SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

There are many ways we can encourage emotionally-intelligent behavior in a child. Below are five strategies that we can use to promote healthy social-emotional learning:

1. Role Modelling
   Children model their behavior from those they admire; parents and teachers. When we model a variety of emotions and coping strategies children learn to manage their emotions and appropriate ways to react in circumstances.
2. Emotional Coaching
   Accept and talk about the child’s emotions. Teach them to label, cope, and problem-solve their emotions. As well as to appropriately express their emotions.
3. Reading
   Reading books provides opportunities to learn and discuss social-emotional topics with children; like taking turns and cooperating with others.
4. Choices
   Providing choices for children and the independence to make their own choices are linked to high levels of social-emotional learning.  Teaching children how to negotiate and solve problems leads to improved social skills in future relationships with peers.
5. Rules and Expectations
   Setting rules, expectations for behavior, praise for positive behaviors, and ignoring unwanted behavior are all associated with higher-level social-emotional skills.