What is Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)?

What is SEL (Social and Emotional Learning) and why does it matter?

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has become a prominent buzzword, not only in education but also among parents, communities, and workplaces. While interest in SEL was growing even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the crisis highlighted a crucial need for enhanced emotional support and the cultivation of resilience. Let’s delve deeper into how the SEL concept is reshaping our approach to personal growth and education

Social and Emotional Learning can be defined as:

The skills, attitudes, and behaviours that enable individuals to understand and manage their emotions, build healthy relationships, and take responsible decisions. Essentially, SEL means helping to develop the skills to navigate life’s challenges with emotional intelligence, empathy, and resilience. 

SEL can be broken down into 5 core areas

Social and Emotional Learning, or SEL, is typically organised into five areas that play a crucial role in understanding and managing our emotions and relationships. These are:

1. Self-awareness. This is all about recognising your own emotions and knowing what you’re good at and where you might need some improvement. You can think of it as understanding yourself better.
2. Self-management. This component is like your emotional control centre, helping you keep your cool when things get stressful, and guiding you to find constructive ways to handle those challenges.
3. Social awareness. This is about tuning into how others feel and seeing things from their perspective. Having empathy and showing respect for the differences that make us all unique.
4. Relationship skills. This component is all about effective communication, active listening, cooperation, and conflict resolution. It’s the toolkit you need to build and maintain positive connections with others.
5. Responsible decision-making. Taking well-thought-out decisions, considering the consequences, and making decisions that align with your values and benefit not just you but also your community and society at large.

Why emotional and social?

Emotional competence involves two key skills: firstly, it’s all about understanding, expressing, and managing your own emotions, and secondly, it’s about being able to tune into how others are feeling.

On the other hand, social competence relates to your ability to interact effectively with others in a friendly and helpful way. Think of it as actions that make life better for others and help build strong, positive relationships.

Social and emotional skills are, by their essence, connected. When you are aware of your own emotions and those of others, you understand better what others are going through and it’s easier to respond to them with empathy and create positive relationships. These positive connections with people, in turn, contribute to your happiness and emotional well-being. Social cognition combines all these skills, including emotional intelligence, understanding different perspectives, making moral judgments, solving social problems, and resolving conflicts.

Is SEL just for kids and teachers?

Everyone can benefit from SEL! Great self-awareness, empathy and resilience can be developed at any age. For instance, social and emotional skills are increasingly being recognised as a valuable asset to be nurtured in the workplace and the community.

However, one of the main focuses of SEL is of course, children and young people, who are starting out on the path of learning about themselves, their emotions and how to interact with the world. Social and emotional learning developed at home and at school supports children in developing vital life skills, like learning to manage stress, cope with peer pressure, and build positive relationships, to name just a few.

By the same token, SEL training for teachers and educators helps them create a supportive and inclusive classroom environment, fostering a conducive atmosphere for learning and personal development.

What are the benefits of Social and Emotional Learning?

Let’s explore the valuable skills that Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) can provide for children and individuals alike.

1. Empathy in action: SEL has a remarkable ability to foster empathy. Imagine this scenario: your child returns home upset because a friend didn’t want to share toys. Instead of reacting impulsively, a child with greater emotional awareness might say, “I noticed my friend was upset. Maybe they were having a tough day.” These simple acts of understanding lay the foundation for compassionate, empathetic individuals.

2. Emotional literacy: SEL provides kids with the vocabulary to express their feelings. Imagine your child, frustrated after a challenging day at school, able to articulate, “I felt overwhelmed because I couldn’t understand the maths lesson.” This emotional literacy not only strengthens communication but also empowers them to seek support when needed.

3. Conflict resolution skills: Life is rife with conflicts, and SEL equips children with the tools to navigate them gracefully. Consider a scenario where siblings argue over who gets the TV remote control. Rather than this turning into a big conflict, children with SEL skills might suggest a compromise or taking turns, fostering a sense of cooperation rather than rivalry.

4. The power of self-reflection: SEL encourages introspection, enabling children to understand themselves better. When faced with a challenging situation, a child with greater self-awareness might pause and ask, “How am I feeling, and why?” This self-awareness acts as a compass, guiding them through the ups and downs of growing up.

5. Building resilience: Life is a rollercoaster, and SEL helps us develop greater security. Whether facing a disappointing result or dealing with friendship troubles, SEL fosters resilience. Strong SEL skills help children see setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning.

How to incorporate SEL into everyday family life

So now you’ve decided you want to build in more Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in your daily life as a family. There are lots of ways to do that.

Reading:  Books act as mirrors reflecting the real world, helping children navigate complex emotions and relationships. By reading together, parents can initiate meaningful conversations about the pictures and stories and, most importantly, relate them to the child’s own life. The bedtime routine is ideal not just for reading stories but engaging in open discussions about feelings, friendships, and embracing differences. Check out our series of popular SEL books The Kids’ Books of Social Emotional Learning on topics such as friends, diversity, kindness and worries (3 to 8 years).

Or, for instance our SEL workbooks are ideal for adults to support learning for children who are a little older (6 to 10 years). Children complete fun activities that encourage reflection and expression and learn through writing, drawing, games and quizzes. Again, they are idea for sparking conversations about what is going on in your child’s life at the moment and how they feel about it. By integrating SEL books into your family life, you create a nurturing environment where emotional intelligence becomes a natural part of your child’s development.

Alongside books, there are lots of other ways to incorporate Social Emotional Learning into your daily lives as a family. Here are a number. Which ones have your family tried or could try?

• Family meetings: Hold regular family meetings to discuss feelings, experiences, and upcoming events. This provides a safe space for open communication and problem-solving.
• Emotion check-ins: Create a daily routine where family members check in with each other about their emotions. This simple act encourages emotional expression and supports the development of empathy.
• Mindful moments: Introduce short mindfulness or relaxation exercises into your routine. This could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths together or practicing a brief meditation.
• Gratitude practice: Foster a sense of gratitude by sharing one thing each family member is thankful for during meals or bedtime. This helps cultivate a positive outlook and reinforces the importance of appreciation.
• Collaborative activities: Engage in collaborative projects or activities that require teamwork. This could be cooking a meal together, building a puzzle, or working on a family art project. These experiences promote cooperation and communication.
• Problem-solving scenarios: Create hypothetical scenarios and discuss potential solutions as a family. This not only hones problem-solving skills but also encourages perspective-taking.
• Community involvement: Volunteer together as a family or engage in community activities. These experiences provide opportunities to talk about empathy, compassion, and the importance of helping others.
• Getting creative: Encourage artistic expression through activities like drawing, painting, or even creating a family scrapbook. This gives children a way to express emotions in a non-verbal way, through drawing, painting or making something.