If you鈥檙e a mom or dad who loves to follow the latest parenting trends, chances are you鈥檝e heard a lot about SEL, or social-emotional learning, lately. You might notice this three-letter acronym constantly popping up in your favorite parenting magazine, mom blogs, or even in conversations with fellow parents at playdates.

While the concept of social-emotional learning has been around for decades, it was mainly popular among professionals such as psychologists, teachers, and social workers. In recent years, more and more parents are starting to recognize the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) and are exploring ways to support this important area of their child鈥檚 development.

If this newfound popularity has piqued your curiosity as well, you can start with this guide on how to support your child鈥檚 SEL at home — and make it fun, too!

SEL activities for kids of all ages

Social-emotional learning starts at birth and continues throughout adulthood. That means that your support strategies will change and grow right along with your child. Just like any other area of learning and development, you can start with simple, baby-friendly activities and gradually move on to more complex, age-appropriate lessons.

Think of it as going from learning your ABCs to writing a five-paragraph essay, but with social-emotional progress instead. And unlike typical learning subjects, such as math and science, SEL focuses more on the way kids feel, think, and interact with others than grades and test scores. So feel free to let loose and have fun as you brainstorm SEL activities for your child.

Based on research and guidelines developed by The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (), SEL involves five main areas of your child鈥檚 social-emotional development: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. This includes various skills within each category such as problem-solving, self-regulation, and showing empathy.

As you continually support your child鈥檚 SEL over the years, remember that these skills can take time, sometimes years, for them to fully develop. For instance, your toddler might begin to show empathy by comforting a sad friend. Years later, the concept of empathy can become more broad and abstract, like asking about ways to help victims of a natural disaster in another country.

SEL activities for infants and toddlers

The good news is that you don鈥檛 necessarily have to make any drastic changes in your daily routine in order to teach your baby SEL skills at home. Remember, social-emotional learning is all about real-life interactions and can take place at any moment.

When you give your baby a hug, play peek-a-boo, make silly faces, or sing a lullaby, you鈥檙e building skills such as bonding and emotional expression. For even more SEL support, you can set up structured activities and games for your little one. Here鈥檚 a few easy ideas to get started.

SEL activities for infants and toddlers

  • Read board books together and point out facial expressions and emotions in the story (e.g. 鈥淭hat girl looks sad鈥� or 鈥淭hose little pigs look so scared鈥�). You can take it a step further and mimic each facial expression, too.
  • Use music to teach your baby about feelings and other SEL concepts. This could be singing 鈥淚f You鈥檙e Happy and You Know It鈥� together or learning the 鈥淲hen You Feel So Mad鈥� song from a . Music can be a great way to keep your baby (and those short attention spans) engaged while teaching rhythm, patterns, vocabulary, and SEL all at once.
  • Encourage your baby to play with peers as much as possible. When babies play together they learn essential SEL skills such as verbal/non-verbal communication and cooperation. Interactions with classmates at daycare or new friends at the local park can teach babies how to build friendships and express positive feelings such as excitement, love, and joy.

SEL activities for preschoolers

As your child enters preschool, they鈥檒l continue to develop SEL skills in a school setting. These skills may include learning how to follow rules and routines, building friendships, becoming more independent, and expressing their needs and wants with increased vocabulary.

Although your child will get some additional SEL support at school, that doesn鈥檛 mean that your job at home is finished. Try these fun activities at home to help reinforce what they鈥檙e learning at school.

SEL activities for preschoolers

  • Play matching games to help your child label emotions with printed words (e.g. matching the smiling face with the word happy). This skill can also help them build vocabulary and promote critical thinking.
  • Keep using books to help your child build SEL skills. Preschoolers can begin to ask and answer more complex questions about the thoughts, feelings, and interactions of story characters. As you read together, stop and ask how a character may be feeling. Take this opportunity to build your child鈥檚 feeling words vocabulary by saying things like, 鈥淒oes she look sad or frustrated? Sad is when you miss someone or wish something was happening that is not. Frustrated is when you鈥檙e trying to do something and you cannot or are not allowed.鈥� For inspiration, check out our book list, Books that explore feelings for preschoolers to 1st graders.
  • Help your child brainstorm problem-solving strategies through role play and scenarios. For example, you can do a puppet show about two friends arguing over a toy or watch a video about a cartoon character who鈥檚 having a bad day. Ask your child questions such as, 鈥淲hat would you do if you were Mr. Puppet? How could we help Joey and Kim share the last cupcake?鈥�
  • Continue to encourage play with peers both in and outside of school. Your child will build on the social-emotional skills they learned in earlier years and begin to learn how to play cooperatively, share, engage in conversations, and resolve conflicts with friends. Read more about building key social skills in preschool.

SEL activities for kids in elementary school

Throughout the K-5 years, your little one will grow leaps and bounds in their social-emotional development. You鈥檒l see those early SEL skills blossom as they become more expressive and aware of their own feelings, likes, and dislikes. Friendships within this age group tend to be more meaningful than in earlier years as your child may develop close bonds with one or a few select peers.

You鈥檒l also notice that your child is becoming more independent with daily tasks, such as getting ready for school and making their own snacks. The level of SEL support needed at home will differ based on your child鈥檚 age and individual progress, but you can still engage in these fun activities to help strengthen the skills that they鈥檝e gained so far.

SEL activities for kids in elementary school

  • Keep using age-appropriate books to help your child explore SEL topics, such as feelings, bullying, self-care, character-building, communities, and civics. Read books aloud together so you can reference how characters might approach a new situation or resolve a problem. For inspiration, check out our book lists, Books that explore feelings for 2nd to 3rd grade and Books that explore feelings for 4th to 5th grade
  • Watch movies with messages about values such as honesty, kindness, and gratitude with your child, and follow up with open conversations. Make it a fun routine by designating a special day of the week or month for family movie night. Don鈥檛 forget the popcorn! For inspiration, check out our grade-based book lists, Books so great, they made a movie.
  • Your child may start to show an increased interest in hanging out with friends outside of school at this age. Talk with your child about what it means to be and to have a good friend. Ask your child what virtues are important to them, such as kindness, having things in common, feeling supported, not teasing, etc. Work with fellow parents to schedule playdates and participate in school/community events and sign your child up for extracurricular activities when possible. Read more about building key social skills in elementary school.
  • Help your child learn how to use art and music to express and manage their emotions. Try a little classic musical to help them feel calm and relaxed during tough moments. Create a cozy art nook and encourage your child to draw, paint, or sculpt their feelings. Give your child two journals — in one, encourage them to write (or draw!) about their day. In the other, encourage your child to write down things they are grateful for each day or week. Research shows that children who are grateful are more likely to be happy.
  • Encourage your child to use our writing prompts to get their thoughts on paper. All writing begins with thinking and reflecting, which can help your child learn to recognize and name their emotions as well as help them establish a habit of checking in with themselves.

SEL activities for middle school and high school students

When it comes to your child鈥檚 SEL development, the middle and high school years can be a crucial time for them to strengthen those social skills they learned in early childhood. As they grow up and prepare for adulthood, your tween鈥檚 or teen鈥檚 ability to identify and manage their emotions and positively interact with others becomes increasingly important. (Read more about building key social skills in middle school and high school.)

That鈥檚 because these SEL skills can shape their personalities and prepare them for future goals, careers, and relationships. While tweens and teens tend to explore the world with more confidence and independence than younger kids, they鈥檒l still need your support and guidance along the way. Here are a few fun ways you can help.

SEL activities for kids in middle school and high school

  • Write encouraging messages or affirmations (e.g. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of you!鈥� or 鈥淵ou鈥檙e awesome!鈥�) on sticky notes for your child. You can place them on their bedroom door, mirror, backpack, or even inside their lunchbox for a daily confidence boost. Encourage your child to write encouraging messages to themselves or to others, too.
  • Try relaxation techniques, such as yoga and meditation, with your child. They鈥檒l develop physical and mental skills like deep breathing, balance, and mind-body connection, all of which can aid in self-awareness and emotional self-regulation.
  • Encourage your child to use various types of media to develop SEL skills. Excessive screen time is discouraged by experts, but technology can be a helpful tool with management and reasonable rules. Vlog journaling, listening to music, and watching funny TikTok or YouTube videos are a few ways tweens and teens can improve their social-emotional well-being.
  • Find a game or pastime that you and your child can enjoy together — be it a physical activity like playing tennis or hiking or a mental challenge like a video game or playing cards or board games or a social activity like having people over or joining a club. When you spend time doing things together that you both love, it helps your child learn about making time for themselves, prioritizing, and recognizing what makes them feel happy and relaxed. Get inspiration from our article, The ultimate list of extracurricular activities for children and teens.
  • Most importantly, make sure to regularly check in with your child. Kids in this age group value privacy. They likely won鈥檛 want to talk about their thoughts and feelings sometimes — but the trick is to find a time when your child feels comfortable and open to talking. Puberty can also contribute to your child鈥檚 daily mood and behavior in middle school and high school. It鈥檚 best to give your child space as needed while also assuring them you鈥檙e there to support them whenever they want to talk.

Incorporating SEL activities and games into family time

Family game night can be a great way to teach SEL at home for kids of all ages. Games are fun, great for family bonding, and they also teach important skills, such as taking turns, following rules, teamwork, cheering for others, healthy competition, and being a gracious loser.

Games such as chess, checkers, and Set promote critical thinking skills, and switch it up with a game of charades or Simon Says to get their bodies moving! (See our list of board games for every age.)

Whichever game you choose, don鈥檛 forget to remind your child about the importance of good sportsmanship. There鈥檚 nothing wrong with a healthy competitive spirit, but at the end of the day, it鈥檚 all fun and games (and learning).

Although supporting your child鈥檚 social-emotional learning and development is a years-long journey, it doesn鈥檛 have to be a dull one. SEL at home can be fingerpainting with your toddler, reading your third grader a bedtime story, or cheering at your teen鈥檚 soccer game.

As you continue to support your child from early childhood through adolescence, keep exploring ways to make SEL creative, exciting, and even silly! Before you know it, they鈥檒l be all grown up and ready for a successful future thanks to you as their first teacher and SEL supporter.