Social emotional learning activities are important. I certainly don’t need to stand up here on a soapbox and preach to the masses that kids these days need help and practice and encouragement on how to navigate day-to-day life. They do.
Over the last 2 (3?) years, students’ worlds have been turned upside down, as have our own lives as teachers. And there should be a focus on social emotional learning not only for students’ benefit but also for us as teachers.
At my school, we have this (weird) chunk of time at the beginning of the school day that is dedicated to homeroom. Now homeroom is kind of a weird time. Like there isn’t actual content to teach, and without a direction can quickly become a daily study hall or free period. But, this is where homeroom and social emotional learning activities can mesh together so well.
Think about it. You need to ‘entertain’ students during homeroom time, AND, students need some help and practice, and guidance with social emotional learning. Let’s marry the 2 and kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
Difference between homeroom teacher and classroom teacher
Before we get any further in the discussion about social emotional learning, let’s settle a quick debate. What’s the difference between homeroom teacher and classroom teacher?
Great question, and honestly not too much. Both are teachers. And both are in charge of what students are working on during this time. The struggle comes with the lack of direction for homeroom versus the fast-paced, curriculum and standards-driven direction for a classroom teacher.
A homeroom teacher has a bit more control over what they teach and how they teach it. Which can lead to quick lessons, an added duty onto an already full plate of teaching classroom students. To be honest, homeroom get’s pushed to the last minute in my daily and weekly planning. Sometimes I’m scrambling 10 minutes before class starts trying to find something for my homeroom students to do.
However, there is an easier way to plan for homeroom.
How to teach middle schoolers
One more thing before we divide into social emotional learning activities. Middle schoolers are a different breed of students and I mean that in the nicest way possible. They aren’t elementary students and they aren’t high schoolers. They are different for a reason.
So how to teach middle schoolers?
Keep things fast-paced and moving along.
They will see through fake so fast.
This means that social emotional learning can’t feel fake. It can’t feel separate from what they already think and feel. This is where a lot of social emotional curriculums get it wrong. If middle schooler doesn’t think the topic applies to them, they will roll their eyes and pull out their phones to find something that does apply to them.
No matter what you do during homeroom time, make it applicable to your students.
Social emotional learning in schools
Social emotional learning in schools can look different depending on your school, district, and even your state. Sometimes you might be given free rein to do whatever you want when it comes to social emotional learning activities. Other times, you are given a canned curriculum to follow like a script…
This means the difference between homeroom teacher and classroom teacher is pretty slim.
I currently teach with a canned curriculum for social emotional learning but I have some freedom in the delivery of the curriculum.
If you have to follow the curriculum to a T then just play the game.
If you have some flexibility, then use it to your advantage. Get the counselors involved or even online versions of mental health.
Social emotional learning activities
There are a lot of different social emotional learning activities that you can do with your middle school students, whether during homeroom or any other part of the school day. I personally use homeroom to do a bulk of my social emotional learning activities.
The important part of social emotional learning is really giving students what they need. This means there are so many options to choose from! So many of these ideas are great for homeroom or any other ‘weird’ time of the day like after lunch or a morning meeting situation.
Writing in a Journal
Some students love getting the chance to free write each day, even if it is for 5 minutes each day. I remember in 8th grade my teacher had us do that I loved this part of the day. She would put on the radio and we would write for 15-20 minutes on whatever we wanted. She would read it if we put it in a certain basket but other than that it was just for us to express ourselves.
This is an easy, low-prep option for homeroom. You can give students a composition notebook or go digital and provide students with a slide or document to type on. Leave a preference for students to share with you or just give them the freedom to express their emotions.
Social Emotional Learning Activties & Read Alouds
Yes, even middle schoolers love a good read-aloud book. I will sometimes use picture books with my 6th graders but I also love chapter books like “Fish in a Tree” to help students connect with different characters. This is a great way to connect social emotional learning with a growth mindset too.
Here’s a bunch of my favorites that my 6th graders enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cj31T1jO9tg/
Connection Circles
My students often love talking about themselves. I will pose a question and pass a talking stick around a circle. Students can share whatever they like in relation to the question and then we go around a 2nd time and elaborate on connections and ask each other questions. This social emotional learning activity works better with some groups than others. Last year, kids loved this. This year, not so much.
Encourage Teamwork
This is one of those social-emotional learning activities that can fit into just about any part of the school day. I round up a bunch of fun ideas for team building in this blog post so be sure to check it out.
Practice Mindfulness
Shameless plug but I seriously love the Calm app. It’s life-changing for me as a teacher and as a person. There are guided meditations for students, easy yoga sequences, and deep breathing that’s done to a count. I have used this with 3rd grade and 8th grade and it all works the same. Seriously, try out the app. It’s free but if you sign up with an educator email then you get even more upgrades for free.
Practicing deep breathing techniques, and calming strategies can be so helpful to middle school students and help them establish a good baseline for their emotions.
What growth mindset activities can you use?
Social emotional learning activities and a growth mindset can totally match up! I love using homeroom time to work on building a growth mindset. Websites like Youcubed can be so helpful when you need a quick activity or a full-blown lesson.
I also love using ted talks for growth mindset. What growth mindset ted talks are there? So many! I’ve linked my favorites below!
Science is for everyone, kids included
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
The Boost Students Need to Overcome Obstacles
What Adults Can Learn from Kids
If you are looking for even more growth mindset activities, check out this blog post.
More social emotional learning activities
Looking for even more social emotional learning activities to use with your homeroom classroom? These blog posts have all the best ideas, in addition to those found above. Be sure to check them out!
- 25 Ways to Integrate Social Emotional Learning by the Pathway 2 Success
- 13 Powerful SEL Activities by Edutopia
- 25 Social Emotional Learning Acitivites & How They Promote Students Well-Being By Prodigy
- 30 Social Emotional Learning Activities for Elementary by the Teaching Expertise
I’d love to learn from you! What are the social emotional learning activities that you use in your classroom? Drop your response in the comments!
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