SEL Tip: Halloween Connections
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s a perfect opportunity to bring the fun and excitement of the holiday into your classroom while helping students develop essential social-emotional learning skills. By making connections between Halloween themes and SEL, teachers can foster creativity, empathy, and teamwork in a festive and engaging way. Here are some actionable
Read More >>SEL Tip: Summer Olympics Connections
With the 2024 Paris Olympics captivating audiences worldwide, it’s an ideal time to bring the spirit of the games into your classroom. By making summer Olympics connections, teachers can help students develop essential social-emotional learning skills through teamwork and collaboration. Here are some actionable strategies to integrate Olympic-inspired teamwork lessons into your classroom. Highlight Olympic
Read More >>SEL Tip: Summer Classroom Makeover
As summer approaches, it’s the perfect time for teachers to rethink their classroom layouts and organization to better support social-emotional learning for the upcoming school year. By creating a space that promotes SEL, you can help students feel safe, connected, and ready to learn. Here are some strategies to consider as you prepare for a
Read More >>SEL Tip: Keep SEL Skills Sharp in the Summer
As the school year comes to a close, it’s important to help students maintain their social-emotional learning (SEL) skills over the summer. While they won’t have the same classroom structure, they can still practice these skills with their families and friends. Here are a few straightforward yet powerful ways your students and their families can
Read More >>SEL Tip: Incorporate SEL into Spring Events
As the school year comes to a close, schools burst into a whirlwind of activities. There’s field trips, graduation ceremonies, and spring concerts, just to name a few. These events offer a unique opportunity to integrate social-emotional learning into the celebrations and transitions. Here are some ideas to incorporate SEL into spring events, ensuring students
Read More >>SEL Tip: An SEL To-Do List for the End of the School Year
As the academic year winds down, the importance of consolidating students’ social-emotional learning skills becomes crucial. If you haven’t had the chance to prioritize certain SEL activities, it’s not too late to ensure your students are not only academically prepared for the next grade but are also emotionally and socially equipped. Here’s an SEL to-do
Read More >>SEL Tip: Enhance Test Prep with SEL
As we approach standardized testing season, the pressure to ensure our students perform well academically is at the forefront. However, integrating social-emotional learning into test preparation can play a pivotal role in not only boosting academic performance but also in fostering well-rounded, resilient students. Here’s how you can enhance test prep with SEL, focusing on
Read More >>SEL Tip: SEL Report Card Comments
Early in the new year, teachers may be deep in the process of writing progress reports. This time presents a unique opportunity to communicate not just academic progress but also the growth in social-emotional learning that students have achieved. SEL has become a crucial part of elementary education. It focuses on the development of important
Read More >>SEL Tip: Assessing the SEL Landscape
Social-emotional learning has become key in elementary education. It highlights crucial life skills beyond just academics. Educators work to boost SEL’s effectiveness. New trends are appearing as old ones fade. These changes better meet the needs of today’s students. We’re assessing the SEL landscape. Out with the Old: Isolated SEL Lessons Gone are the days
Read More >>SEL Tip: Engage Students Before Holiday Breaks
As the holiday season approaches, elementary teachers often find themselves navigating the delicate balance between festive excitement and maintaining a focused learning environment. Special events, concerts, and class parties create a buzz of anticipation, making it challenging to keep students engaged in traditional lessons. Fear not, dear educators! Imagineerz is here with some tips to
Read More >>SEL Tip: Navigating Cultural Sensitivities During Holidays
With the holiday season fast approaching, teachers have the perfect opportunity to discuss cultural and religious diversity. It can also be challenging for teachers to create an inclusive environment while acknowledging various cultural and religious beliefs. At Imagineerz, we value the importance of fostering an environment that celebrates diversity and promotes respect for all. Let’s
Read More >>SEL Tip: Crafting Classroom Agreements
Creating a positive and inclusive classroom environment is essential for effective teaching and learning. One powerful way to achieve this is by involving students in the process of crafting classroom agreements or group norms. These agreements set the tone for respectful behavior, collaboration, and mutual understanding. Start with Open Dialogue Begin the process by engaging
Read More >>SEL Tip: SEL Strategies to Start the School Year
The beginning of the school year holds immense significance as it sets the stage for the educational journey ahead. K-5 educators play a pivotal role in creating a classroom environment that is not only conducive to learning but also nurtures students’ social-emotional growth. Here’s our top suggestions for SEL strategies to start the school year.
Read More >>SEL Tip: Engaging Parents During the Summer
Summer break offers an opportunity for students to relax, explore new interests, and spend quality time with their families. However, for teachers, there’s a critical aspect to consider during this time: how to support and nurture students’ social-emotional development during the summer months. Engaging parents during the summer can play a crucial role in maintaining
Read More >>SEL Tip: Prioritize Wellness This Summer
As the school year comes to a close, teachers often find themselves in need of some well-deserved rest and rejuvenation. The months before the September presents an excellent opportunity for educators to prioritize wellness this summer and recharge for the upcoming academic year. Unplug and Disconnect Teachers are constantly connected in the digital world through
Read More >>SEL Tip: Navigating End-Of-Year Issues
As the school year draws to a close, K-5 teachers must be ready to offer support students struggling with the transition to summer and the next grade level. It’s essential for educators to recognize these challenges and equip their students with social-emotional learning strategies to navigate them successfully. In this blog post, we will share
Read More >>SEL Tip: Remember Whoops!, How?, and Yet
Encountering obstacles is an inevitable part of any learning journey. How students respond to these obstacles can significantly impact their growth and development. To support students in navigating challenges with a positive mindset, we encourage the use of a transformative acronym. Remember Whoops! How? and Yet. This linguistic shift is not just about word choice;
Read More >>SEL Tip: Know the Amygdala and the Pre-Frontal Cortex
Understanding the brain’s inner workings can empower children with the knowledge they need to navigate life’s challenges more effectively. At Imagineerz, we’ve crafted a unique approach that incorporates chant and visuals to demystify the complexities of the brain. We think it’s important for students to know the amygdala and the pre-frontal cortex. This method engages
Read More >>SEL Tip: The i-Can! Mantra
In the dynamic world of learning and exploration, students often encounter obstacles that challenge their perseverance and creativity. It’s at these pivotal moments that the essence of resilience can be instilled, shaping not just their academic journey but their approach to life’s many hurdles. A powerful tool in fostering this resilience is the i-Can! mantra:
Read More >>SEL Tip: Ask the Questions What? Why? How?
Helping students navigate the challenges they encounter is an integral part of their learning and development process. As educators and mentors, our instinct might be to immediately solve problems for them to ease their frustration. However, fostering an environment where students are encouraged to engage in critical thinking and problem-solving on their own is far
Read More >>SEL Tip: Responding to “I Can’t Do It.”
Your child is in the driveway practicing free throws, but very few balls make it into the hoop. As the time ticks by, you start to see the look of defeat on your child’s face. Eventually, they trudge back to the house, and say that old, familiar phrase. Here’s our advice for responding to
Read More >>SEL Tip: i-Can! Activity Ideas
In the park? In your living room? A house full of friends? On your own? Wherever you are, we have i-Can! activity ideas for you! These activities are a great way to flex your i-Can! mindset AND have fun! i-Can! activities use a modified version of the Stanford University design thinking process, which
Read More >>SEL Tip: Responding to “I’m Bored.”
It’s 6:00 p.m. and your family is juggling homework, dinner, and evening extra curriculars, when you hear it, the voice of your children speaking the dreaded sentence, “I’m bored.” Your eyes widen slightly in disbelief and you wonder, “How could anyone be bored amidst this avalanche of activity?” Here’s our advice for responding to
Read More >>SEL Tip: Play, Connect, Believe
In a world full of parenting advice, we try to keep things simple: Play, Connect, Believe Play: It’s fun AND It Builds Your Brain Dr. Stuart Brown calls play, “The brain’s best form of exercise.” Research shows that play numerous benefits for both children and adults, including building: Cooperation Creativity Empathy Flexibility Optimism Problem Solving
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