In these extraordinary times, it’s more important than ever that we stay connected to our community of friends and families. As educators we care deeply about the well-being of our students and it’s now critical that we prioritize their overall social emotional health over academics. Some teachers and experts have argued that this is no longer distance learning, rather crisis learning. Students are removed from the safety of school and the comfort of daily routines. They may be worried about getting sick. They can no longer interact with their friends and have limited opportunities to be outside and play freely. And those whose families are financially impacted from the pandemic or are experiencing illness are even more emotionally vulnerable. The consequences are widespread and tragic.
To better manage children’s stress through distance learning, we have to be intentional about their emotional care and the effective ways to use technology to connect. Even though online schooling can provide a sense of normalcy, teachers are continuously looking out for signs of anxiety that children may be experiencing. Younger kids may not even recognize how stress feels. By incorporating social emotional learning (SEL) competencies - from self-awareness to responsible decision-making - educators are giving children the tools they need to minimize negative behavior, nurture meaningful relationships, and support their capacity to learn.
Many educators feel overwhelmed between the new expectations for virtual learning and the stress from their personal lives, so Better Kids is working to address the need of facilitating SEL instruction from home. Better Kids’ distance learning resources and lessons are designed to minimize teacher workload and to check in on our beloved students in an engaging way.
Consider these 4 resources below to ease SEL into your regular virtual instruction (PRE-K TO 2ND GRADE)
The first two require access to the app (free trial), Wisdom: The World of Emotions, a journey based game where children can earn a variety of ‘superpowers’ to help manage their feelings. The app also offers some calming strategies through augmented reality!
1. Live Social Emotional Learning Lessons (~ 45 min.)
These slides are ready for you to lead live SEL lessons with your students. Engage them through play with the Wisdom: The World of Emotions digital game and help them practice their skills in real time with the suggested hands-on activities.
Tip: click on the Gear icon and Open Speaker Notes to view our suggested script and details on hands-on activities.
Lesson 1 - Introducing Emotions
A total of 15 live lessons with distance learning slides are available in the Teaching Resources section of the Educator Board, accessible in the Wisdom: The World of Emotions app.
2. Asynchronous Social Emotional Learning Lessons (~ 20 min.)
Below are examples of pre-recorded videos and accompanying slides that you can use to engage students asynchronously in Social Emotional Learning. Throughout the lesson, students learn through play with the Wisdom: The World of Emotions digital game and practice their new skills by participating in a class discussion through FlipGrid.
*Follow our teacher tips to easily record your lesson with Zoom or with Google Meet.
Lesson 1 - Introducing Emotions
In this lesson, students are introduced with emotions through an animation and follow-up questions. Watch this video example of a pre-recorded lesson. Students are then encouraged to do hands-on activities and upload them to their classroom’s FlipGrid. Check out this FlipGrid example (password BetterKids).
Download the presentation slides and record your own lesson.
Lesson 2 - Facial Expressions
In this lesson, students learn how to read facial expressions. Watch this video example of a pre-recorded lesson. Students are then encouraged to do hands-on activities and upload them to their classroom’s FlipGrid. Check out this FlipGrid example (password BetterKids).
Download the presentation slides and record your own lesson.
3. Social Emotional Learning Transitions (~ 2 to 10 min.)
Are you looking to complement your distance learning lessons with short SEL breaks that keep your students engaged? Here are ready-made slides that include a variety of SEL activities: mindfulness, brain breaks, community building activities. You can choose any of these activities and include them at the start, end, and/or transitions of your instruction. Estimated times are included for each individual activity.
Try 9 Mindfulness Activities that will help your students feel calmer and grounded. They will be more self-aware and better able to focus their attention for your distance learning lesson. These mindfulness exercises are also useful tools to alleviate the stress and anxiety stemming from current uncertainties.
These 7 Brain Breaks will help your students get ready and centered for learning. Sitting for long periods of time, especially in front of a computer can be challenging and tiring. Add movement breaks to your instruction. It will help your students feel relaxed and energized for learning!
With 7 Community Building Activities, continue to encourage your students to get to know each other better. These fun prompts will strengthen your students’ social-awareness and relationship skills, despite the physical distance.
4. Social Emotional Learning Visual Printables and Worksheets (~ 15 min.)
These visual printables and worksheets focus on topics such as mindfulness, gratitude, expressing emotions, and problem-solving.
They are free to download and available in English, Spanish and French.
They can be used as a stand-alone, which you can learn more about through our teacher blogs, or as a supplement to the game-based app, Wisdom: The World of Emotions.
5. Special Ideas for Mother’s Day
These slides are ready to use with 4 simple distance learning ideas to celebrate Mother’s Day. We hope you and your students will enjoy these creative activities.
