Summer can be a relaxing season for students and their families. They might be vacationing, playing outside, and spending more quality time together.
But it can also get busy. Quickly.
Kids are likely facing jam-packed schedules with new routines or less structure than they had at school. This transition can be rough.
To keep students feeling safe and at peace, it is important to make time for Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
What is SEL?
SEL is not just for school counselors. The Kentucky Department of Education defines it as a process where “…people acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions” (2023).
These are all beneficial factors for both children and adults.
Activities that encourage such skills and attitudes are known as Social Emotional Learning activities. These can be implemented at home, camp, summer school, or anywhere students may be over the break.
Making time for SEL doesn’t need to be complicated. It may involve simply having a conversation with a child about how they are feeling.
One activity my students love is taking a minute of silence. We turn off the lights, close our eyes, and just listen to the sounds around us. Afterward, students share or write about what they heard or what they were thinking. You could also play some calming music during this time.
Mindfulness activities can help students refocus as well. Teaching different calm down strategies, like taking deep breaths and feeling your belly rise and fall, can be tools that students use when feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.
SEL can also be hands-on, which sparks new conversations.
Below are two fun crafts that focus on SEL. These can be completed by students individually, or with friends and family.
Lights in My Life Firefly Jar
In this activity, students will reflect on people, places, or things that make them feel happy.
Prompt students to think about the sky at night. It is dark and quiet. Then have them consider fireflies. They are moving around, awake and providing light to the darkness.
If students are familiar with fireflies, they may know the excitement of watching a firefly light up.
Compare the people, places, and things that make them feel happy to the light of fireflies. Sometimes, when we are feeling upset, one of those lights can cheer us up.
Give an example from your life. Students will appreciate seeing how adults also have such lights.
Have the students write these sources of light on the images of fireflies. Then, instruct them to color and cut them out, placing them in or around the jar as they wish.
These jars will serve as a reminder of the positive things in students’ lives. They may look at them when they are feeling down. This craft can also spark a conversation about how we can be positive lights for others.
Summer Bucket List Goal Setting
During the school year, students are often asked to make or meet goals. Achieving a certain grade, learning their math facts, or completing their homework at night are just a few examples.
In the summer, that structure can disappear.
Keep students aiming high by having them record and share their goals. In this craft, students will color and decorate a “bucket list” of things they would like to accomplish by the end of summer.
Students will list a place they’d like to visit, a game they want to play, something fun to do, and people to spend time with.
These might be attainable goals, or they may be more imaginative. The idea, though, is that students feel empowered to share their hopes and dreams with those around them.
Students may also feel motivated to create additional goals throughout the summer or in the coming school year.
Making Time for SEL
SEL doesn’t need to be fancy. Sometimes, the more simple things can feel peaceful for busy students.
Taking just a few minutes to be mindful every day can have a profound impact on students’ emotional wellbeing.
I’d love to hear how you decide to implement SEL in your summer routine. Let me know in the comments and take care!
Sources: Kentucky Department of Education. May 8, 2023. Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Learning/Health. Retrieved from https://education.ky.gov/school/sdfs/Pages/Social,-Emotional-and-Behavioral-Learning-Health.aspx
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