At any time during the school year parents may be wondering how their child is handling their emotions at school, or adapting to new situations. In some cases, depending on their developmental stage, children can behave very differently at school and at home. For example, one student might be particularly good at following directions at school but emotional outbursts during pick-up time and challenging behaviors at home can be frequent. Parents and teachers can work as a team to find creative and positive ways to help children develop social emotional skills to overcome these challenges.

This list of questions was created to help parents have conversations with their child’s teacher about their social emotional growth:

1. Have you noticed any sudden changes in my child’s behavior lately?

2. Does my child seem uncomfortable or anxious when something is new or unfamiliar?

3. Does my child get upset or frustrated over school work?

4. Does my child play independently or with other children?

5. Does my child ever express how he or she feels to you or other students?

6. My child has been showing _____ at home, does he or she show this at school?

7. Does my child often need reminders of classroom rules?

8. Does my child show he or she is listening to you and other students?

9. Does my child respect differences he or she may have with other students?

10. How can I measure my child’s social emotional growth at home?

11. Does my child ever show aggression toward other children?

12. Does my child share well with other children?

13. Does my child show concern when another child is upset or hurt?

14. Does my child ever lose his or her temper? If so, what causes this to happen?

15. Does my child ever seem unhappy or withdrawn?

16. Does my child seem to be confident in his or herself?

17. Does my child think before acting?

18. Is my child ever restless or easily distracted?

19. Does my child express boredom or disinterest?

20. Is my child liked by other children?

21. Does my child offer to help others?

Many schools already have or are currently implementing more social emotional learning into their daily routine at school. Whether it be activity or curriculum based, these programs, including Wisdom: The World of Emotions are designed to help students develop their social emotional skills. The following questions are for parents to ask their child’s teacher or school administrator, to learn more about how these programs will help their child.

Additional questions to ask about how SEL programs will help your child at school:

1. How will SEL help my child’s academic growth?

2. How will SEL improve my child’s behavior?

3. How much of the school day is dedicated to SEL?

4. How can I practice SEL at home with my child?

5. What skills will my child learn in their SEL program?

6. How is SEL personalized?
   

We hope these suggestions will help you to have intentional conversations with your child’s teacher and learn more about your child’s social emotional growth!

A prior version of this article was originally published on March 10, 2021.