In education, trends come and go. Many education trends are meant to close academic gaps or increase parent engagement. Very rarely do we discuss issues with mental health in students. Thankfully, SEL is bringing Mental Health into the discussion and mental health care into the classroom.

What is SEL?

SEL is Social and Emotional Learning. Social and emotional development is an integral part of child development and mental health and an often-neglected part of k12 education.

SEL helps students build a positive and strong self-identity, social and emotional stability, and positive relationships with peers and adults. Through important lessons and practice, teachers can give students the tools to build healthy social and emotional skills.

What are the benefits of SEL?

When children are engaged and connected with their peers and teachers through healthy and empathetic interactions, they can engage with academic curriculum in a meaningful way.

• SEL improves students’ social and emotional development, helps improve student attitudes, and helps students build a positive sense of self.
• SEL helps improve student academic performance as students are more prepared to persevere through difficult lessons and challenging tasks.
• SEL helps improve students’ mental health.
• SEL supports parent and student relationships as students can handle anxiety and stress, which improves their attitude and relationships at home and school.

How Can You Use Bloomz to Support SEL at Home?

• Gratitude Journal- Encourage parents to create a gratitude journal and support their children in adding entries to their gratitude journals while at home. Each day, parents and students can discuss what they are grateful for and add to their journals. When students and parents are thankful, they can build a sense of satisfaction that can decrease anxiety and depression.
• Create a list of goals- Have students and parents create a list of timely goals. Students and parents can work together to set short-term and long-term goals and discuss steps needed to meet these goals. Setting and working toward goals are great ways to build responsibility for students and helps children build time management skills.
• Encourage mindfulness and meditation- Parents and children can practice mindfulness and meditation while at home. Encourage parents to set some time aside each night to practice mindfulness and breathing techniques. Dedicating just a few minutes each day to healthy breathing and mindfulness practices can help students deal with anxiety and depression.
• Encourage togetherness- You can use Bloomz to encourage togetherness by providing a list of ideas to help parents connect with their students. Encourage a game night, movie night, or a story walk through nature. When parents and students spend time in these activities, they can share playful fun and create memories that will last a lifetime.
• Talking About Emotions- share with parents the important ways to help students express emotions through sentence frames. “I am ____ because ______.” This will help students identify and talk about emotions and encourage parents to become active partners in their child’s Social and Emotional Development.

How have you used Bloomz to support SEL at home? Comment below to share the many ways you have used parent communication to support student mental health at home.

• Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash