February Round Up: The Best of Social-Emotional Learning Tools


February Social Emotional Learning Resources for Counseling

 

Ah, February. The grueling grind that January brought has finally subsided, leaving you to identify as one of two people: a) The hopeless romantic who has been stocking up on felt hearts and confetti since December 26th, or b) The underwhelmed, who thinks Valentine’s Day is overrated and that the true unspoken hero of the month is February 15th (Binge-On-Discounted-Bonbons-Day).

There is a little something for everyone in my top 7 social-emotional resources to support you and your K-3 cherubs throughout February.

1. (Free) Valentine’s Day Breathing Cards

 Free Valentine's Day cards for mindful breathing

Valentine's Breathing Exercises for Anxious Kids

These breathing exercises support mindfulness and can be powerful coping tools for your primary students and counseling groups to navigate big emotions. Level up your, “take a deep breath” monologue, by adding some razzle dazzle and visualization to your self-regulation strategies to make them more memorable and engaging.

You can grab your free mini set here.

Are you a visual learner? You can see a demonstration of the mindful breathing exercises here

2. Valentine's Day and RAOK Bulletin Board

Best Valentine's Day Classroom Decor for Random Acts of Kindness Week Etsy

This adorable retro cupid-themed bulletin board kit hits two love dove celebrations (Valentine's Day and Random Acts of Kindness Day) with one stone, as it also challenges our primary students to reflect on what kind acts they have done lately.

Check out our kindness blog for other ideas to support your Random Act of Kindness Week programming.

 

3. My Crabby Valentine

I, like many other elementary educators and parents of the world, have been guilty of toxic positivity when it comes to celebrating holidays with our little ones. This, the show must go on, mindset could be setting a dangerous precedent and cycle for our kids to grow up and follow. The simple solution is to be a little more transparent and honest about how we feel so that they learn that it is okay to feel many different emotions at the same time (both positive and negative). Check out the video above for a fun community activity that you can do with your kids at the dinner table or your class in a community circle!

4. Make My Heart Go Boom

The Great Kindness Challenge Craft

This kindness challenge activity kit is a groovy way to review that kindness matters, through discussions surrounding kind vs unkind acts. It includes a retro boombox craft to either make as a gift to someone who has been kind, or, to create as a little ode to self-love, as the kids recognize their own kind acts throughout the month. It also has some retro accessories to co-create an anchor chart, as well as a Write the Room activity.

 

5. Carl Cupid 

Cupid Emotions Clip art Coloring Pages Teachers Pay Teachers

 Using a third party (like a stuffed animal, a fictional character, a puppet) to support emotional regulation is helpful for a few reasons. 

  • Children are less intimidated
  • They are more engaged and therefore likely to open up and make connections
  • They are validated in knowing that they are not the only one who feels big emotions

These Carl Cupid coloring pages are wonderful conversation starters to promote self-regulation as part of your social-emotional learning program.

6. The Sweet Shoppe Dramatic Play

TPT Dramatic Play Bakery for Kindergarten

Sprinkled with love but fit for any time of the year, this bakery dramatic play station is a sweet addition to your learning space! 

New to pretend play? Read our blog post on The Importance of Pretend Play here. 

Decked out with all the labels (& blanks) you will ever need to promote positive relationship-building and to reinforce social skills, my absolute favorite part of this HUGE pack has got to be the Chill Cafe. 

In the Chill Cafe, children can explore mindfulness activities, SEL writing pieces, but most importantly, they can “type” out positive affirmations on their own little laptops. How divine!

Pretend Play for Peaceful Parenting Social Emotional Learning Skills

7. 100th Day of School Stand Up Sit Down
100th Day of School Game
This popular 100th Day of School game is a fan favorite- teachers and counselors like yourself have said that the children literally beg to play more! Our favorite part? It's COMPLETELY no-prep and even includes rules and a check-in before beginning. Don't take our word for it though! 
What are you looking forward to this February?
Let us know in the comments below!

Lots of love,

Namaste in School

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