R & R

Every classroom needs a quiet place where children can get away if they need a little time to calm down and center themselves.

Trip to Hawaii

Put a poster of Hawaii and a beach towel in a quiet corner of the room. When the children need to calm down invite them to take a trip to Hawaii so they can rest and relax.


Just Chillin
Create a "just chillin" center with a beanbag chair, headset, silly putty, or other fidget toys.  Invite children to take a break there when they feel stressed or anxious.


Scribble Book
Provide a spiral notebook and pencils for children to express their feelings with scribbles or drawings.


Calming Bottles
Make these bottles for children to play with in the "just chillin" center. They will give them something to hold in their hands and help them relax.

Directions: Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of clear corn syrup in the bottle. Add a few drops of food coloring and a teaspoon of glitter. Glue on the lid. Hold the bottle and slowly move it around to coat the inside.

*Add crayon shavings to a bottle of water to help children relax and focus.

TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR!

You know how much kids love to look at themselves in a mirror. Each day put a positive word or note on your classroom mirror to remind the children how special they are!

Star Student
Tape a sheet of paper to the top of a mirror. (Only tape the top.) Tell the children that your favorite student is in the mirror. Let them take turns lifting the paper to see their teacher's "favorite child."

*If a student is upset or sad ask them to look in the mirror. You might be surprised how they will smile and change their attitude!


Happy Birthday to Me
When washing their hands, remind the children to sing "Happy Birthday" to themselves twice as they look in the mirror. (That will make sure all the germs are washed away.)

Tell the Mirror
When a child says something unkind to a friend tell them to go look in a mirror and say that to themselves. How did it make them feel?

Looking through My Magic Mirror
(Tune: “Go in and out My Window”)
I’m looking through my mirror.
I’m looking through my mirror.
I’m looking through my mirror,
And I see my friend (child’s name).

*Take an old picture frame and spray paint it gold or silver. Glue on fake “jewels." Hold it in front of your face as you sing the song. Pass it to different children as you use their name in the song.




Mirror
Children love to look at themselves in the mirror, so place a mirror above the sink where children clean up.

SELF REGULATION TOOLS

A "sitter spot" and "brain toys" are tangible tools to help children self-regulate.

Sitter Spot
Cut 8” circles out of fun foam or felt and write the children’s names on them. Arrange for circle time to give children a special place to sit. Arrange spots to disperse problems and encourage social interactions. 

*Children can also use these for their “special spot” for doing quiet activities like independent reading.


Brain Toys
Fill a shoebox or basket with stress balls or knotted socks. Suggest children get a "brain toy" when they can’t keep their hands to themselves. You'll be surprised how a knotted sock can keep little hands still and help them focus.



Stress Button
Glue the hook side of Velcro to a poker chip to make a “stress button.”

Fiddlesticks
Wrap a 20” piece of string around a jumbo craft sticks. Children keep these in their desk and get them out when their hands need to fiddle.

SELF REGULATION HUG

Self-regulation is a key ingredient in SEL. These chants will help "center" children and remind them that they are the "boss" of themselves.

Brain Hug
Children repeat each line after the teacher demonstrates.

Thumbs up. (Extend arms and stick up thumbs.)
Thumbs down. (Thumbs down.)
Cross your arms. (Cross right fist over left.)
Clasp your fingers. (Clasp fingers.)
Give yourself a brain hug. (Bring clasped fingers down and up as you hug your chest.)

Criss Cross
Children say this with the teacher as they do the movements.

Criss Cross (Demonstrate how to cross legs and sit quietly.)
Be your own boss!! (Cross arms over chest.)

Hall Hug
Cross index and middle finger and wiggle as you look at a friend.

A “hand hug” can be done by placing your palm next to a partner’s palm. Wrap your thumbs around, squeeze, look in your partner’s eyes, and smile!

Secret Hands (Melinda Ainslie)
Several years ago at a workshop Melinda shared this idea. She said that when her daughter started kindergarten she came home from school and asked, “Mama, can you keep a secret? When you put your hands together like this (cross your fingers), it’s MAGIC because you can see better and hear better!”

HEART OF GOLD

There is a song of mine that you are probably familiar with called "Katalina Matalina." It's a silly song that the kids love, but there is also a special SEL lesson in her heart of gold.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OvNvMdz7BU

Katalina Matalina
Chorus: Katalina Matalina Upsadina Walkadina
Hoca Poca Loca was her name.

Her head was shaped like a baseball bat. (Point to head.)
And right on top was a funny, old hat. (Chorus)

She had two hairs in her head. (Point to hair.)
One was alive and the other was dead. (Chorus)

She had two eyes in her head. (Point to eyes.)
One was purple and the other was red. (Chorus)

She had two teeth in her mouth. (Point to mouth.)
One pointed north and the other pointed south. (Chorus)

Her neck was as long as a ten foot pole. (Point to neck.)
And right in the middle was a big, black bow. (Chorus)

Her hips were like two ships in port. (Wiggle hips.)
One headed south and the other headed north. (Chorus)

Her feet were as flat as a bathroom mat. (Point to feet.)
How did they ever get like that? (Chorus)

But she had a heart, so I’m told. (Put hands over heart.)
That was made of purest gold. (Chorus)

*Have children discuss what it means to have a “heart of gold.” Make paper hearts from gold paper and attach a piece of string so it can be worn around the neck. When you see children being kind let them wear the heart of gold for the day.


THE BROKEN HEART

Here’s a story to remind children how words can hurt. Cut a large heart out of red construction paper and hold it in your lap as you begin to tell the story below:

This is a story about a special friend named (imaginary name). He always came to school with a smile on his face and a big heart full of love for his classmates. (Hold up the big heart.) (Name) listened to his teacher, did his best work, and helped his friends. However, some of his friends weren’t always so kind. Joe made fun of his shoes and broke a little of his heart. (Tear off a piece of the heart and let it drop to the floor.) Ann said, “I’m saving this seat and you can’t sit here” at story time and broke a little more of his heart. Sammy wouldn’t share his crayons (tear off a little of the heart) and Sara called him a mean name. What are some other things that might break his heart? (Let the children name other things that cause hurt feelings as you let the pieces fall to the floor.) By the end of the day his heart was all in pieces and it was so sad.

Who can tell me how to put his heart back together? What are some kind things you can do for your friends? As children name different acts of kindness pick the pieces of the heart off the floor. Glue the pieces together on a poster as a reminder to have a kind heart. Encourage children to write friends’ names on the poster when they are kind and helpful to them!

*Thanks to Cheri Winton Bromley for telling me this story many years ago.


Kindness Club
Make a poster that says "Kindness Club." When friends do a kind deed ask children to write their name on the poster. You could also run off "Kindness Tickets" that children to give to friends to thank them.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljaHRsT05ZYmxPZlE/view?usp=sharing

FEELINGS

It's important for children to learn how to identify feelings and how to deal with them in appropriate ways. This is a familiar song where you can change the words to act out different emotions.

If You’re Happy and You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.(Clap twice.)
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.(Clap twice.)
If you’re happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.(Clap twice.)

If you’re happy and you know it, hug yourself… (Hug self.)

If you’re happy and you know it, kiss your brain… (Kiss fingers & touch head.)

If you’re happy and you know it, wiggle all over… (Wiggle.)

If you’re happy and you know it, shout, “Hoorah!”.. (Put hand in air & shout.)

If you’re happy and you know it, do them all… (Do all 5 motions.)

*Let children suggest other emotions and movements. For example, "If you're sad and you know it cry your eyes..boo hoo." "If you're angry and you know it stomp your foot."

*Discuss what causes different emotions and appropriate responses. What makes you happy? What can you do when you’re happy? What makes you stressed? What can you do when you’re stressed?

*Learn sign language for the different feelings and practice them as you sing the song.


Collaborative Books
Make class books such as “Things to Be Happy About,” “Things that Bug Us,” or “Scary Things.”

Connections with Characters
As you read books to the class, encourage students to describe how characters are feeling. Have they ever felt like that?

Vocabulary
Extend vocabulary by brainstorming different ways to say “happy,” “sad,” “angry,” “surprised,” etc. Draw expressions on paper plates and put them on a bulletin board. Write different synonyms for each emotion underneath.




Dramatize
Let children pantomime different feelings as friends try and guess what they are.

*Make “Feeling Faces” by cutting 7” circles out of the middle of card stock. Write a different emotion on each page, such as “happy,” “sad,” “angry,” “proud,” Children take turns putting their face in a circle and making appropriate facial expressions. Remind the children that it’s O.K. to have different feelings.

Journals
Let children write their names and draw “feeling faces” as they enter the classroom each day.

PICTURE ME

Children LOVE pictures of themselves, don't they? Take photos of children and make multiple copies to use in these activities to nurture self esteem as well as social relationships.

Lookin’ Good Lotto!
You will need two copies of each child’s photo. Mount photos on 3” squares of construction paper. Shuffle squares and have children match up the ones that belong together.

*Put a photo on one square and a name on one square.

Puppet People

Glue photos to craft sticks and use for working out problems or making up original stories.

Block Friends
Glue photos to square blocks and use in the block center.

Felt Board Friends
Attach a small piece of Velcro to the back of each photo and use with a flannel board.

*Be sure to include a picture of the teacher!

Class Directory 

Put pictures of children and their name on index cards to use in the writing center.

Class Stationery
Ask children to draw their picture and write their name in one of the squares. Run off many, many copies so you can put them in the class writing center.

Hint!  You could also let children write their name and draw their picture on 3" squares and then reduce the size for the outline of the stationery.