Did you know that schools that implemented social-emotional learning and well-being programs saw a 10% drop in absenteeism in just one year?
The early years of a child’s life are a critical window for building lifelong healthy habits. During this time, children are highly receptive to emotional and social skills. However, some may assume schooling is for purely academic growth, and that is just not true! Educators have a great potential to strengthen students in more ways than one.
This is where social and emotional learning comes in. As a key component of whole-child education, SEL helps students build the self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy, and communication skills they need to thrive – not just in school, but in life.
We’re sharing nine practical, research-backed social and emotional learning strategies to help your students become their best selves. These SEL strategies for the classroom are flexible and designed to make a lasting impact, helping every child become their best self!Â
For social emotional learning strategies to truly make a difference, they need a cohesive, school-wide approach. Systematically embedding these methods into the school day and involving every staff member will permeate the entire school environment. With these three strategies, students will internalize skills in meaningful, lasting ways.
The first strategy for implementing a successful SEL program is to provide training for the educators who lead it. This can be done through workshops, seminars, and ongoing professional development programs. Throughout these trainings, teachers will gain confidence and the ability to integrate SEL strategies into the classroom daily.Â
Math & Movement offers multiple professional development webinars, many of which include social and emotional teaching strategies in addition to movement-based techniques. Our session titled “Trauma and Math – Using Movement to Support Students with ACES” is especially useful in learning how to make sense of your students’ social and emotional behavior.
Social emotional teaching strategies shouldn’t feel like an extra task on a long to-do list. Rather, these SEL strategies should be incorporated into an existing curriculum, naturally working across subject areas. As students collaborate on solving math problems, practice empathy in literature, or engage in respectful, scientific debates, they will find lessons to be much more personable and relatable.
Integration across subjects will help your curriculum support the whole child as SEL strategies develop essential cognitive, social, and emotional competencies.
Look for programs that incorporate social and emotional learning strategies into lesson content. For example, Math & Movement is a program that supplements your school’s existing curriculum with kinesthetic learning activities. Our program ensures that students feel confident in math by using movement to understand concepts. We also include positive affirmations frequently in activities.
When children feel a true sense of belonging, they will be more engaged, confident, and eager to participate in class. Developing a safe environment characterized by positive and caring relationships between students and teachers will help everyone feel welcome.
Social emotional learning strategies that foster positive student relationships reduce bullying, behavioral problems, and violence.
To apply this strategy, try:
If you’re a school leader, coordinate practices across classrooms, schools, and programs.
Effective classroom SEL strategies must go beyond theory to active practice of skills with feedback and reflection. The goal is to build muscle memory for social and emotional responses, just like we do with academic and physical skills. These strategies will help you and your students get there.
Like academic content, social and emotional skills must be taught intentionally. That means providing explicit instruction on topics such as self-regulation, perseverance, empathy, and organization. This transforms abstract concepts into concrete tools students can use every day.
You can do this while integrating social emotional learning strategies across your existing curriculum. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an additional, separate lesson.
For instance, have students identify the emotions of a character in their book. Or, encourage students to say, “I need more practice” while trying new math problems instead of “I can’t do this!”.
Students must also learn to regulate their emotions. By embedding simple techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and relaxation into daily routines, educators can give kids practical tools to stay grounded and focused.
On top of that, activities such as journaling, group conversations, and role-playing allow students to explore their feelings and build self-awareness. These social emotional teaching strategies help children recognize what they’re feeling and why, which are essential steps in building emotional resilience.
A helpful intervention is the “Temperature Check“, where students rate how they’re feeling on a scale from 1 to 5 and identify why they feel that way. This is great practice for naming and sharing emotions.
Similarly, regular emotions check-ins create a safe space for students to express themselves and signal when they might need extra support. We have the perfect free resource for this below!
How are your students feeling?
Provide a daily check-in for your students using our free social-emotional learning worksheet! This worksheet helps students describe and illustrate their feelings. Stay in touch with your students and know how to best support them each day!
Strong relationships are essential for every supportive classroom, and they are best nurtured through structured activities that intentionally develop communication skills. Group projects, teamwork exercises, and conflict resolution activities help students practice active listening and develop problem-solving skills.
Additionally, through cooperative learning, students learn to value each other’s ideas and work as a team.
Furthermore, story sharing, debates, and partner discussions promote empathy by encouraging students to consider different perspectives. A simple practice like “Good News” sharing, where students share something positive, will also build community and listening skills.
These social and emotional teaching strategies create space for meaningful connection.
Movement-based learning uses physical activity to teach and reinforce new concepts. When integrated into an existing curriculum, it becomes a powerful way to meet both academic and SEL goals.
Physical activity boosts oxygen levels in the brain, improves circulation, and stimulates the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports cognitive function and emotional regulation.
Academically, this teaching method can enhance focus, memory, and performance. From a social and emotional perspective, kinesthetic learning encourages cooperation, self-regulation, and problem-solving. Movement-based lessons reduce math anxiety, foster a growth mindset, and create a positive learning environment by making learning more enjoyable.
Math & Movement is a strong example of how this looks in practice. Students explore academic concepts by moving around on colorful floor mats and stickers together. Our movement-based activities supplement teachers’ existing lesson plans and strengthen students’ intellectual, emotional, and social skills. Plus, our activities are adaptable for diverse learners, supporting Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and promoting educational equity.
Check out the example activity below, that incorporates both social emotional learning strategies and movement-based learning strategies.
Use the Spell-A-Word Hop mat and letter cards for this activity. Ask a student to lay letter cards on the mat that spell a positive adjective (e.g., strong, kind, focused, etc.). Use grade-level appropriate words. Take inspiration from your spelling words list or a book your class is reading
Have the student step on each letter and say the sound of the letter or the letter name. After the last letter, have them jump to the final space and put all of the sounds/letters together to say the word they made aloud.
Finally, use the word in a positive affirmation together while doing a cross-body movement with their arms or legs. For example, if the word is “strong”, punch your right arm across your body and say “I”, punch your left arm across your body and say “am”, jump and clap, and shout “strong!”
In addition to core practices, trying innovative social and emotional learning strategies can enhance student growth in meaningful ways. Here’s two strategies.
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with openness and without judgment. It can help students tune in to their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings while avoiding destructive habits. It’s all about awareness.
This simple yet powerful practice offers a range of benefits. First off, it helps reduce stress by giving students a moment to check in with themselves and manage feelings.Â
On top of that, research suggests that mindfulness supports academic achievement by enhancing cognitive and emotional processes, including concentration and working memory.
Additionally, research shows that mindfulness develops the same areas of the brain responsible for empathy, an essential skill for healthy and productive relationships.
One way to practice mindfulness in the classroom is through a breathing exercise. For a few minutes, ask students to close their eyes and focus on their breathing. Guide them through slow, deep breaths while counting or skip counting aloud quietly. This practice will help students calm their minds and focus.
Restorative Practices (RP) offer an inclusive approach to addressing behavior by shifting from punishment to learning and accountability.
Rather than focusing on consequences, RP transforms conflict into opportunities for connection and personal growth, which directly support key social emotional learning strategies. Students learn to reflect, take responsibility, and rebuild trust, turning conflict into learning opportunities.
Common restorative techniques include:
Schools implementing RP report improved climate, reduced suspensions by up to 36%, and increased empathy.
Social and emotional learning is a cornerstone of holistic student development, and it works best through a multi-faceted approach with a variety of practical tools. By integrating both core and specialized social and emotional learning strategies, educators can meet students’ diverse needs and foster lasting growth.
Explore Math & Movement’s engaging, movement-based resources designed to support both academic success and emotional well-being. See how our innovative tools can help your students succeed!
Suzy Koontz, CEO and Founder of Math & Movement, has spent over 25 years helping students achieve academic success. She has created over 200 kinesthetic teaching tools adopted by schools nationwide and has authored over 20 books. As a sought-after national presenter, Suzy shares how movement can transform the way students learn.
How are your students feeling?
Provide a daily check-in for your students using our free social-emotional learning worksheet!
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