, I have been teaching social emotional skills in a very intentional way. In whole group.
Now, that is not to say that I don't teach social skills all day long when the opportunities arise. Because I totally do.
But, now I have just added in a whole group component. Which was actually quite game changing, in ways I didn't suspect. You can read about that here.
So, what components go into a whole group social emotional lesson? Well, here is what I'm doing and it works for me...
1. We read a book related to the topic.
2. We discuss the topic using pre-determined questions/discussion starters.
3. We sing a song related to the skill.
4. Do an extension activity if time allows. Ex: Scenarios, Acting out the skill, Sorting...
We do this one day a week during our whole group time.
The skills I focus on are determined from this list:
But, I'll go through them all here!
- Month 1. I am Me
- Week one: I am Special
- Week two: I have Feelings
- Week three: I have Strengths
- Week four: I have a growth mindset
- Month 2. Appreciating Differences
- Week one: How we are Alike
- Week two: How we are Different
- Week three: Being Respectful
- Week four: Having Empathy
- Month 3. Calming the Stress
- Week one: Listening to your Body
- Week two:When I'm Angry
- Week three: When I'm Sad
- Week four: When I'm Frustrated
- Month 4. Impulses & Self-Discipline
- Week one: Sometimes we Fail
- Week two: I Can Follow Rules
- Week three: Waiting Is Hard
- Week four: Sometimes we Fail
- Month 5. Listening & Speaking
- Week one: Expressing Yourself
- Week two: Conversational Turn-Taking
- Week three: Ways to Get Attention
- Week four: Accepting 'No'
- Month 6. Making Friends
- Week one: How to Make a Friend
- Week two: Including Others
- Week three: Sharing & Turn Taking
- Week four: More Friends = More Fun
- Month 7. Being a Good Friend
- Week one: What is a Good Friend?
- Week two: Showing Kindness
- Week three: How to Apologize
- Week four: Listening to our Friends
- Month 8. Handling Peer Problems
- Week one: Problems Friend Have
- Week two: Talk It Out
- Week three: Ways to Handle Problems
- Week four: Getting Help
I've been so pleased with the results and outcomes of these whole group lessons I plan on doing them year after year.
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