DOES THIS MEAN MORE THINGS TO DO?
NOT AT ALL! This guide is meant to be a supplement to the fabulous things
that are already being done in our classrooms. Activities and ideas presented
here will just enhance interactions in your classroom and increase the social
and emotional teachable moments throughout the day. Sometimes we miss
steps when teaching important skills. Teaching students how to be part of a
classroom community is no different. Social emotional competence and selfregulation are the foundations before other learning takes place. If you do
not establish this most basic need, you will find gaps in all other areas of
learning and development.
WHY BE INTENTION WHEN TEACHING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS?
Teaching social and emotional skills are the little things that make a BIG
difference. This is what you do throughout the day but with a more
conscious and purposeful focus. By playing with and observing students,
you will have an opportunity to gage the strengths and weaknesses within
your classroom. By allowing a student to lead during the housekeeping
center, you can observe what their personal experiences are and
intentionally use the teachable moments to strengthen emotional growth.
WHAT IS THE POINT OF IT ALL?
We hope that this not only empowers teachers, but also empowers students
to share their feelings and feel comfortable being active engaged participant
in the classroom. These activities are designed to not only strengthen you
classroom community and build a strong emotional foundation but also to
encourage all learners even your most reluctant to feel empowered to
express their emotions and continue to foster social emotional development
for all.
Social and Emotional Resource Guide
HOW TO BE INTENTIONAL WHEN TEACHING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL
SKILLS?

Label your feelings throughout the day- Teacher and students are
encouraged to label their feelings during everyday activities. Use
everyday occurrences to recognize feelings and model how those feelings
change throughout the day.

Use visual supports to help them discuss emotions (SEFEL
Resources)

Be intentional about teaching students basic feelings- Do not
assume that students have an understanding of what happy and sad are
or what it looks like in themselves and others. (Link Feelings lesson
Ideas

Pointing out feelings of characters in stories (Link Lessons)

Recognize the continuum of feelings - Help students understand that
emotions have a range. Being intentional about teaching that continuum
helps children understand their emotions and the emotions of others
around them. (Link Continuum Lesson)

Validate Feeling- Acknowledge emotions as they are expressed through
the day and understand that what may be small to you may ignite a
powerful emotion for someone else.

Playing songs related to the climate in your classroom at the
current moment (songs about sharing if students are having a difficult
time sharing that day) ( Link Songs and Video Vignettes)

Making compliments more specific- Explain to the child why you feel
they are doing a fantastic job! For example, I love how you shared your
toy!
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What is SEFEL?
SEFEL is an acronym for Social Emotional Foundations of Early Learners. The Center on the Social and
Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) is focused on promoting the social emotional
development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. CSEFEL is a national resource center
funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based
practices to early childhood programs across the country. Below is a sample of the resources you can find
online.
The Book
Nook
The Book Nook provides
teachers with lesson ideas and
activities across different areas
of development related to books
that support social emotional
development in young children.
The Solution
Kit
Some children or all children in
some situations, find it difficult
to think of alternate responses.
We want children to learn
problem solving steps to be able
to think alternate solutions and
to learn that solutions have
consequences.
Scripted
stories
Use with your top tier
students…students who need
the most support and extra
instruction to teach and
maintain these skills
Tucker Turtle
Video
VIDEO
VIDEO
BOOK LIST
SEFEL created a list of books to
support social and emotional
development. The book list is
broken up into categories that
focus on feelings, accepting
INSERT PDF
differences in others, developing
family relationships, and being
a good friend. (Insert PDF)
Book Nook Link :http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#booknook
- Social skills link http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#scriptedstories
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WHERE CAN I FIND RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET TO SUPPORT
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT?
The internet has an abundance of interactive games related to social
emotional development and social interaction skills for young children.
PBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/emotions/index.html
Recommended Games on PBS Kids:
Go, Go Diego
PBS Parents
http://www.pbs.org/parents/arthur/activities/development.html?c
at=development
Recommended Games on PBS Parents:
A Kindness Tree
Feelings
Cooperate
Conflict Resolution
Sharing Tactics
Trying New Things
Wart Games
http://www.wartgames.com/themes/family/feelings.html
Recommended Games on Wart Games:
Feelings
About Face
Dealing with Feelings
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CAN I USE MY IPAD OR ITOUCH TO TEACH SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL
SKILLS?
YES!! There are several FREE apps that can be downloaded through
the Apple store that support social and emotional development for
young children. Listed below are some highly recommended apps
related to feelings.
Moody Monsters
Emotions
Feel Electric!
Dusty Dawg Has Feelings Too
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Beginning of the Year Activities
Teaching Emotions- The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
The purpose of implementing this activity is to:
develop students awareness of how emotions can be expressed using their
face and bodies. The lesson uses simple shapes to draw and express
emotions. It is a great way to teach shapes and to focus on facial
expressions in order to express and understand emotions.
Materials:
 The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
 Handouts for each child
 Colored pencils and erasers (crayons can be substituted)
• Oversize handout artwork for teacher (Enlarge the student
by at least 200% or make an overhead transparency)
• Markers for teacher
Directions: See Lesson
Kindness Tree
The purpose of implementing this activity is to :
create a classroom community where positive behaviors are highlighted in
order to strengthen classroom community.
Materials
 flowers made from colored paper
 a tree (trunk, branches, leaves) made of construction paper, taped to a
wall
 small pictures of each student
Directions
1. Place student pictures on the tree.
2. Instruct students that as a class you will be looking for acts of kindness
throughout the day. Use example of behaviors that you are trying to
highlight in your classroom environment ( ex. sharing, taking turns, kind
words etc.).
3. Each student is only allowed to report on other students acts of kindness.
4. As students report acts of kindness, place a flower on the tree next to the
students pictures.
5. Sit back and watch your tree bloom.
Bucket Filling
The purpose of implementing this activity is to:
create a positive culture as you increase kindness, respect, and courtesy.
Materials:
Book for Kindergarten and Up- Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to
Daily Happiness for Kids or
Book for Pre-K- Fill a Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Young Children
Resources located on this webpage
http://www.bucketfillers101.com/index.php
PDF Bucket Filling Activities
What is Bucket Filling?
Bucket filling in a new twist on the Golden Rule, the Bucket Fillers’ books and
presentations explain that we all carry an invisible bucket in which we keep
our good thoughts and feelings. When our buckets are full, we are happy;
when they are empty, we are sad. It’s important to know that we can fill our
own bucket and so can others. We can also dip into it.
Directions:
1. Take time to review the website.
2. Borrow either book from the Howard County Public Library
3. Choose the activities you would to implement in the classroom and fill up
your “bucket”.
Feelings Continuum
The purpose of implementing this activity is to:
teach children that there are a range of emotions and that each person may
have a different emotional response to the same situation.
Materials:
 Rope
 Face with varying degrees of emotion (glad happy ecstatic) (angry, mad,


enraged)
Teacher created scenario
Students faces, names or name markers
1. Directions: Anchor rope or cord so that children are at eye level with it.
2. Have students list the different emotions and talk about how those
emotions might be related. (example: “If I had one cookie I may be
happy but if you gave me a dozen cookies I would be ecstatic)
3. Explain to children that there are ranges of emotions and that what
4.
5.
6.
7.
makes some people feel one way may make others feel another emotion.
Read a scenario and place your face on the feelings web. Have a student
come place themselves on the continuum using their name marker.
Repeat with several other scenarios relevant to you classroom
environment.
Repeat through the year to focus on any targeted behaviors. Use the
solution kit to discuss how to address conflict when students feel
conflicting emotions.
After discussing solutions, have students change where they are on the
continuum.
*Note the continuum may need to be simple in the beginning
(Happy----- Sad) of the year but may become more complex as the
year progresses. (bothered ----angry----enraged)
Problem-Solving Activities
The Purpose of Implementing This Activity is to:
Teach problem solving skills
Discuss and model appropriate solutions
Introduce the Solution Kit
Materials:
Problem solving scenarios
Solution Kit
Pictures related to each problem-solving scenario
Directions:
1. Print out the pictures and cut the paper in half so there is one picture on
each
2. Introduce the Solution Kit by discussing and modeling each solution in
the kit
3. Teacher reads one scenario at a time and show the picture that relates to
the story.
4. At the end of each scenario, ask the students to use the Solution Kit to
figure out which solution they could use.
Maintenance Activities
Rules Bingo
The Purpose of Implementing This Activity is to:
Provide reminders and recall the class rules
Materials: Preschool Rules Bingo Cards, Chips or Counters, Calling Cards
Directions:
1. Use Bingo Cards to create calling cards for the adult leading the lesson
2. Review the class rules by showing the calling cards and describing the
rule
3. Pass out one Bingo Card and six chips or counters to each child
4 a. Show a calling card and students describe the rule.
4 b. Orally describe the class rules. Students guess the rule. Show the
students the calling card once they figured out the answer.
5. Students look for the class rule on their Bingo Card and place a chip on
the appropriate class rule
6. Repeat steps until a student fills up their bingo Card
Feelings Bingo
The Purpose of Implementing This Activity is to:
Identify, recognize and label feelings
Materials: Feelings Bingo Cards, Chips or Counters, Calling Cards
Directions:
1. Use Bingo Cards to create calling cards for the adult leading the lesson
2. Review the feelings by showing the kids the calling cards and encouraging
the kids to create that emotion on their face
3. Pass out one Bingo Card and six chips or counters to each child
4. Create an emotion on your face and show the picture if needed
5. Students guess the emotion being expressed
6. Students look for the emotion on their Bingo Card and place a chip on the
appropriate emotion
7. Repeat steps until a student fills up their Bingo Card
Feelings Wheel
The purpose of implementing this activity is to:
Have children identify and demonstrate feelings
Materials:
Today I feel Sill and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis
Child Cutout
Faces Wheels printed on cardstock or construction paper
Pushpins
Crayons
Directions:
Read and discuss the story.
Have students color the paper cutout and face wheel.
Use a pushpin to connect the paper cutout with the faces wheel.
Say or act out feeling and have students turn the wheel to match.
Use during reading groups to identify characters throughout the story.
Feelings or Friendship Web
The Purpose of implementing this activity is to:
Develop students awareness of they feel
Materials:
Ball of Yarn
Directions:
In a small group have children sit in a circle.
Have one child hold the ball of yarn and say, “I can feel _____ when ___” or
“I was a good friend when I_____”
He or She passes the ball to a child across the circle
The child that is passed the ball of yarn continue this cycle until it creates a
feelings web.
Feeling Charades
The purpose of implementing this activity is to develop student’s ability to
identify and demonstrate feelings and to expand emotions vocabulary.
Materials:
Sentence Strips
Faces Copied on Card Stock
Directions:
Cut, color and glue a different facial expression onto each sentence strip and
staple it together to create a headband.
Have a students wear a headband. Other children act out feelings and allow
students with the headband to guess which feeling are on his or her head.
Red Light Green Light Activity
The Purpose of Implementing This Activity is to:
Review and discuss appropriate and inappropriate
Materials: Red Light Green Light Cards
Directions:
1. Print out Red Light Green Light Cards
2. Cut the paper so that there is only one action on each card
3. While students are seated, hold up each card. Students describe the
action and decide if it a good choice or poor choice.
4. Students stand up and line up against a wall or behind a designated line
5. The adult stands across from the students with a good distance between
them
6. The adult shows a card. If the card displays a picture that is a good
choice, then the students walk towards the teacher. If the card displays a
picture that is a poor choice, the students stop moving.
*Give students and opportunity to take the role of the teacher and hold up
the cards.
Stop and Go Activity
The purpose of Implementing This Activity is to:
Teach, discuss and describe appropriate and inappropriate learning
behaviors for the classroom
Materials: Stop sign, Go sign, popsicle sticks, Stop and Go Pictures, “T”
chart
Directions:
1. Put a “T” chart on the board. Put a stop sign on one side and a go sign on
the other.
2. Tape a popsicle stick on the back on each stop and go picture. Make
enough for each student to have one stop sign and one go sign.
3. Discuss with the students that a “Go” rule is something we are allowed to
do in the classroom and a “Stop” rule is something we are not allowed to do.
4. Pass out a stop sign and go sign to each student.
5. Hold up one Stop/Go picture. Ask a student to describe the actions in the
pictures.
6. Students hold up a stop/go sign base don what type of rule they think
the picture is describing.
7. Discuss the correct answer. Choose a student to put the picture on the “T”
chart in the correct spot.
8. Continue until all of the pictures have been discussed and place on the “T”
chart.
9. Before the students transition to the next activity, ask them to describe
one stop/go rule.
Looking for more…
Don’t Forget
Second Step is a series of… This kit should be in every building but you may
have to go on a scavenger hunt to locate it .
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Lessons and Activities to get started
Lesson ideas (Expression Headbands/Friendship Mix etc.)- scan and
upload to the document
Continue to sing the familiar songs related to social emotional
development and introduce new songs as needed related to the
needs of your classroom Link Kim’s Video
Bingo Games
Problem solving/Class rules activities
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Second Step
Second Step is a program that teaches, reinforces, and practices selfregulation skills and social competence for students in kindergarten through
grade 5. The Second Step Early Learning program focuses on social
emotional development for students in pre-kindergarten. The Second Step
program provides teachers with pictures, songs, puppets, and user-friendly
lessons to engage learners and promote positive social emotional growth.
Additional online resources and video tutorials are available when you
register your kit. Contact your guidance counselor, school psychologist, or
Office of Early Intervention/Office of Early Childhood for more information.
Visit this website to learn more about Second Step. Link to Second
Step: http://www.cfchildren.org/second-step.aspx
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Identify Emotions
Visual Supports for Emotions
http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#scriptedstor
ies
Book List- SEFEL has created a Book List to support social emotional
development. The book list is consists of 14 categories related to specific
feelings, building friendships, and accepting differences in others. Each
category has more than 4 books related to each topic.
Teaching Emotions- Feelings & Emotions Games
http://www.wartgames.com/themes/family/feelings.html
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