Social-Emotional Development in Children

Children will spend the majority of their time at school. It’s where they’re likely to learn about creating social connections, develop emotional intelligence, and acquire academic growth. Grasping all of this gives them the ability to maintain healthy relationships with other people and achieve academic successes for the beginnings of a good career. Plus, with the advent of A.I. and other technological advances, social mastery and emotional intelligence will become significant job recruitment factors.
Teachers can nurture these skills in children through the use of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Social-Emotional Academic Development (SEAD). Students learn to cope with stress and set positive goals for themselves. Cultivating social skills, emotional mechanisms, and academic knowledge in a learning environment encourages future success by building confidence and self-esteem.
We curated a list of resources to help teachers and educational leaders implement SEL and SEAD. We provide introductions to the concepts and activity ideas to reinforce social bonding, emotional intelligence, and academic development among students.

Introduction to Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Students who receive social-emotional interventions early and throughout their learning careers demonstrate impressive and measurable benefits later on in life. That’s because they learn to manage their emotions, cope with stress, and set positive goals. Here’s an introduction to social-emotional learning and why it’s useful to implement in the classroom.

• Using Social Emotional Learning to Alleviate Back-to-School Anxiety
• Bringing Social-Emotional Learning into the Classroom
• Teaching Children Kindness & Empathy Using Social-Emotional Learning
• Why We Really Need SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) Now
• Social-Emotional Learning: The Magic of Circle Talk

Integrating SEL and Academic Development (SEAD)

How is social-emotional learning helpful for academic development? The concept of SEAD (Social-Emotional & Academic Development) answers this by using SEL to keep students focused on academic growth. This section focuses on practical advice for using SEAD effectively.

• The Real and Lasting Impacts of Social Emotional Learning with At-Risk Students: Finding a way to reach at-risk students who are struggling in various ways can be difficult, but social-emotional learning can open doors.
• How to Cultivate Social Connection and Empathy in the Classroom?: Advocates for healthy school climates examine where students’ social connection and empathy begin to break down.
• Beyond the Test: How Teaching Soft Skills Helps Students Succeed: How can teachers make non-cognitive skill instruction part of their course design?
• Why Anxiety in Teens is So Prevalent and What Can Be Done: Teens in the United States are struggling with anxiety in record numbers. Students are stressed out, overstimulated, and distressed.

Additional Social-Emotional Development Articles

• How to Implement SEL for Virtual Classrooms
• 5 Keys to Social and Emotional Learning Success
• How Long Do the Benefits of SEL Programs Last?
• Why social-emotional intelligence matters in school
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Tools in Schools
• What is Social, Emotional, and Academic Development?
• 3 Practical Resources to Help Teachers Integrate SEL and Academics
• Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development
• Teaching Students to Reflect on Personal Learning
• How to Make Social & Emotional Learning Authentic