95 Supplemental Social Emotional Learning Activities
Welcome to our supplemental Social Emotional Learning Activities page!
As you will see below, many of the supplemental SEL activities and lesson plans feature characters from our game-based, social emotional learning interventions. When you use the online programs with your students, these activities will reinforce the learning that occurs during gameplay.
Just like our online programs, these supplemental activities cover the following SEL skill areas: Communication, Cooperation, Emotion Regulation, Empathy, Impulse Control, and Social Initiation.
These activities are age-appropriate for elementary and middle school students and are typically used in a classroom or small group setting. In most cases, if materials are required for the activity, they are items you likely already have in your classroom or office.
Note: For a comprehensive set of activities, along with flexible filtering and sorting capabilities, simply log in to your Centervention Educator account and navigate to the Supplemental Resources page. If you need an educator account, you can sign up here.
List of Emotions: 135 Words that Express Feelings
The list of emotions a typical pre-K child understands may be limited to happy, mad, sad, and scared (Harter, S., & Buddin, B. J.), but as they grow, the list expands, and they develop a more nuanced vocabulary to explain how they feel.
Morning Meeting Questions
A morning meeting may look a little different from one classroom to the next, and can include a range of activities from getting to know you conversations to themed prompts focused on a specific content area. Consider including these four components in Morning Meetings: Greetings, Sharing, Activity, and Housekeeping.
Self Esteem Worksheets
What is Self-Esteem? In their paper, Portraits of the Self, published in 2003, Sedikides and Gress defined self-esteem as an “individual’s perception or subjective appraisal of one’s own self-worth, one’s feelings of self-respect and self-confidence and the extent to which …
SEL Check In
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Emotion Regulation Duration: Variable Materials: Online access via a web browser. You can sign up for a free educator account here. How Students Use The Online SEL Check In Each day your …
Cool Down Corner
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary SEL Skill(s): Emotion Regulation Duration: Variable Materials: Online access via a web browser. You can sign up for a free educator account here. Cool Down Corner Access Students may access the Cool Down Corner (CDC) in …
Social Emotional IEP Goals
Social Emotional IEP Goal Bank We understand that you want to provide your students with the greatest possible chance for success in meeting their IEP goals. To help out, we’ve assembled a list of 10 frequently cited Social Emotional IEP …
Anger Iceberg
Recommended Grade Level: Upper Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Emotion Regulation and Impulse Control Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Anger Iceberg Worksheet PDF (Available when logged in to our Centervention educator account). Anger Iceberg Lesson Instructions An Anger Iceberg lesson is …
Coping Skills For Anxiety
Coping Skills For Anxiety For Adults Lessons to Help Students Overcome Anxiety To help you assist your students in dealing with anxiety, we’ve created a series of activities, lessons, and worksheets. Many of these free lessons include characters and scenarios …
Would You Rather Questions For Kids
Getting to know your students, and students getting to know each other, can be a real struggle, and this is especially true in remote learning environments. To help we’ve created a series of Would You Rather Questions for Kids based on the classic ice breaker game.
Feelings Wheel
The Feelings Wheel is a tool created by Gloria Wilcox in 1982 for teens and adults seeking to better understand and explain their emotions. This unique circular design allows users to navigate and explore their feelings, moving from broader categories to more specific emotions, thereby fostering emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and effective communication.
Impulse Control Activities for Kids
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary SEL Skill(s): Impulse Control, Communication Duration: 45 minutes Materials: Impulse Control Activities for Kids Lesson Instructions Explain to your students that having to start over in these impulse control activities is similar to what happens when …
All About Me Worksheet
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Communication Duration: 30 minutes Materials: (available in Supplemental Resources section of your Centervention Educator Account) All About Me Worksheet This all about me worksheet is a great way to help students get …
50 Positive Affirmations for Kids
Positive affirmations are ideas and phrases that help us overcome negative thoughts and feelings. During challenging and uncertain times, it’s important to remain hopeful, and positive affirmations are a great way for students and educators to start the day.
Active Listening Exercises
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary, Middle, and High SEL Skill(s): Communication Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Educator Instructions for Active Listening Exercises Small Group Active Listening Exercises Gather students in a common area and ask one student to come forward. Tell students …
Brain Breaks For Kids
How Do Kids Take a Brain Break? It can be a good idea to intentionally plan a brain break mid-lesson, roughly every 20-30 minutes, though frequency can vary by age. When you plan ahead, you may avoid the slump of …
SEL Books
For obvious reasons, we hope that you use our online social emotional learning interventions to help your students practice and improve their social emotional skills at their own pace; however, we know that it helps to reinforce learning with additional resources like printables, worksheets, group activities, and SEL books and games.
Word Association Game
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Communication, Cooperation Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Word Association Cards (Available when logged in to your Centervention Educator account). Word Association Game Instructions Print out a set of Word Association Cards for each …
Self Care For Teachers
Recommended Grade Level: Adults SEL Skill(s): Multiple Duration: Over the Summer Materials: 5 Tips for Summer Self Care for Teachers Additional Resources
Responsible Decision Making Lesson
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Empathy, Impulse Control Duration: 30 minutes Materials: (Available when logged in to Centervention educator account) Responsible Decision Making Lesson Instructions Note: The grade ranges provided serve as guides. Read through the materials …
Body Language Mirroring
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Communication, Empathy Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Body Language Mirroring Activity Instructions Activity One Gather students in a circle and tell them that they will be playing a game to practice cooperation and …
Conflict Resolution for Kids
We’ve rounded up some of our top tips and lessons that will help you create a classroom that practices respectful resolutions and sees conflict as a chance to develop ever-important communication skills.
Self Awareness Worksheets
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Social Initiation Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Just Like Me Cards (print one for each group of four students) Instructions for Self Awareness Worksheets Have students sit in a circle to play a …
Agree to Disagree: A Lesson About Perspective
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary SEL Skill(s): Communication, Cooperation, Empathy Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Agree to Disagree Lesson Instructions and Teacher Guide Learning to appreciate and value the perspectives of others is a hallmark of effective communication and a foundation for …
How to be a Good Friend
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle School SEL Skill(s): Communication, Social Initiation Duration: 30 minutes Materials: How to be a Good Friend: Lesson Instructions Friendship Advertisement Ask students if they’ve ever seen a “Wanted Ad.” You can describe to them …
Dealing with Change
In this lesson, we will explore some of the changes students may be experiencing and how to deal with these changes more effectively.
How to Apologize
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle School SEL Skill(s): Communication, Empathy Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Apology slip worksheet (Available as a supplemental resource when logged in to your Centervention educator account) Learning How to Apologize Lesson Saying “I’m sorry,” and …
Social Cues and Social Competence
What Social Cues Mean? Teaching Social Cues Foundational lessons for social cues We have developed a number of lessons and activities to assist you in helping students understand and process social cues. And while the lessons below are free, please …
Voice Inflection
Recommended Grade Level: All SEL Skill(s): Communication Duration: 20 – 30 minutes Materials: Voice Inflection Examples In the video below, you will hear four audio clips for the following words: When you listen to each clip, try and decide if …
SEL Skill Printables
You can show an ongoing commitment to social emotional learning by recognizing students who demonstrate good or improving SEL skills.
Think Sheet: Behavior Reflection Exercise
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary SEL Skill(s): Emotion Regulation Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Think Sheet Instructions Additional Resources
Emotional Awareness: What Makes Me Happy
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary SEL Skill(s): Emotion Regulation, Empathy Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Emotional Awareness Lesson Directions Ask your students to think about the things that make them happy. A few examples you can share as prompts are: For your …
Pass It On Game
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Communication, Cooperation Duration: 30 minutes Materials: None Pass It On Game Instructions Prompt: Gather students in a circle and tell them they will play a game of Pass It On. They will …
Indoor Recess Activity: Pass The Hoop
Recommended Grade Level: Elementary and Middle SEL Skill(s): Communication, Cooperation Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Hula hoop(s) Indoor Recess Activity Instructions To begin this activity, place a hula hoop diagonally across your body and gather students to join hands in a …
Wrinkled Heart Activity
Recommended Grade Level: Lower Elementary SEL Skill(s): Empathy Duration: 30 minutes Materials: Wrinkled Heart printable A Wrinkled Heart Activity Directions Prompt for Educators: “Words can be very hurtful, and we need to be careful of what we say so that …
Eye Expressions: How We Communicate With Our Eyes
Eye Expressions Activity Instructions Ask your students how they can communicate without speaking. They might say things like: smiling, frowning, crying, using eye expressions, hand gestures, etc. And then ask them, how can they communicate if they are wearing a …
Emotion Faces Worksheet
Directions for Emotion Faces Lesson Print out and provide a worksheet to each of your students, or if you are using the lesson remotely, please send them the typable PDF. On the first page, we have a list of 9 …
Social Emotional Learning at Home
Developmental Milestones for Social and Emotional Skills
Preschool Developmental Milestones The preschool years are ripe with opportunities to develop social skills especially as children begin spending time with other kids their age. Play allows them to practice taking turns, winning and losing, sharing and negotiating. The preschool years are also heavily influenced by parents and caregivers. In …
Do I have a Sad Child or Could it be Depression?
Q: My son used to be a fun, lighthearted and very active kid. But lately, he’s been negative about everything. He lashed out at his sister for eating the last cookie. His angry behavior ruined a family night out because we didn’t choose his favorite restaurant. And he’s no longer …
What to do when your child feels left out
Q: My daughter was really upset when she came home from school today. At the beginning of the day, one of her classmates’ mothers distributed birthday party invitations to many of the students in the class. My daughter was left out. She has played with the other child before at …
What are the Warning Signs of ADHD?
Q: My son’s teacher has raised some concerns about his behavior in class and suggests that we test him for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. She tells us that he interrupts her a lot, has trouble finishing tasks, never waits his turn and fidgets all the time. We see some of …
Following Directions: Advice from Experts
Q: My son is an intelligent kid. He does well in school, loves playing on his basketball team and has a great group of friends, but he can’t follow a direction to save his life. Every day it’s a struggle to get him to do anything—whether it’s picking up his …
Getting Ready for School: Avoid the Drama
Q: School mornings are a real struggle in my house. My kids have to do just six things each morning: Get up, get dressed, brush their teeth, comb their hair, eat some breakfast and get their shoes on. But, every single morning, I find them dawdling over breakfast or having …
Impulsive Behavior in Children
Q: My daughter is so impulsive. She’s constantly getting into trouble for things like grabbing toys away from friends at school or during playdates and interrupting her older sister even after we’ve told her to leave her alone. When she gets angry, her emotions quickly ramp up and she often …
Lacking Self-Confidence: Expert Ideas and Tips to Help your Kids
Q: My son is a smart, capable boy, but he is lacking self-confidence in just about anything he does. A missed shot in hockey means he’s no good at the sport. A few questions wrong on a reading comprehension test means he’s no good at reading. I tell him he’s …
Bullied at School: Expert Ideas to Help your Child
Q: I think my child is being bullied at school. In the last couple of weeks, she’s started complaining about a particular girl, who, she says, makes fun of her appearance and tells others to not be her friend. I’m not sure how long it’s been going on, but, a …
Meltdowns: How to Help your Child and Reduce Frustration
Q: I thought we were done with meltdowns when my daughter graduated from preschool. But, these days, as a first grader, she regularly breaks down. It often happens after school when we’re running an errand or even just hanging out at home. It’s putting a damper on our afternoons. How …
Bored at School and Academically Gifted
Q: When I ask my gifted child how school is each day, he almost always responds by saying this: “Really, really boring.” I’m not surprised. His math and reading skills are way above grade level, and I’m sure he just isn’t being challenged. But, making matters worse, we’re now getting …
Making Friends at School
Q: All the other kids in my son’s class have a best friend or a group of close friends, but my boy always seems to be left out. He’s never invited to playdates or birthday parties, and nobody picks him as a partner for group projects. My heart is breaking …
Growth Mindset for Kids
An Overview of Growth Mindset for Kids Kids develop a growth mindset, a term coined by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, when they’re praised for their effort and not their intelligence and learn that they can grow their abilities over time. In a series of studies, Dweck and her colleagues …
Strategies for Helping Your Child with School Refusal
Q: My daughter has always loved going to school, but this year, something has changed. Many mornings, she complains about stomach aches, headaches or nausea. I’ve actually kept her home, thinking she was sick. But as soon as she knows she’s staying home, she perks up.On other mornings, she simply …
Parent-Teacher Relationships to Help Your Child Thrive at School
Q: My daughter’s teacher seems like a lovely woman and, so far, we’ve had a good parent-teacher relationship. But now my daughter is complaining that her teacher hates her, that she never calls on her in class and that she clearly has a favorite student. How can I broach this …
How to Help Your Child Overcome Negative Thinking
Q: Whether it’s a test at school or a new step at dance class, my daughter doesn’t think she can do anything well. She always seems to be spiraling down into this pit of negative thinking, and it’s preventing her from accomplishing or finishing just about anything. There are a …
My Child Has Difficulty Making Decisions: How Can I Help?
Q: My daughter can’t make a decision to save her life. When she was picking out a new shirt at the store, she had a meltdown because she couldn’t decide between red or blue. Every time we’re at a restaurant, if we let her, she’d take 30 minutes to decide …
Angry Kid: How Can I Help My Son be Less Frustrated?
Q: My son can be such an angry kid. When just about anything doesn’t go his way, he gets so upset and frustrated. He starts yelling and has a really hard time settling down. And his anger erupts over some of the most mundane things—a sandwich that’s a little “mushy” …
Additional Resources for Social Emotional Learning
Classroom Management Plan
Our classroom management plan is a step-by-step guide and includes proven strategies, tips and printables for elementary school teachers, and it covers four key components for establishing a successful, well-managed classroom.
Classroom Decorations
These free downloadable posters will decorate your classroom and be great teaching resources, reinforcing social and emotional skills in your classroom and reminding students to practice their skills like emotion regulation, impulse control, empathy, and more.
Social Emotional Learning Quotes
For each of the topics below, we have curated a list of quotes. You can incorporate these quotes in your social emotional learning lessons, add them to social media images, create classroom posters, or write one on your whiteboard each day.
