62 Social-Emotional Learning Activities

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) helps children learn how to understand and manage their emotions and handle social situations well. It is vital for a child’s success and life satisfaction [*]. Are you looking for SEL activities to build these skills? You’re in the right place.

In this article, you will find a variety of activities that help children identify their emotions, improve self-esteem, practice positive affirmations, resolve conflicts, and more.

62 Social-Emotional Learning Activities

Check out these SEL activities that can be easily incorporated into daily routines — at home, in the classroom, or during after-school programs. Kids can complete them individually or as part of a group!

1. Feelings Check-In: Help children identify and express their emotions by prompting them to reflect on how they’re feeling and the thoughts they’re having, and explore coping skills.
2. Anger Iceberg: Kids can start by identifying the visible signs of anger, like frustration or irritability, and then dig deeper to uncover underlying emotions such as sadness, fear, or disappointment.
3. Positive Self-Talk for Anger: Guide children through replacing negative thoughts with calming, positive statements when they feel angry.
4. Listening Pairs: Let students take turns sharing a thought or feeling while their partner practices active listening, and then reflect back on what they heard to make sure they understood it.
5. Emotion Charades: Students act out different emotions while others guess. This is a great exercise for recognizing and labeling feelings in themselves and others.
6. My Gratitude Walk: Here’s an outdoor activity where children take a mindful walk and note the things they are grateful for along the way.
7. Kindness Bingo: Prepare a bingo card with acts of kindness for students to complete. Before starting the activity, introduce the topic of kindness.
8. Preparing for Anger: Guide kids through identifying the physical and emotional signs that signal they’re getting angry, and then encourage them to brainstorm healthy coping strategies.
9. I Am Statements: Students create and share positive statements about themselves to build self-confidence and self-awareness.
10. Deep Breathing Exercise: Encourage kids to breathe in slowly for a count of four, hold for four, and then exhale slowly for a count of four to feel relaxed.
11. Compliment Circle: Children give each other genuine compliments like, “I like how you helped someone today” or “You did a great job listening in class.”
12. Role-Playing Empathy: Children act out different perspectives to practice understanding other people’s feelings.
13. Positive Self-Talk for Anger: This activity teaches kids healthier ways to manage their emotions, especially during moments of anger.
14. Vision Board: Help them create a vision board with pictures and words representing their goals and dreams to feel more motivated and focused.
15. Body Scan Meditation: This is one of the mindfulness exercises where children practice focusing on different parts of their body, notice any tension or discomfort, and then release it.
16. Gratitude Jar: Children write down things they are grateful for on slips of paper and put them in a jar to revisit later.
17. Circle of Control: This helps them distinguish between things they can control (like their actions, thoughts, and emotions) and things they can’t control (like other people's behaviors or external events).
18. Problem-Solving Skits: This is a fun and interactive SEL activity where they role-play common challenges they may face, such as disagreements with friends or making decisions.
19. Circle of Support: Kids create a list of trusted people they can turn to for support, such as parents, teachers, school counselors, close friends, older siblings, or other trusted family members.
20. Goal-Setting Activity: Students set short-term and long-term goals to develop time management skills and perseverance.
21. Character Strengths Inventory: Children can check boxes and fill out spaces with their own insights about their personal strengths and steps they can take to improve.
22. Coloring: This activity has several benefits for SEL, such as allowing children to express their emotions visually when they may not have the words to describe how they feel.
23. Scented Relaxation: Children practice mindfulness while focusing on the calming aroma using calming scents like lavender or chamomile.
24. Yoga: Simple yoga poses, such as child’s pose or downward dog, help children relax and calm their bodies while focusing on their breath.
25. Visualization: Let them close their eyes and imagine their happy place, like a beach or forest, to help them reset their emotions.
26. Stop and Think: In this game, they practice stopping and thinking before acting. Use prompts like “What are the consequences?” or “Is this the right time to act?”
27. Red Light, Green Light: Children must move when the “green light” is called and stop when “red light” is called. This is a great exercise for listening and controlling their impulses.
28. What Would I Do Differently: After a challenging situation, kids reflect on what happened and what they could do differently next time.
29. Feelings and Behavior Thermometer: Children can point to or mark the emoji that best matches how they feel at any given moment, discuss why they feel that way, and what they can do to feel better.
30. Positive Reframe: Encourage children to rewrite negative thoughts as positive ones to develop a habit of reframing their perspective.
31. Letting Go of Anxious Thoughts: Here, children write their anxious thoughts inside balloons and imagine releasing the balloon.
32. Growth Mindset Songs: Teach kids songs about perseverance and taking risks for success.
33. Success Stories: Share stories of famous individuals who overcame adversity.
34. Celebrate Effort: Kids celebrate when they try hard and do their best, regardless of the results!
35. Challenge Posters: Let them create posters showing challenges they want to overcome, such as learning to read a new book, trying new sports, or speaking in front of the class.
36. If I Were a Superhero Worksheet: Help them embrace their unique qualities by encouraging them to imagine themselves as superheroes and how they would help others.
37. Achievement Stars Chart: Create a chart where children can add a star for each achievement, such as finishing homework, learning a new skill, or helping others.
38. Guess the Emotion: Show pictures of people with different facial expressions and have kids guess the emotion to boost their ability to read social cues.
39. Generosity Challenge: Kids are encouraged to do one small act of kindness or share something with a peer, and then discuss how it made them feel.
40. Create a Cyberbullying Awareness Poster: Kids design posters that raise awareness about cyberbullying to promote kindness and respect online.
41. Cyberbullying Scenario Role-Play: Kids act out different scenarios related to cyberbullying. Afterward, they discuss how to handle situations appropriately and practice empathy.
42. Honest Heart Craft: Children create heart-shaped cards that share one truth about themselves, then share them in a group to practice vulnerability.
43. Talent Show: Organize a mini talent show where children can showcase their skills to build confidence in their abilities!
44. Coping Skills Alphabet Coloring: This is a fun SEL activity where kids color pictures associated with each letter of the alphabet that represents a coping skill.
45. Thoughts, Feelings, Actions: Play a matching game where kids match different emotions with typical thoughts and behaviors.
46. Stress Ball Relay: As the ball moves around the circle, each child takes a slow breath in and out. This promotes relaxation and reduces tension playfully.
47. Mindful Movement: Create a game where kids act out different animals or movements (like stretching like a cat or breathing like a bear) to release stress.
48. Worry Jar: This activity allows kids to designate a specific time to focus on their worries and express them by writing them down.
49. Test Anxiety Activity: Here, students write down their worries related to anxiety before and during tests, and explore proactive steps to overcome them.
50. Role-Model Walk: Kids take turns walking around the room as if they are someone they admire while demonstrating positive behaviors.
51. Social Story Creation: Children create stories where characters face challenges or emotions and discuss how to address them.
52. Stretch and Breathe: Encourage kids to stretch their arms, legs, and neck while taking deep breaths to release tension.
53. Friendship Web: Kids stand in a circle and toss a ball of yarn to one another while saying something kind about the person they throw it to. This creates a “web” of positive connections.
54. Self-Esteem Journal: Through daily or weekly prompts, children can write or draw about what makes them feel proud of themselves.
55. My Dreams List: This SEL activity can be completed anytime a child wants to explore their dreams, develop a growth mindset, or work on setting personal goals. They only need to follow one rule — put the word “impossible” aside!
56. Self-Esteem Coping Skills Tracker for Teens: Tracking self-esteem can be helpful for teens as it allows them to develop self-awareness and identify areas for growth.
57. Task Timer Challenge: Set a timer for each task (such as 10 minutes to clean up). Kids work to complete it within the time limit while learning time management.
58. Daily Planner: Teach children how to use a daily planner to track assignments, activities, and goals. This helps them manage time and tasks.
59. Problem-Solving Puzzle: Kids work together to solve a puzzle or challenge, which encourages them to stay resilient by managing frustration and maintaining focus until the task is completed.
60. Diversity Collage: Create a collage with images representing various cultures, backgrounds, and identities. This SEL activity helps students celebrate differences.
61. Inclusive Storytelling: Have students write or share stories where characters from diverse backgrounds work together!
62. My Boundaries Chart: Students create a chart that outlines their own boundaries (e.g., physical, emotional) and share them with the group to promote self-awareness and respect.

The Bottom Line

These SEL activities are a fun and easy way to help your child build important skills like understanding emotions and connecting with others. Starting early is key because it helps set a strong foundation.

The best part? Many activities only take a few minutes to do. You can easily adapt them to fit your child’s age and needs.

Check out our full collection of worksheets for more ways to help your child grow emotionally and socially!

References:

1. Cristóvão, A. M., Candeias, A. A., & Verdasca, J. (2017). Social and Emotional Learning and Academic Achievement in Portuguese Schools: A Bibliometric Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 265202. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01913