Elementary Social Emotional Learning Lesson Plans and Resources

Self Awareness: The ability to understand one's emotions, thoughts and values, and how they influence behavior.

This song was written by Paul M. Eaton for his students at Girard College Lower School in response to their association with the National Liberty Museum and being exposed to their message of "Live Like A Hero." The song's message is that we can all do something to change our world for the better through service, sacrifice, love and care for each other. 

Coach West helps youth navigate through the emotional fallout of COVID-19 with helpful tips

Social Awareness: The ability to understand perspectives of and empathize with others from diverse backgrounds and cultures which includes feeling compassion for others. 

From the first day at a new school to entering the workforce, we’ve all been new once. New Together is a PSA that asks us to have empathy for what it may be like to be a refugee.

This photo shows kids in 2nd, 4th and 6th grade working on kindness letters as a way to combat bullying. The project consisted of the children picking a name of a fellow club member out of a bag and making them an encouraging card. Every child, 80 in total, participated in making and receiving at least one card.

Your students are encouraged to work on letters and cards to promote kindness and within their school community. This can be done as a class activity, or with older students writing cards for younger students.

Inspire your students by watching this film, Call to Action Kindness Project. This film shows students in 6th grade sharing ways to be kind with 2nd grade children in order to promote a more positive culture in their school and community in Ontario, California. 

What can your students do to promote kindness and be positive role models for younger students? Share your project with MY HERO.

Responsible Decision Making: The ability to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.

Conner Long is nine years old and his little brother Cayden is seven. Cayden has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk or talk on his own. Like a good big brother, Conner was looking for a way to help his sibling join him in a sports activity so that he could feel the thrill of participation, such as running a race or catching a touchdown. Connor had an idea for a sport they could both participate in – triathlons! 

What would you do if you saw a wildfire destroy 95% of a town? How would you help the survivors whose homes burned to the ground? For Woody Faircloth in Denver, the answer seemed simple: provide them with an RV. And upon witnessing the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, he and his six-year- old daughter Luna did just that. Without hesitation, they drove across the country to donate an RV to a family who lost everything to the inferno. But when they arrived, the two quickly realized they couldn't stop there.

 At age 8, Milo noticed that whenever he ordered a drink in a restaurant, it would come with a straw. This seemed like a huge waste because he did not usually need a straw. He was concerned about the millions of straws that pollute waterways and harm ocean creatures. So Milo went on a campaign in his hometown to have restaurants ask if someone wanted a straw. He has convinced restaurants to go "straw-free" and has addressed Congress on the matter. 

One 11-year-old girl can make a difference—as budding ornithologist, author, and artist Olivia Bouler has proven. She raised $200,000 for the Gulf oil spill recovery. Olivia sent out 500 of her bird paintings to people who donated to Gulf recovery, which were then published in her book Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulf.

At the age of 5, Hannah saw a homeless man eating out of a garbage can. She had never seen a homeless person, let along anyone go to those lengths to feed themselves. Within a year, Hannah created the Ladybug Foundation to raise money to help end homelessness. Hannah selected the ladybug as her foundation’s mascot because ladybugs are considered good luck. She wanted this luck to transcend into her mission to help the homeless, whom she felt needed better luck.

Relationship Skills: The ability to establish and maintain healthy, supportive relationships with diverse individuals and groups.

Students view these two short films, Mig Said Series: Let's be Friends and The Chameleon's True Colors. Each film celebrates friendship, diversity and individuality. Then students consider the following questions:

What are some things about you that are different from your friends?

Why is it important to have friends who are different than you are?

What color is your skin? Hair? Eyes?

Do your friends have the same skin, hair and eye color? 

Discuss how we are all different and that all colors are beautiful.

The short film You Are Special was created as part of a special outreach program along with the Young Writers Program, and promoted in the "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" campaign.

Students watch this short film that shows how everyone is special and important in their own way. After viewing the film, encourage students to discuss what is special about themselves and their classmates. Create a bulletin board. 

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is a trusted source for knowledge about high-quality, evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL).