SEL Resources for Home

SEL Parent Tip of the Month: ” How to help your child with “Growth Mindset”  

 

FIXED MINDSET: When a person assumes their character, intelligence, creativity, talents and abilities can’t be changed in any meaningful way.  This person views success as the evidence of their intelligence, talents and abilities.

 

GROWTH MINDSET: When a person assumes we are capable of growing and changing throughout our lives. This person thrives on challenges and views failure as an opportunity for growth and development.

 

MIND YOUR SELF-TALK & BELIEFS?

Practice these statements below to help develop a “Growth Mindset”

 

I believe I can get better with effort and practice.

My failures and mistakes help me understand where I need to improve.

I welcome feedback from others because it helps me improve.

I like trying new things and stretching my abilities.

When something feels hard, it means I am growing and developing my potential.

 

 

Tip from Big Life Journal & Focus on the Family

 

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How to Support SEL at Home:

 

Anticipate and preview experiences. Talk aloud about what a particular experience might be like to build your child’s ability to recognize their own feelings and develop their own methods to prepare for a situation.

 

Reflect. As things happen in the world around you—whether it be a relatively insignificant moment or something that makes national headlines—engage your child in conversations that help them identify problems and design solutions. Working through the problem-solving process with your child will help them grow in their ability to think critically on their own.

 

Self-Talk. When you’re feeling frustrated in the grocery store checkout line and take a deep breath to keep your cool, invite your child into your world by using self-talk. Say, “We are in a hurry, and this line is not moving very fast. I am feeling frustrated, so I’m going to take a deep breath.” This quick exchange teaches your child words to associate with their feelings as well as strategies. The words you use will become your child’s inner monologue when they’re faced with similar situations.

 

Personalize Your Conversations. Your family’s background and experiences will inform how you talk with your child about their world. The more you personalize conversations about social-emotional learning, the more relevant that learning becomes.

 

Build Your Child. Social-emotional learning is about helping your child learn & apply the skills and understanding needed to manage their feelings. When your child is struggling with something new, remind them of a time they worked hard to overcome obstacles. By shining a light on your child’s past successes, their path forward is clearer.

 

Listen. When your child has a tough moment, create a space to listen. Listening is a simple and easy way to validate the feelings that kids experience, regardless of the size of the problem.

 

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Parents/Guardians play a HUGE role in the reinforcement and development of your scholar’s social and emotional learning. Here are some helpful resources to better equip you for the job!

 

Parachute: a user-friendly, research-backed parenting app that provides easy access to solutions for common parenting challenges

https://parentparachute.com/

 

Big Life Journal Podcast: Elementary SEL Podcast with worksheets

www.biglifejournal.com 

 

Mind Yeti: a mindfulness app with guided sessions that help kids destress, focus, get along with others, and relax.

https://www.mindyeti.com/

 

Confident Parents, Confident Kids: a site with parent and child resources that support social-emotional development.

https://confidentparentsconfidentkids.org/

 

Parent Toolkit: a site with information and articles about all aspects of child development.

http://www.parenttoolkit.com/

 

Parent-Teen Connect: a site for parents & teens, created by the makers of the Second Step program. Great for Middle School & High School families. Provides expert advice and practical tools for dealing with real parent-teen issues.

https://www.parenteenconnect.org/