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Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
SEL Kernel
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SEL Kernels are short, flexible, easy-to-use strategies and routines that build social and emotional skills. Each Kernel is designed to target a specific skill or competency, such as emotion knowledge, perspective-taking, or conflict resolution.
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Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #JumpBackUpJuly
#JumpBackUpJuly Quote of the Month:
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
– Albert Einstein
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Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #JumpBackUpJuly
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Jul%202025.pdf
During the summertime, afterschool programs are different hours, and it may affect daily routines. It is important to talk about how to get back into routines or create a routine. You can utilize this sample schedule to help your students create a morning, afternoon, and evening routine. Routines can include eating, sleeping, and other things that are consistent throughout the day.
Week 2: Summer Journal
A sunshine summer journal is a fun way to track what students have been thinking, learning, and writing for the summer. There is a step-by-step guide in the link above and the supplies needed for the summer journal. There are many ways to utilize the summer journal such as students can draw or write about a favorite thing they did or saw. Another idea is to write simple poems, sticker stories, or even make a weather chart page they see throughout the day.
Week 3: Yet Crown
The Yet Crown activity is where students write a list of 2–3 hard things that they cannot do but want to be able to do. You can utilize the SMART goal method to make sure it is attainable. Then you can have your students decorate their crown with the goals they decided and write the letters YET in the center of the crown. The word ‘yet’ to a sentence is a simple and effective tool for kids when trying to succeed at something new.
Week 4: The Worry Box
As we continue summer programming, it is a good time to reflect on and consider what our students may be feeling. Moreso, focus on what kind of worries students may have. One helpful activity is to encourage students to write down or draw their worries and place them in a Worry Box. This box can be used whenever a student feels overwhelmed. Students can place their worry in the box; this signifies how they can take control of their emotions and situation. It allows them to temporarily “park” their feelings until they are ready to address them — whether by tackling the issue, asking for help, or accepting it and moving on. You can also invite students to decorate their worry box. An alternative activity to consider is the write down, rip up, throw away your stress activity that works best at the beginning of program.
Week 5: Coping Skills
Encourage students to participate in a group coping skill activity and think about what helpful and unhelpful strategies are. There are different ways for people to cope such as physical activities, mindfulness practices, social support, and cognitive techniques. It is important for students to explore and identify what works best for them, whether they are dealing with big life changes, unexpected challenges, and just everyday stress.
SEL Video of the Month
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What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and how can I be part of this?
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
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What is Social-Emotional Learning and why does it matter?
Per CASEL, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) reflects the critical role of positive relationships and emotional connections in the learning process and helps students develop a range of skills they need for school and life.
SEL Resources
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I Am Poem Template
Download this free template now, It’s called the “I Am” Poem. It’s a way to practice and promote self-care by checking in with themselves to feel a sense of belonging.
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As the pandemic continues, kids are turning to meditation to manage anxiety
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SEL skills include the ability to:
- set and achieve positive goals
- feel and show empathy for others
- establish and maintain positive relationships
- make responsible decisions
- understand and manage emotions
All of these skills are necessary—both for educators and students—to function well in the classroom, in the community, and in college and careers.
Visit the CASEL Interactive SEL Framework to learn more about the CASEL Wheel (above)
Previous Monthly Themes
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June 2025—#JoyfulJune
Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #JoyfulJune
#JoyfulJune Quote of the Month:
“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life ”
– Omar Khayyam
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #JoyfulJune
“A little joy can brighten your day and fill your heart.” As summer approaches it’s the perfect time to reflect on what brings us happiness and what helps us feel better. Joy can be found in anything even in the simplest things – like the sun. The bright sun that rises in the morning sets the stage for a beautiful, joyful day. #JoyfulJune #SimpleJoy
Week 2: Make a Joy List
A joy list is a great way to have kids reflect on what brings them joy whether it’s people, food, things, hobbies, or places. After each student has written down what brings them joy, place it on a poster or cut out the letters of joy and place it anywhere they’d like. Another option is to display their creations in your program space so they can look at them anytime. Here are a couple of templates you can use: My Joy List template and What Brings You Joy? #JoyfulJune #MyJoyList
Week 3: Outdoor Scavenger Hunt
In this nature color scavenger hunt activity, youth will work as a team and find natural items that match each color on a color wheel. As they explore the outdoors, they will have the opportunity to reflect on how nature makes them feel and what they enjoy most about spending time outside. After the scavenger hunt, youth can engage in group discussion, sharing their thoughts on the experience and reflect on their personal connection with nature. #JoyfulJune #ExploreNature
Week 4: Happy Dance
Dancing gives a fun and expressive way to release tension, boost your mood, and embrace positive energy. Have youth get up and do a happy dance. Make sure they shake things off, like, what they have been feeling throughout the day. They can do the same routine or make up their own dance and steps that make them feel happy. #JoyfulJune #HappyDance
Week 5: Glitter Jar
Have youth make their own glitter jar, you will need a jar or bottle, glue, glitter, water, and food coloring (optional). Detailed step-by-step instructions can be found in the hyperlink above. Glitter jars are a fun and creative way to support emotional regulation and mindfulness. They can help with calming down, relaxing, understanding how the brain works, practicing mindful communication, and focus-building. #JoyfulJune #CalmJar
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May 2025—#MeaningfulMay
#MeaningfulMay Quote of the Month:
“Don’t count the days, make the days count.”
– Muhammad Ali
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #MeaningfulMay
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/May%202025.jpg
We matter every day. But how often do we stop and take the opportunity to “be” in the moment of our daily lives? With easy access to technology, we often find ourselves viewing those moments behind the lens instead of taking the opportunity to “be” in the moment. Take the opportunity this month to “be” in the moment. To “be” intentional with your everyday life. #MeaningfulMay #Intentionality #Beinthemoment
Week 2: Self-Made Awards
In your afterschool program, have students reflect on their personal accomplishments and areas of growth. Have students create a specialized award for themselves. For example, a student may reward themselves with “The Spirit Award,” for showing team spirit and energy throughout the year. Then, give students an opportunity to share their award with their peers, family members, and community members during a special afterschool showcase. #MeaningfulMay #Reflection #CelebrateYourself
Week 3: Make a Smile Pile
Encourage your students to capture moments that make them smile by writing them down and submitting them to the Smile Pile, a bucket students fill with handwritten notes. If students include their name on the note, they can share their positive moment with the program, whereas anonymous slips are kept private. You can set aside a time each week to read and share the notes within your program. #MeaningfulMay #PositiveNotes
Week 4: Sharing Gratitude Stories
One way to reflect on gratitude is by sharing gratitude stories (link of the activity) with a partner in your afterschool program. Ask each student to think about a time they felt grateful. Then each student pairs up with a partner and takes turns sharing their experiences. Once students are in pairs, students decide on who will ask the questions and then who will answer. After the first person has shared their story, they switch roles. Finally, have each student record their feelings in a word web. #MeaningfulMay #StoryTime #Gratitude
Week 5: What motivates you? Inspiring Quotes
Quotes can be a useful way to initiate reflection because there is an ample supply of them, they are often brief yet inspiring, and they can sometimes be interpreted in multiple ways. Post meaningful and inspiring quotes around your area. Have youth to quietly walk round and read each quote. Then, have students reflect and discuss their quote. Some meaning and inspirational quotes are listed below. #MeaningfulMay #Inspiration
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” — Thomas Edison
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” –Maya Angelou
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” —Albert Einstein
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” —Abraham Lincoln
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April 2025—#ActiveApril
#ActiveApril Quote of the Month:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– Lao Tzu
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calander #ActiveApril
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Apr%202025.jpg
As we begin this new season, let’s become more active and take a moment outside to enjoy the spring weather. One way to gain some active and interactive free activities is to create a free GoNoodle account where you gain access to many topics including self-expression, teamwork, and more.
Week 2: Move & Groove
Research has shown that there are many benefits to being active, such as improving your mood and getting better sleep. A fun activity to play is “Are you more like.” Have students start in the middle and move left or right based on what they feel more like. Here’s a clip of several examples by GoNoodle, you can also play through during program time. #ActiveApril #MoveToImprove
Week 3: Dance it Out
A great way for youth to explore how emotions are shown and how they feel it in their bodies is through dance and movement. GoNoodle has several different dancing videos including “We Are One” on using different dance moves youth can explore. It has step by step for kids to follow through and can be paused at any moment. #ActiveApril #LetsDance #FeelTheRhythm
Week 4: Mood Walk
A mood walk is when you explore, name, and act out your emotions. For example, walk like you’re happy and get your legs up and smiling face. Then, say “neutral” and say a new emotion every time you would like to switch. You can follow along the Mood Walk by GoNoodle, and then try some different ones as well with your students. #ActiveApril #Emotions #EmotionThroughDance
Week 5: Let’s Unplug
Take students outside and have them sit or lie in a space that’s just theirs. Students are welcome to bring a notebook and pencil to write down their thoughts or feelings. Another idea is to have students find an object and then allow them to build a one-minute story around it. #ActiveApril #OutdoorPlay
All things Earth Day! Invest in Our Planet
Every year on April 22nd, Earth Day brings the world together to celebrate, and it’s the perfect time to educate kids about climate change and how they can work to protect our home with Earth Day activities for kids. #EarthDay #SavethePlanet
https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/earth-day-activities/ https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2025/
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March 2025—#MindfulMarch
Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #MindfulMarch
#MindfulMarch Quote of the Month:
“The mind is just like a muscle—the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets and the more it can expand.”
– Idowu Koyenikan4
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #MindfulMarch
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Mar%202025.jpg
One way to practice mindfulness is to listen to music. Choose a playlist that’s filled with different types of music that can solicit different ranges of emotions. Once you have curated your playlist, play the songs one at a time and ask youth if they think the song is happy or sad. Then you can ask why they chose that specific emotion. To learn more: Feeling the Music Activity Click on the link to access a pre-made playlist . #MindfulMarch #FeelingtheMusic #NamingEmotions
SEL Day: March 3rd is SEL Day
Celebrate SEL Day! There are so many ways to celebrate to make SEL an important part of your program. Here are just a few fun and engaging activities you can do as a whole group. Organize and host a grateful-ness party and encourage everyone to share what they are grateful for; this can be done by writing a gratitude note. Gather all your art supplies and create a group mural to hang in your program space, sing a song, or a new chant for your program. SEL Day should be a day of celebrating all things SEL! Other ideas include having mindfulness activities, and positive affirmations bulletin board. For more ideas check out SEL Day Activities #SELday #Grateful #MindfulnessActivities #PositiveAffirmations #Celebrate
Week 2: Breathing Exercises
Pinwheel Breathing Exercise , Rainbow Breath Exercise, Relax and Breathe Do Nothing for 10 minutes
When youth become overwhelmed or need an opportunity to reset practicing calming breathing techniques can help youth recenter. Here are a few breathing techniques that can be practiced during the program. The breathing techniques shared, can be taught as a whole group activity; by doing so, youth will have the tools to self-regulate when they feel overwhelmed. Being aware of your breathing is a keyway to bring a swift sense of calm, and distance yourself from anxious feelings. This will allow youth to look at a situation objectively rather than act quickly as a reaction to stress. #MindfulMarch #RelaxandBreathe
Week 3: Let’s Play Mindfulness Bingo!
A fun and engaging activity for youth, is Mindfulness Bingo/Mindfulness Bingo (two bingo card ideas). This activity can be a great way for youth reflect on what they are already doing and how they are being mindful throughout the week. The game is simple to create, just fill each card with different mindfulness activities BINGO. #MindfulMarch #MindfulnessBingo
Week 4: Body Scan
The 3 Minutes Body Scan Meditation is a practice youth can use to help them narrow down their focus. As you narrow down your focus you pay closer attention to sensations happening within the body. Alidina states “The body scan trains your mind to be able to move from detailed attention to a wider and more spacious awareness from one moment to the next.” #MindfulMarch #BodyScan #Meditate
Week 5: Yoga
The Edutopia website has 5 Yoga Practices for School-Day Transitions to help with mindfulness. Yoga and mindfulness have been shown to improve both physical and mental health in school-age children (ages 6 to 12). Yoga improves balance, strength, endurance, and aerobic capacity in children. Yoga and mindfulness offer psychological benefits for children as well. A growing body of research has already shown that yoga can improve focus, memory, self-esteem, academic performance, and classroom behavior, and can even reduce anxiety and stress in children. #MindfulMarch #Yoga
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February 2025—#FriendlyFebruary
Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #FriendlyFebruary
#FriendlyFebruary Quote of the Month:
“Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.”
– Maya Angelou
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #FriendlyFebruary
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Feb%202025.jpg
Let’s give everyone a chance to spread kindness by shouting out someone in the program. A shout-out is a positive comment given from one peer to another, acknowledging something good they did or overcoming a challenge. This can be done at the beginning or end of your program, allowing youth a chance to give shout-outs. Check out the video from Edutopia on how shout-outs can bolster peer relationships. #FriendlyFebruary #Shoutout #BuildingPeerRelations
Week 2: I Heart Afterschool
There are millions of reasons to love afterschool. Afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire learning, and help working families. Tell the world why you, your students, and your community love your afterschool program! I Heart Afterschool is February 14, and what better time to share how you feel about their afterschool program. Afterschool Alliance has free resources for you to use to share your love for afterschool. #FriendlyFebruary #IHeartAfterschool
A fun and engaging activity for your program to try is a holiday themed Connections game. The connection game is based on the Connections game in the New York Times. Thanks to TCEA for sharing this fun and exciting game that will surely get your brain juices flowing. HOLIDAY THEMED - Connections GAME that can be done in your program, colored in pink, purple, and red. There are 16 words, divided into four categories of four words each, and each group shares a common thread. #FriendlyFebruary #ValentineDay #Connections
Week 3: Create a Friendship Flower Garden (Random Acts of Kindness Day 2/17/25)
First, ask youth to draw a flower with big petals and write a characteristic of a friend on each petal, then color them. Afterward, they can hang up their flowers to create a “friendship garden.” Friendship Activities for Kids – Very Special Tales (Activity #11) #FriendlyFebruary #FriendshipGardenWeek 4: Let’s Dance! (Celebrating Black History)
Learn about the art of stepping. Stepping is a form of dancing in which the body is used to create unique rhythms and sounds. The website Step Afrika! offers videos and information about the history of stepping. Challenge the youth in your program to create a unique step. Have them practice and share it with the whole group. About Us | Step Afrika! #FriendlyFebruary #CelebratingBlackHistory #DanceWeek 5: Pom-Pom Jar Activity
A pom-pom jar is a positive reinforcement strategy that promotes kindness. The process begins with an empty jar. Start by providing examples of acts of kindness, such as saying kind words, sharing, or helping with an activity. As kids perform helpful acts, they can add a pom-pom to the jar and share what they did. Afterward, everyone can acknowledge each act of kindness. Once the pom-pom jar is full, celebrate with a treat or game. #FriendlyFebruary #ActsofKindness -
December 2024—#DoGoodDecember
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Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #DoGoodDecember
#DoGoodDecember Quote of the Month:
"How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time."
—Morgan Freeman
The holiday season is the perfect time of year to help your students develop and practice positive habits. Kids are already super excited about the upcoming festivities. Use that enthusiasm to encourage thoughtfulness, empathy, generosity, and more! This December, encourage students to look outward and create true acts of kindness. #DoGoodDecember #ActsofKindness #PositiveHabits
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #DoGoodDecember
Use the holiday season to encourage kindness and empathy through service projects. Spend time in your program and discuss the needs of the school or community and brainstorm ways your program can help to meet those needs. Have youth work together on a service project empower students to put kindness and empathy into practice.
Download the Action for Happiness CalendarWeek 2: 12 Days of Kindness
Boost your holiday spirit, by creating a 12 days of kindness calendar. Working with students, create a list of 12 kind and selfless acts youth can do to bring a smile and joy to others. Once students have created their list, have youth begin working on though their 12 Days of Kindness Calendar. #DoGoodDecember #12DaysofKindness
- Make someone laugh today
- Give someone a compliment
- Make a card for your principal or afterschool specialist
- Pick up litter around the campus
- Start a food/clothing drive
Week 3: Pay It Forward Chain
Start a random act of kindness ‘Pay it Forward’ chain – every time someone does a Random act of kindness, they hand a card to the next student for them to fulfill to keep the acts going. #DoGoodDecember #PositiveHabits #PayItForward
Learn more about this activityWeek 4: Kindness Discussion Cards
The holidays have always been an easy time for us to remember to be extra kind to those around us. Take this time to create and normalize your program space to be a safe space where kindness is the norm, by implementing kindness discussion cards as a part of your daily check-in routine. Here are some suggested questions you can use to end the year with joy and cheer and to begin the new year with joy and cheer!
- How can you show kindness to someone who is being unkind to others?
- What qualities do you want in a friend and why?
- Who did you thank today and why?
- How do you know if someone is upset or sad?
Week 5: Kindness Mural
There are some acts of kindness that are random like opening the door for someone you don’t know or helping an elderly stranger cross the street, but the more we get to know other people, we realize they see and feel differently about what kindness is to them. In this activity, you can invite your students to think about what kindness means to them after watching the Life Vest video and have them write or draw, depending on their age, an example of kindness in your program. Then hang these up and make a mural where students can see and be encouraged to be kind every day. #DoGoodDecember #KindnessMural
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November 2024—#NewWaysNovember
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Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #NewWaysNovember
#NewWaysNovember Quote of the Month:
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure,”
—Colin Powell
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #NewWaysNovember
Kids are often more capable than they realize. As we help them discover this, not only will they gain confidence in themselves, but they’ll be more willing to try things that are new and difficult – a skill that will benefit them through adulthood. #NewWaysNovember #GrowthMindset
Election Day (November 5, 2024)
Teaching about the 2024 presidential elections in a nonpartisan manner is essential to maintain an unbiased learning environment. Create a learning environment where students can explore the democratic process without feeling pressured to adopt a particular political stance, ultimately empowering them to become informed and engaged citizens. #NewWaysNovember #VOTE2024 #KindnessIsFree https://assets.readbrightly.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Election-Mad-Libs-A-Letter-From-George.pdf https://assets.readbrightly.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/9780385392099_5261.pdf
Week 2: When I Grow Up…
Youth often have a narrow vision of themselves or the person they might wish to become (e.g., to be liked by others, to have a particular job, or fantasies of an idealized future). Challenge youth to describe themselves 20 years in the future. Using old magazines or images from the internet, have youth create a vision board of their life 20 years in the future. Ask youth to describe the important choices and actions they would need to make today to reach this future self. #NewWaysNovember #FutureisBright #WhenIGrowUp
Week 3: World Kindness Week (November 13-17)
Spread kindness all week-long during World Kindness Week. Each year during the week of November 13, stay positive, spread joy, and make the extra effort to be kind to everyone. #NewWaysNovember #KindnessIsFree #WorldKindnessWeek
To observe World Kindness Week, have youth participate in:
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- Create a respectful poster- what does respect for your program look like.
- Create a self-kindness bag. Using Post It notes and write down all the different ways you can be kind to yourself. Once you have a list, put them into a bag and every day, choose a different way you can be kind to yourself.
- Real-life Kind People, have youth draw and write a story about real people who exhibit kindness to others.
World Kindness Day (November 13)
World Kindness Day is on November 13, 2024, and it’s the perfect occasion to show kids of all ages the importance of being kind to everyone, to ourselves, and to the world. This day is the best time of the year to stop and spend an entire day doing some good actions in the world, such as complimenting strangers, doing random acts of kindness, learning about compassion, and more! #NewWaysNovember #KindnessIsFree #SpreadKindnessLikeConfetti #WorldKindnessDay
https://schoolofkindness.org/world-kindness-day
Week 4: Try Something New: Paint like Jackson Pollock
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a huge canvas of white, and to be able to just throw different colors of paint on it? If you have, then you are a lot like Jackson Pollock! Jackson Pollock was an American artist, known for his unique style of painting which involved spraying, flinging, or dripping paints onto canvas. Watch this short video on Jackson Pollock and how he creates his masterpieces and challenge yourself to create your own Jackson Pollock work of art! https://youtu.be/aSYo-98fO1Y
Week 5: Broaden Your Perspective
Teaching perspective taking skills in elementary school is crucial for the social and emotional development of children. It helps them understand and appreciate different viewpoints, empathize with others, and navigate social interactions effectively. #NewWaysNovember #PerspectiveTaking #EmpathyBuilding
https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/thanksgiving_poster.pdf
Here are a few activities you can do to help teach perspective taking to the youth in your program:
- Storytelling- grab some books and that explore different perspectives- encourage students to analyze characters’ motives, thoughts and feelings
- Role-playing and drama activities- engage students in role playing and drama activities to help them practice perspective taking, to help youth understand different viewpoints
- Collaborative projects and teamwork- assign collaborative projects that require teamwork, communication and understanding of other viewpoints
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October 2024—#OptimisticOctober
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#OptimisticOctober Quote of the Month:
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
—Michael Jordan, basketball player
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Optimism isn’t about just seeing the bright side of a situation or donning rose-tinted glasses, optimism is about the hard work of finding new options. When youth are taught how to practice optimism, #OptimisticOctober, they shift into a proactive stance and see that progress is possible. It may just be the underlying skill which allows youth to engage in a growth mindset, with support from a responsible and safe adult. #OptimisticOctober #GrowthMindset
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #OptimisticOctober
Optimism involves learning to think positively about the future, even when things go wrong. It’s about looking objectively at a situation and making a conscious decision to focus on the good. #OptimisticOctober #ThinkPositive
Week 2: Growth Mindset- Escape Room Activity
Escape rooms are a great way for youth to become immersed in new and engaging learning. Escape rooms help students develop a growth mindset, by helping them tackle challenging situations that require them to think outside the box. When youth can solve the puzzles, the feel a sense of accomplishment. This encourages them to view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. Work with the youth and create an escape room or find free escape rooms online. #GrowthMindset #Optimistic October #CreateATasteForLearning
Week 3: Bring Back the Best
Negative thinking may drive a child to believe that bad times never end. As educators, we can motivate them to recall past experiences, which made them sad initially, but they could later overcome it. Asking questions such as ‘How did you feel when you got a better outcome than you had expected?’ can help them introspect and find hope from within. Here is a fun activity you can do with your students to help them recall their best week ever! #ThinkPositive #BestDayEver #OptimisticOctober
Week 4: Lights On Afterschool 2024
Highlight the great work your program is doing around youth voice and leadership. Talk with the youth in your program and garner ideas and ways in which they would like to engage local policymakers and share their ideas and express their views on the afterschool program in their area. #Optimistic October #LightsOnAfterschool
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September 2024—#Self-CareSeptember
Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #Self-CareSeptember
#Self-CareSeptember Quote of the Month:
"Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."
—Oprah Winfrey
Self-Care the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one's own health. There are many reasons that self-care is important. Research shows that self-care helps to keep you healthy, helps you recharge and helps to improve your overall well-being. #Self-CareSeptember #SelfcareIsNotSelfish #ActionforHappiness
Week 2: Get Silly
When youth are having a tough time or cycling through big emotions, ask silly questions to help them reset. Asking a concrete question, they know the answer to helps re-route their thinking. Ask questions like: What color is the sky? What did you have for breakfast? Where is your shoe? Even if they answer incorrectly, you're helping their brain and body calm down and get back into the zone. Encourage youth that when they have big feelings, they can pay attention to the room around them and name five things they see to "reset" their brains. #Self-CareSeptember #SelfcareIsNotSelfish #NameYourEmotions
Week 3: Active Exercise and Healthy Snacks
Activities like yoga, meditation, walks and outdoor games can all promote movement and physical well-being, while also focusing on mindfulness and reflection. Follow a YouTube video for yoga or meditation—or make up your own! Try out Sanford Fit for free mindfulness activity cards. Nourishing our bodies and making sure we have the fuel we need to get through the day is a vital part of self-care for kids. If your child is feeling a little "hangry," encourage them to recognize and name this sensation, and then suggest a nutritious nibble. #Self-CareSeptember #SelfcareIsNotSelfish #GetActive #EatHealthy
Week 4: Mindful Craft Projects
Providing students the chance to get hands-on with art we provide them with a fun and concrete experience that they can use to self-regulate during times of escalation. It provides a tangible coping strategy that students can use at home, at their desks, or any other time they need to calm down. Here are some simple and mindful art activities your students can do, with little to no preparation from you. #Self-CareSeptember #SelfcareIsNotSelfish #JustBreathe
- Draw Your Breath
Each student gets a piece of paper and a marker or pen. With the marker in the middle of the paper, students breathe in and breathe out drawing lines for each breath. During this whole activity, students will not raise their pen from the piece of paper. When you breathe in, you draw a line in any direction. Keep the pen on the paper and when you breathe out, you draw another line. Students keep doing this as they breathe in and out making their own lines, shapes, and creative artwork. After about 30 breath cycles, students use colors to color in different shapes. Students can be creative by coloring in the shapes, drawing little pictures or patterns in each shape, etc. - Drip Painting
Show your students a few examples of different abstract art, such as Jackson Pollock's drip paintings. Drip painting can be a fun and accessible painting technique for kids to explore different colors and moods simply through dripping paint on their papers. Be creative and have fun!
- Breathing Beads
With some yarn and beads, students can make their own unique breathing beads. After students make their own creation, practice some mindfulness by taking a deep breath for every bead.
Week 5: Positive Affirmations
Kids and young adults can use a positive affirmation list by reading the words to themselves or out loud, discussing how they might help, and identifying which phrases would work best. Help students create a positive affirmation list. This activity can be done as a whole class activity, or students can create an individual list. #Self-CareSeptember #SelfcareIsNotSelfish #ControlYourHappiness
Here are a few positive affirmations to get you started:
- There is no one better to be than myself.
- I am enough.
- I get better every single day.
- I am an amazing person.
- I can work through my problems.
- Draw Your Breath
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August 2024—#AltruisticAugust
Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #AltruisticAugust
#AltrusiticAugust Quote of the Month:
"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness. "
—Seneca
Altruism plays a vital role in creating harmonious relationships and building a caring community. Altruism encourages children to consider the impact of their actions on others, promoting fairness, cooperation, and a sense of responsibility. #TeachingEmpathy #AltruisticAugust #SEL
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #AltruristicAugust
Altruism is the unselfish concern for other people—doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons. It involves acting out of concern for the well-being of other people. #AltruisticAugust #SEL #Empathy https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Aug%202024.jpg
Week 2: Notes of Appreciation
Give each student in your program sticky notes and ample opportunity to write positive messages addressed to one of their teachers and/or peers. Locate an empty wall in your program and have students place their notes of appreciation on the wall. Read out the notes and watch the faces of students and staff light up. #AltruisticAugust #SEL #Empathy #StudentConnection
Week 3: Role Playing-Compassion
Have students create a role-play where they show compassion. For example, what would compassion look like if: A friend is confused by what the teacher said? Someone in your afterschool program is sad because their mother is in the hospital? Your sister is crying because she didn’t make the basketball team? A new student is feeling lonely and left out? Have students perform their role-plays for the class. #AltruisticAugust #SEL #Empathy #Compassion
Week 4: “Feelings Charade”
In Feelings Charades, students will have a chance to demonstrate one emotion. The rest of the class will guess what the emotion is. The person who is doing the charade cannot speak – they must use facial expressions or body language to get classmates to guess the emotion. Write down different feelings/emotions on slips of paper. Place them in a bowl and take turns pulling them and acting them out. Once the correct feeling/ emotion is chosen the person that guessed correctly gets a turn. #AltruisticAugust #SEL #Empathy #ItsOkayToFeel #FeelAllTheFeeling
Week 5: Fixing the Community
Do your students feel like they are part of their community? Many students feel they are, but they might become more compassionate people if they’re part of their town’s community. Even the best communities have homes and businesses that need repair work. Think about what projects your students can do to help “fix” their community or school. #AltruisticAugust #SEL #Empathy #GiveBack #MyCommunity
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May 2024—#MeaningfulMay
Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #MeaningfulMay
#SEL Day 2024: https://selday.org/
#MeaningfulMay Quote of the Month:
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
—William James
We matter every day. But how often do we stop and take the opportunity to “be” in the moment of our daily lives? With easy access to technology, we often find ourselves viewing those moments behind the lens instead of taking the opportunity to “be” in the moment. Take the opportunity this month to “be” in the moment. To “be” intentional with your everyday life. #MeaningfulMay #Intentionality #Beinthemoment
#SELday 2024: https://selday.org/
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #MeaningfulMay
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/May%202024.jpg
Week 2: What matters most activity
There are so many things that make you unique. Your skills, interest and values are all a part of what makes YOU. In this exercise, take a moment to reflect on what matters most to you. #MeaningfulMay #MakeEverydayCount Reflection question to ask: 1. Are there any overlapping themes? What do your answers have in common? 2. Based on the overlapping themes you identified, what three things might you say matter most to you? 3. As you move forward, what are some steps you could take to focus on the thing that matters most to you? How might the adults in your life help you too?
Week 3: Year in Reflection - Thank you notes
Writing thank you notes creates a positive environment in which youth feel grateful for all they have accomplished and are able to acknowledge the people who helped them. Provide youth with blank paper or thank you cards and help them create thank you notes. Youth can write notes to their teachers, after-school staff, friends, and family. #MeaningfulMay #Gratitude
Week 4: Affirmation Box
Using positive affirmation activities for youth is powerful for building self-esteem, self-talk, and growth mindset. It’s important to practice positive self-talk with our students to help them grow in awareness, build self-esteem, and possibly even rewire their brains to break a habit of negative thoughts. #Meaningful May #TakeAMoment
Week 5: What motivates you? Inspiring Quotes
All Things Earth Day! Invest in Our Planet
Quotes can be a useful way to initiate reflection because there is an ample supply of them, they are often brief yet inspiring, and they can sometimes be interpreted in multiple ways. Post meaningful and inspiring quotes around your area. Have youth to quietly walk round and read each quote. Then, have students reflect and discuss their quote. Some meaning and inspirational quotes are listed below. #MeaningfulMay #Inspiration
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” ― Dr. Seuss
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” — Thomas Edison
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” –Maya Angelou
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” —Albert Einstein
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” —Abraham Lincoln
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April 2024 - #ActiveApril
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Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #ActiveApril
#SEL Day 2024: https://selday.org/
#ActiveApril Quote of the Month:
"Do something today that your future self will thank you for."
—Sean Patrick Flanery
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SEL can help youth build awareness for how #physical health impacts us, learning how to navigate #failures and #successes, work on a team with peers, and learning how to recognize emotions in our bodies. #ActiveApril #GetMoving
#SELday 2024: https://selday.org/
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #ActiveApril
Apr 2024.jpg (3508×2480) (actionforhappiness.org)
Week 2: Namaste
Yoga is an ancient practice from India, dating back more than 3,000 years. For young children, yoga is more than just a physical activity. A regular yoga practice can help children develop skills that will help them through adolescence and later in life. As children get older, their emotional and physical abilities and needs change. Yoga can be beneficial for teenagers in a variety of ways to help them mentally, emotionally, and physically. #ActiveApril #Namaste
Week 3: You Are What You Eat! QR Stations Digital Activity
Learn more about MyPlate and why it is a useful guideline for nutrition with these class activities. This activity includes QR stations (students love using their phones!), activity sheets, notes activity, video, information sheets, and more! #ActiveApril #HealthyHabits
https://www.familyconsumersciences.com/2019/01/myplate-stations-activities/
Week 4: Get Up! Get Out! Get Fit! Fitness Games for Kids
Getting youth engaged in physical activity is essential for a healthier future. Exercise improves school performance and makes kids less likely to develop depression. Kids who exercise regularly are also better able to handle physical and emotional challenges — from running to catching a bus to studying for a test. #ActiveApril #GetMoving
https://www.acefitness.org/resources/pros/expert-articles/5648/fitness-games-for-kids/
All Things Earth Day! Invest in Our Planet
Every year on April 22nd, Earth Day brings the world together to celebrate, and it’s the perfect time to educate kids about climate change and how they can work to protect our home with Earth Day activities for kids. #EarthDay #SavethePlanet
https://www.teachingexpertise.com/classroom-ideas/earth-day-activities/ https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/
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March 2024 - #MindfulMarch
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Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #MindfulMarch
#SEL Day 2024: https://selday.org/
#MindfulMarch Quote of the Month:
"If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything."
—Thich Nhat Hanh
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With the spring season upon us, we should take this time and reawaken ourselves to #PracticingMindfulness. At the core of mindfulness is to be present at the moment in our day-to-day life. A Zen proverb says” when you walk, just walk and when you run, just run”. Listed are suggestions and resources for you and your students to use to be #ActivelyPresent and to practice mindfulness this March. #MindfulMarch #PracticingMindfulness #BePresent
#SELday 2024 March 8, 2024
SEL Day is a global, grassroots campaign for social-emotional learning to support children’s academic recovery, mental health, and well-being. #SELday, #MindfulMarch
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #MindfulMarch
Mar 2024.jpg (3508×2480) (actionforhappiness.org)
Week 2: Mindfulness Coloring Pages
Mindful coloring asks us to focus on how we choose and apply color in a design, to bring our awareness to the present moment. #MindfulMarch #Mandalas
Week 3: Breathing Exercises
Relax and Breathe: Do Nothing for 10 Minutes Video https://youtu.be/aXItOY0sLRY
Being aware of your breath is a key way to bring a swift sense of calm, and distance yourself from anxious feelings, so you can look at a situation objectively rather than act quickly as a reaction to stress. #MindfulMarch #RelaxandBreathe
Week 4: Sensory notetaking
You can practice mindfulness even when you’re not in motion—many yogis sit perfectly still in meditation. In this activity, engage all five senses, taking note of what you experience.
Taste: Place a small piece of chocolate on your tongue. Let it melt slowly, instead of chewing it. Observe the taste and texture. Do you get more of a sweet sensation in certain areas of your mouth? How does your body react to sugar? To sour or bitter tastes.
Smell: Choose something with a high degree of natural aromas, such as an orange or a flower. Inhale deeply. How do the molecules make your mind feel when they reach your brain? What physical sensations arise, and do you have an emotional reaction? Scents can trigger memories and the feelings you associate with them.
Sight: Pick a random object in the room to focus on for 20 to 30 seconds. Observe the color and texture. Are there any tiny, unique aspects you’ve never noticed before?
Sound: Put on a favorite song or tune into some relaxing Solfeggio frequency music. What emotions arise when you hear it? Does your body physically react to the vibrations?
Touch: Close your eyes, place objects with a variety of textures into brown paper bags. Observe by feeling only. How does the material feel under your fingertips? Experiment with more than just fabric—for example, damp spaghetti noodles have an interesting feel. #MindfulMarch #BePresent
Week 5: Yoga
https://www.emedihealth.com/wellness/yoga-meditation/yoga-poses-for-kids
Yoga and mindfulness have been shown to improve both physical and mental health in school-age children (ages 6 to 12). Yoga improves balance, strength, endurance, and aerobic capacity in children. Yoga and mindfulness offer psychological benefits for children as well. A growing body of research has already shown that yoga can improve focus, memory, self-esteem, academic performance, and classroom behavior, and can even reduce anxiety and stress in children. #MindfulMonday #Yoga
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January 2024 - #HappierJanuary
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Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #HappierJanuary
#SEL Day 2024: https://selday.org/
#HappierJanuary Quote of the Month:
" Be the change you wish to see in the world. "
— Mahatma Gandhi
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Starting a new year is refreshing and exciting-awaiting the possibilities of what the new year can bring. How can you make 2024 matter in terms of your well-being and the well-being of others, by embracing a Happier January. #YouMatter2024 #HappierJanuary
Activity to Honor Dr. King
To honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, can participate in a fun activity called “Burst Stereotype Balloons. This activity can be used with grades 3-12, and students can “burst” stereotypes that unfairly label individuals or groups. #YouMatter2024 #HappierJanuary #KeepTheLegacyAlive
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #HappierJanuary
Create new opportunities to treat yourself and others well by learning a new skill or brushing up on an old skill. Why, because you matter! #YouMatter2024 #HappierJanuary
Jan 2024.jpg (3508×2480) (actionforhappiness.org)
Week 2: Aim high and set specific goals!
There is no better time to begin looking at ways to show treat yourself better than the new year! Model for youth how to aim high and set specific goals, by making list of 24 things they want to accomplish during the year. Let youth have fun with their list, #24for24. Here are some suggestions to get them started. #YouMatter #HappierJanuary #24for24
- Learn 24 new words
- Give up technology for 24 hours
- Try 2 to 4 new foods
- Try a new exercise
- Practice positive affirmations for others
Week 3: Tell Me Something Good
To help continue to promote a caring and positive afterschool program, take some time, and incorporate Tell Me Something Good. During this time, youth can share any positive aspect of their life from school, friends, or family. Taking time for the class to get to know each other promotes a positive environment, builds confidence, and creates a sense of community within the program. #YouMatter #HappierJanuary #TellMeSomethingGood
Week 4: Vision Board
What do you want to accomplish this year? How do you see yourself growing this year? How do you see yourself mattering in 2024? To help youth in creating their own vision board-get them energized and clear about their goals and what they want to achieve this year. Create the board, using old magazines, postcards and even paint swatches. Be purposeful in helping youth be intentional about their visions and how they can accomplish them. #YouMatter2024 #HappierJanuary #VisionBoard
media.centervention.com/pdf/Vision-Board-older-worksheet-interactive.pdf
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December 2023 - #DoGoodDecember
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Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #DoGoodDecember
#SEL Day 2023: https://selday.org/
#DoGoodDecember Quote of the Month:
" How do we change the world? One random act of kindness at a time. "
— Morgan Freeman
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The holiday season is the perfect time of year to help your students develop and practice positive habits. Kids are already super excited about the upcoming festivities. Use that enthusiasm to encourage thoughtfulness, empathy, generosity, and more! This December, encourage students to look outward and create true acts of kindness. #DoGoodDecember #ActsofKindness #PositiveHabits
Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #DoGoodDecember
Use the holiday season to encourage kindness and empathy through service projects. Spend time in your program and talk about the needs of the school or the people in your community, then brainstorm ways to meet those needs. Have youth work together on a service project, to help empower your students to put kindness and empathy into practice. https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Dec%202023.jpg #DoGoodDecember #ServiceProjects #KindnessandEmpathy
Week 2: 12 Days of Kindness
Boost your holiday spirit, by creating a 12 days of kindness calendar. Working with students, create a list of 12 kind and selfless acts youth can do to bring a smile and joy to others. Once students have created their list, have youth begin working on their 12 Days of Kindness Calendar. #DoGoodDecember #12daysofkindness Here are some suggestions to get you started:
- Make a gift for your teacher or a friend
- Make someone laugh today
- Give someone a compliment
- Give out candy canes
- Make a card for your principal or afterschool specialist
- Pickup litter around the campus
- Start a food/clothing drive
Week 3: Kindness Mural
There are some acts of kindness that are random, like opening the door for someone you don’t know or helping an elderly stranger cross the street, but the more we get to know other people, we realize they see and feel differently about what kindness is to them. In this activity, you can invite your students to think about what kindness means to them after watching the Life Vest video and have them write or draw, depending on their age, an example of kindness in your program. Then hang these up and make a mural where students can see and be encouraged to be kind every day. #DoGoodDecember #KindnessMural
Week 4: New Phases, New Language, New You!
Create a kindness jar for your program. When students make and receive random acts of kindness, the body release high doses of “feel good” hormones, and what better way to help students capture than leaving kindness notes to friends and staff. Teach kids how to write positive notes of gratitude to friends and family. Encourage kids to be specific in their praise, to show the recipient they were seen and heard. Random-Act-of-Kindness-Printable-Notes-2.jpg (1000×1294) (woojr.com) #DoGoodDecember #KindnessFeelsGood #KindnessCounts
Week 5: Try Something New: Paint like Jackson Pollack
The holidays have always been an easy time for us to remember to be extra kind to those around us. Take this time to create and normalize your program space to be a safe space where kindness is the norm, by implementing kindness discussion cards as part of your daily check-in routine. Here are some suggested questions you can use to end the year with joy and cheer and to begin the new year with joy and cheer! #DoGoodDecember #LetsTalkAboutKindness #KindnessAllYear
- How can you show kindness to someone who is being unkind to others?
- What qualities do you want in a friend and why?
- Who did you thank today and why?
- How do you know if someone is upset or sad?
- What is more important to you and why-being popular, getting A’s or caring about others?
- If you were a superhero, who would you help and why?
- When someone does something nice for you, how does it make you feel? How do you think it makes them feel?
- When was the last time you said sorry, and what was it about?
- What do you want your friends to think about you the most and why: a) you are really smart. B) you’re a lot of fun to be around, or c) you’re a great friend.
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