Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Social Emotional Learning Lesson Plans

In this lesson, students will hear the story Lovely and work in small groups to create a book or a symbol of appreciation for others' differences. Students will consider how appreciating differences supports community and relationships.

What happens when students explore their senses on the inside? This lesson encourages students to look at, listen to, and feel what is happening on the inside through practicing mindfulness.

Owls hear so well that they can hunt in the dark. Have your students try on their owl ears! In this lesson, students open up their ears to all the sounds around them, close and far away, and go on a sound hunt.

Deep relaxation in school? Yes, it is possible! Through this process you will guide students to consciously focus on relaxing various body parts, leading to a visualization to help relax their full body mindfully.

Identifying and describing their feelings is an important part of the way children develop social skills. This lesson teaches your students how to identify feelings, and then elaborate on them by speaking and writing in complete sentences.

In this lesson, students will learn about how emotions change and will understand and discuss different feeling words for different emotions by associating emotions with colors, visuals, and a charades game.

In this lesson, students will discuss, generate a list, and practice appropriate activities that may improve the way they feel. Students will engage in a gratitude practice and learn strategies for changing their mood.

In this lesson, students will explore how sadness, loneliness, gratitude, connection, and love feel in their bodies. They will also learn about negativity bias and practice “soaking in the good” by savoring positive feelings.

In this lesson, students will discuss similarities and differences in a fish bowl activity. They will also learn tools to practice gratitude for each other's differences and similarities.

Often, it's difficult to see mistakes and failures as opportunities to grow! In this lesson, students will practice having a growth mindset and looking at mistakes as opportunities to learn. They'll consider how challenges grow their brain.

In this lesson, students will learn about the importance of doing one thing at a time and listen to the book What Does It Mean to Be Present?. Then, they will experience the inefficiency of multitasking by doing three things at once.

Nature can teach us about impermanence and appreciation of the present moment. In this lesson, students will explore impermanence in nature, and they'll create their own nature mandala that reflects impermanence and nature's gifts.

In this lesson, students explore ways they can give themselves more energy or help them relax. They will also learn that movement breaks are beneficial in releasing stress and tension and providing energy.

Gabi Garcia's "Listening With My Heart" provides students with an opportunity to reflect on ways to extend themselves compassion all year long. This engaging lesson supports students in understanding what kindness is, as well as how to be kind to themselves and others in their daily lives.

In this lesson, students will learn the steps in solving a problem, discuss solutions from the story "Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present," and use these same problem-solving skills when they build shapes with pattern blocks.

Listening to the soothing sounds of the ocean and practicing slowing down can be helpful to feel more calm and ease. Calming tools such as breathwork, mindful movement, and stillness are practiced in this ocean-themed lesson.

On some level, all humans want to feel peace and to feel loved. In this lesson, students will practice sending peaceful thoughts to themselves and others and discuss how these practices can support peace in their lives and community.

Help your ELs practice identifying how their peers are feeling to develop emotions vocabulary and support comprehension. It can be used as a stand-alone lesson or a support lesson.

Performing acts of kindness and love can bring classrooms together! In this lesson, students will hear true stories of random acts of kindness and will perform kind deeds of their own in groups.

What does it mean to be a leader? In this lesson, students will discuss leadership and will practice leading mindfulness for other students in their class.

In this lesson, students will move through stations to practice and reflect on the mindfulness and social emotional learning tools that they have learned throughout the year.

In this lesson, students will learn the importance of nonviolent communication and listening to others in order to have a more supportive community.

In this lesson, students will answer questions, role-play different scenarios, and explore their feelings as they make healthy choices. They will also learn some questions to ask themselves when making decisions.

In this lesson, students will practice loving kindness for a classmate by writing them a letter or drawing them a picture showing their appreciation.

Words can uplift others, but they can also cause harm. In this lesson, students will hear the story Desmond and the Very Mean Word, and they'll discuss the power of positive and negative words in friendships, school, and community.

The first step to helping students develop empathy is teaching them about feelings. In this lesson, students learn what feelings look like by crafting their own emotional faces.

The recipe for friendship includes kindness, honesty, and understanding, among other things! In this lesson, students will discuss the recipe for friendship, make a perfect pot of tea, and reflect on how to make upset friends feel better.

Being able to step into another's shoes can support healthy relationships and compassionate young people! Students will be able to define the word "empathy." They will discuss different scenarios and perform skits that illustrate empathy.

Compliments can build relationships and a positive class climate! In this lesson, students will participate in a compliment circle, give and receive compliments, and draw/write kind notes to others.

Group work can build cooperation and problem-solving skills inside and outside of the classroom! In this lesson, students will discuss cooperation and practice using cooperative techniques in human knot and tower-building activities.