Total Time: 2 hours
Session
Building Social Emotional Skills (Pt. 1)
11
SESSION OBJECTIVES: Caregivers will understand and be able to define Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Caregivers will understand how SEL can improve their children’s overall development (social, emotional, cognitive and physical) Caregivers will understand how to reinforce the SEL, specifically Brain Building and Emotion Regulation, skills their children are learning in school MATERIALS: Attendance arrival and exit sheets for caregivers Parenting Curriculum Flip chart and markers Decks of playing cards
PREPARATION: Read through all of the materials for this session and if there is a caregiver handout, make copies of the caregiver handout for each caregiver. Please make sure to give each caregiver the handout at the end of the session. Arrange for a space conducive to learning and free of interruptions; sit in a circle to encourage interaction with caregivers. SUMMARY OF THE SESSION:
Time 5 min
Activity 1. Introduction and Welcome
10 min
2. Mindfulness Exercise: Body Scan
30 min
3. What is SEL?
30 min 30 min
4. How do you reinforce SEL with your children? 5. Practicing SEL Skills
10 min
6. Review & Home Assignments
5 min
7. Closing & Preparation
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Time: 5 min
Session
Building Social Emotional Skills (Pt. 1)
11
Introduction and Welcome WELCOME
SESSION OBJECTIVES:
Welcome everyone back and thank them for coming.
Ask caregivers what they remember from the previous session.
To understand and be able to define Social Emotional Learning (SEL) To understand how SEL can improve their children’s overall development To understand how to reinforce the Brain Building and Emotion Regulation skills their children are learning in school Time: 10 min
Ask them to share a way they have spent time with their child and supported the child in school since the last session. Ask if they have done anything for their own wellbeing since the last session.
REVIEW SESSION OBJECTIVES Explain that during today’s session, they will learn about Social Emotional Learning, which their children are learning about in school. Once you have reviewed the objectives, ask if any of the caregivers have any questions.
Mindfulness exercise Explain that mindfulness is intentionally being aware and paying attention to what is happening in the present moment and accepting reality. This is most commonly achieved through calming strategies that help to focus the mind and body. Mindfulness activities can help everyone, not just children and not just those affected by crisis. Explain that their children will be practicing mindfulness in school. Mindfulness helps children to pay attention better and be aware of what is happening in their bodies. These skills will help them to learn and be aware of what is going on and “focus” themselves. ASK participants if they are familiar with the concept of mindfulness. What do they think it means to be mindful? ASK participants if they are interested in experiencing a mindfulness activity themselves, to better understand what it means and why it may be beneficial. If participants are interested in doing a mindfulness activity, do the activity below. Participants who do not want to experience a mindfulness activity can sit quietly and observe or step outside for a few minutes. Explain that today they will do a mindfulness activity called a “Body Scan”. Read the following to guide the Body Scan: Begin by focusing on your breath. Grow your back longer and taller, reaching your head to the sky. Place your feet firmly into the ground, and relax your arms. Breathe in through your nose, feeling your breath relax your body. Bring your awareness to your left foot. Notice how it feels. Breathe in, imagining that you are breathing into your left foot. Breathe out, imagining it is releasing from your left foot. Notice how it feels now.
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Session
Building Social Emotional Skills (Pt. 1)
11
Bring your awareness up to your left ankle. Notice how it feels. Breathe in, imagining that you are breathing into your left ankle. Breathe out, imagining it is releasing from your left ankle. Notice how it feels now. Go through the same process, breathing into and out of the: - Left leg - Right foot - Right ankle - Right leg - Abdomen & belly - Upper body, chest, & shoulders - Back - Hands - Arms - Neck - Jaw - Head & face Bring your awareness to your whole body. How does it feel? Does it feel different or the same as when you started the body scan? Doing a body scan can help you to become aware of how your body is feeling, and to release any unnecessary tension. If any participants have stepped outside, call them inside to participate in the following conversation. ASK participants how they feel after doing the body scan. Then ask the following questions: Can they understand how this might help their children? o Example Answers could include: it helps them to be aware of how they are feeling, it helps them to calm down. Longer term, it can help them to focus attention and do better in school, and have positive health benefits. How can it help them, the caregivers? o Example Answers could include: it helps them to be aware of how they are feeling, it helps them to calm down, allows them to control their feelings, and can have positive health benefits. How can they practice mindfulness with their children? o Example Answers could include: do activities like this before bedtime; allocate specific time in the home for being mindful; talk about mindfulness with their children
What is SEL? Time: 30 min
ASK participants if they remember when they talked about the impacts of parenting on their children’s development.
Improved…
ASK participants how their parenting has changed and how it has impacted their children.
-Social and Emotional Skills -Relationships -Attitudes about self and others
Explain that just as their parenting practices can impact their children’s development, so can something called “Social Emotional Learning” (SEL). SEL has shown to improve social, emotional and brain skills; interactions with other people; and attitudes about self and others. SEL reduces acting out; violent behaviors; and negative feelings. Explain:
Reduced… -Acting out -Violent behaviors
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Session
Building Social Emotional Skills (Pt. 1)
11
Social Emotional Learning is how children and adults gain and use knowledge, attitudes, and skills to understand and manage feelings, set and reach positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Explain that there are many ways to teach social and emotional skills. Research shows that it is most effective when skills are taught through: 1. SEL lesson plans 2. Infusing social and emotional skills into other academic areas, like literacy and numeracy 3. Practicing SEL skills in recreational activities 4. Reinforcing the skills through community and caregiver involvement. Invite participants to think to themselves about how they can reinforce SEL through all four of these methods in their communities, and then share with a partner. Bring the group back together and have them share how they can reinforce SEL skills through the four channels presented above. Explain that the SEL that their children will be taught can be broken down into five competencies, all of which they can reinforce at home. Explain that today they will discuss two and during the next session they will discuss the three remaining in the next session.
Brain Building
List the five competencies for the caregivers: Brain Building, Emotion Regulation, Positive Social Skills, Conflict Resolution, Perseverance. Explain that Brain Building is the set of skills that help us focus our attention, remember instructions and concepts, successfully juggle multiple tasks and plan for the short and long term future. This set of skills helps us to filter distractions, set goals, and control impulses. Give an example of a child who has not mastered their Brain Building skills. For example, children who could improve their Brain Building skills have difficulty paying attention and remembering things they are told. They might forget to do their homework or chores because they have not developed their Brain Building skills. ASK participants what Brain Building skills their children have or struggle with. Write these down on a flipchart paper entitled “Child SEL Skills” organized by competency.
BB Skills Children Have
BB Skills Children Need to Improve
Emotion Regulation
Create a T-chart under each competency so that participants can create a chart of skills that children have and skills that need improvement. ASK participants what Brain Building skills they would like to develop. Write these on a separate flipchart paper entitled “Caregiver Skills” organized by competency. Explain that Emotion Regulation is the set of skills that allows us to understand what we are feeling and manage it a positive manner. It provides us with tools to predict and control our feelings. Give an example of a child who has not mastered their Emotion Regulation skills. For example, children who could improve their Emotion Regulation skills have difficulty controlling their emotions and responses. They might get very angry and yell and hit others, or cry and be very sad when not appropriate, or they might not show any feelings, but keep quiet most of the time because they have not developed their Emotion Regulation skills.
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Session
Building Social Emotional Skills (Pt. 1)
11
ASK participants what Emotion Regulation skills their children have or struggle with. Write these down on a flipchart paper entitled “Child SEL Skills” organized by competency. ER Skills Children Have
ER Skills Children Need to Improve
Create a T-chart so that participants can create a chart of skills that children have and skills that need improvement. ASK participants what Emotion Regulation skills they would like to develop. Write these on a separate flipchart paper entitled “Caregiver Skills” organized by competency. After you have gone through the two competencies they will learn today, review the skills the participants came up with on the flipcharts under the competencies. Explain that these skills are skills that can or are being taught in the SEL class that their children are taking. Explain that they can also help to reinforce these skills, and they can simultaneously improve their own skills. By knowing about these competencies and skills, they are able to use the same language at home that their children will be learning in school. This gives them a good opportunity to connect with their children and support them better.
Time: 30 min
How do you reinforce SEL with your children? Remind participants that SEL skills are best learned if they are reinforced at home as well as in school, and modeled for the children by the caregivers and teachers. Explain that they are going to brainstorm different games and activities that they can do with their children to reinforce the five competencies. Remind them that they may do many of these already. Give an example for each competency they learned today. For example: Brain Building – play memory games or practice focusing attention Emotion Regulation – having a calming feelings toolkit at home Break them into small groups. If there are some participants who can write, place one in each group. Give each group two flipcharts and a marker. Explain that all of the groups will brainstorm games that correspond to Brain Building and Emotion Regulation for about 15 minutes. If they can write or draw, they can put them on the flipchart. If not, you can remind them that they are building their working memory, which is a Brain Building skill, to remember all of the games they can do with their children. After brainstorming games and activities they can do with their children, they will teach the rest of the group one of these games or activities and share their list back. After 15 minutes of brainstorming, bring them back together. Allow each group to share back their list and teach one of the games / activities. ASK participants how they will incorporate these games and activities into how they interact with their children.
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Time: 30 min
Session
Building Social Emotional Skills (Pt. 1)
11
Practicing SEL Skills Explain that now they have the opportunity to practice their own SEL skills through some activities they can also do with their children. Explain that as a group, they will have 15 minutes for each activity – one from each competency. Activity 1: Brain Building: Working Memory – Set out 20 playing cards in rows. Make sure that there are two cards with the same number to make a pair. Explain the following instructions: Play a game of “memory.” The goal is to collect the most matching pairs. Turn over one card, and then a second to see if they are a pair. If they are a pair, take them. If not, turn them back over. Then the next player goes, and does the same. If the first card matches one of the cards the first player turned over, they should try to remember where that card was and flip it over so they get a pair. Continue playing until all cards have been collected. ASK caregivers how they think this skill of working memory can help with their children. Sometimes your child will interrupt and you will lose your train of thought. By practicing your working memory, you will be able to pick up where you left off once you have answered them. How else can this help you? Activity 2: Emotion Regulation: Controlling your feelings – Practice and discuss strategies for controlling feelings – Belly-breathing and Counting to 10. Explain the following instructions:
Belly Breathing
Practice these emotion regulation strategies and discuss with the group when you would use them: 1. Belly-breathing – Sit up tall, and put one hand on your belly. Slowly breathe in to your belly feeling it grow bigger for four (4) seconds, count slowly 1, 2, 3, 4. Then hold that breathe for two (2) seconds, count 1, 2. Finally, breathe out of your mouth for four (4) seconds, count slowly 1, 2, 3, 4. Continue breathing into your belly until you feel calm. 2. Counting to 10 – Slowly count to 10, taking a breath between each number. This allows us to take a few seconds away from what is making us have strong feelings, it forces us to breathe, gives us perspective on what is happening to cause us the strong feelings. ASK caregivers how they think this skill of emotion regulation can help with their children. Sometimes our child may do something that is frustrating and causes you to get angry. By practicing your emotion regulation, you will be able to control your own response in order to understand what is really happening with your child. How else can this help you? ASK participants what they learned during this session and how they will use it in their lives. How will it help them with their children? How can it reinforce not only their children’s wellbeing, but their own wellbeing?
Time: 10 min
Review & Home Assignment Have a brief discussion with the group to close the session: What did you learn today? What did you like best about the session? What did you like least about today’s session? Is there anything you didn’t learn or discuss today that you would have liked to have learnt or discussed? 6
Session
Building Social Emotional Skills (Pt. 1)
11
Remind them that you have discussed Social Emotional Learning today. SEL is most effective when reinforced in the home and school. SEL skills need to be modeled by the parent in order for the child to learn. SEL can benefit anyone – caregiver or child. In order to reinforce both the caregivers’ own SEL and the child’s SEL, they have the following assignments for home: Ask their child about the SEL they are learning at school. Play one (or more) SEL game, from those they brainstormed, with their child. Practice their own SEL through one of the strategies they learned today.
Time: 5 min
Closing & Preparation
THANK participants for coming to the discussion INFORM participants of the topic for discussion at the next meeting REMIND them of the date for the next meeting, if it is already set. ENCOURAGE participants to share the knowledge they learned with their partners and friends.
Group Hug Ask a volunteer or select one person (maybe a shy participant if appropriate) to come to the center of the group and ask everyone to praise that person for what s/he is and has done. Then give a group hug and close the session. Maybe with applause. Attendance Take attendance at the end of the session before participants leave.
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