The Value of Social-Emotional Learning and How To Incorporate it at Home

As a parent, you care deeply about your child’s well-being and development.  Your child’s ability to thrive in these areas is related to how your child is educated at school and at home.  His or her education is comprised of more than just academics – it includes the teaching of everyday life skills known as social-emotional learning.

Social-emotional intelligence is a powerful factor in a child’s personal growth and academic success.  According to the Committee for Children, social-emotional learning, also known as SEL, can be defined as “the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.”

This type of learning is often introduced to preschool-aged children, at school and at home.  It is the responsibility of teachers and parents to continuously foster the acquired skills throughout the young adult years.

When your child builds social-emotional skills, it allows him or her to feel empowered to effectively handle situations involving interactions with others, hence, the social aspect.  It will also enable him or her to be internally in tune to enact self-discipline and impulse control during emotional situations.

In a study called Promoting Positive Youth Development Through School-Based Social and Emotional Learning Interventions: A Meta-Analysis of Follow-Up Effects, 97,406 students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, in 82 schools, were provided with social-emotional learning in their curriculum.  These students performed 13% better academically than their peers performed.  The implementation of SEL impacted areas aside from academics as well: minimal behavior issues and few emotional challenges.  Even three years after exposure to SEL, these findings continued to ring true.

These discoveries demonstrate the value and continual positive impact of social-emotional learning.  The effort by teachers to incorporate social-emotional learning in their classrooms is clearly effective.  To further complement these endeavors, parents must emphasize SEL at home to indefinitely evolve those skills. 

An educational resource called Prodigy provides a list on its website of recommended activities that children can do at home to develop social-emotional intelligence.  The abilities developed through this learning include self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, social awareness, and relationship skills.

These are some of those suggested activities: creating art projects, performing practical tasks (for example, the daily responsibility of feeding the family pet), practicing mindfulness exercises (such as focused breathing), setting goals, reading, playing games, and journal writing, amongst others.

It is vital for parents to be conscious of presenting themselves as role models for positive social and emotional growth.  They can do this by engaging with their children in some of the actions listed above.  These activities provide children with the means to process emotions, to resolve conflicts peacefully, and to make responsible choices.

When it comes to processing emotions, let’s say for example your daughter enters an essay-writing competition.  One of her classmates wins the contest.  If you instilled your daughter with the concept that although it is okay to feel upset for not winning that she should feel proud of herself for the time and effort she put into her work, her self-esteem will be boosted.  She will then feel motivated to continue crafting various types of writing.  Also, if you imparted the significance of recognizing others for a job well done, she will feel encouraged to provide the winner with a genuine compliment and words of congratulations.  This action will enhance the social-emotional well-being of both your daughter and her classmate.

For conflict-resolution, imagine that you have two sons who want to play with a particular toy.  In the past, they have been known to get physical and yell during arguments.  But, if you incorporate social-emotional learning into your teachings of appropriate interactions, they will know to calmly use their words rather than their hands.  Your sons will agree to take turns with the toy, and peaceful play will take place.

In this next scenario, about making responsible choices, selecting the option that is more gratifying is the typical go-to response for kids.  Let’s say that you have spent time with your son emphasizing the value of prioritizing tasks.  When your son comes home after school, if his friends ask him to play soccer, he will confidently tell them that he must do his homework first and will meet them later.  Your son will know that it is in his best interest to complete his assignments, otherwise he will be too tired and might not answer all the questions accurately.  Your son’s reaction to the situation is a display of maturity and social-emotional growth.  He is making himself accountable for his schoolwork without jeopardizing an opportunity to socialize with his friends.

As a parent, you can teach social-emotional intelligence, like in the examples above, by modelling positive behaviors, interactions, and values.  These include respect, compassion, acceptance, listening, granting your child responsibilities, building self-esteem, sharing encouraging words with your child to build his or her confidence, spending time as a family reflecting on the people and things you each appreciate, and having conversations about emotional situations.

To guide you in teaching SEL concepts, it can be beneficial to contact your child’s teacher or school counselor.  These educators can share information with you about how social-emotional learning is being incorporated at school.  You can also ask those professionals for resources you can use to further educate yourself on the topic.  By having this information, you can complement the educators’ efforts at home. 

An essential part of a child’s development is for him or her to learn healthy ways to handle emotions, to engage in peaceful conflict-resolution, and to make responsible choices.  This is why social-emotional intelligence is just as important as academic learning.  With the foundation of social and emotional skills, academic achievement is a likely result.   Taking the time to foster the development of everyday abilities will have a great impact on your child’s functionality in all avenues of life, such as throughout his or her academics and career, as well as in the relationships your child builds with others.  

For more information about engaging in social-emotional learning at home, visit the resources listed below or contact your child’s educators.

References:

Committee for Children. “What is Social-Emotional Learning? Helping Everyone Thrive”. 2021. Retrieved 04 November 2021. https://www.cfchildren.org/what-is-social-emotional-learning/

EdWeek Market Brief. “Families Play an Important Role in Social-Emotional Learning at School”. 2019. Retrieved 05 November 2021. https://marketbrief.edweek.org/the-startup-blog/how-to-engage-families-in-sel/

Edutopia. “Resources for Promoting Social and Emotional Learning at Home”. 2021. Retrieved 04 November 2021. https://www.edutopia.org/article/resources-promoting-social-and-emotional-learning-home

Edutopia. “Social and Emotional Learning: Strategies for Parents”. 2001. Retrieved 04 November 2021. https://www.edutopia.org/social-emotional-learning-parent-resources

Prodigy. “25 Social Emotional Learning Activities & How They Promote Student Well-Being.” 2021. Retrieved 08 November 2021. https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/social-emotional-learning-activities/

Taylor, R.D., Oberle, E., Durlak, J.A., & Weissberg, R.P. (2017). Promoting positive youth development through school-based social and emotional learning interventions: a meta-analysis of follow-up effects. Child Development, 88(4), 1156–1171. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12864