If you know me at all, you know my love for using books to teach social emotional learning topics! It’s a huge reason why I began creating SEL book companions – we can integrate SEL so seamlessly with just a little prep work! As teachers, we aim to mold our students into well-rounded, empathetic individuals. This is where books, combined with carefully crafted SEL activities, become our most trusted allies.
The Magic of Stories in SEL Education
Stories have the unique ability to transport us into different worlds, allowing us to experience life from new perspectives. This immersive experience is SO effective for teaching SEL, as it engages not just the mind but the heart. By identifying with characters and their journeys, students can learn empathy, resilience, and problem-solving in a natural, relatable way. This is also often less personal and triggering for students who are really still building foundational SEL skills. The SEL Book Companions Bundle supports this process by providing structured activities that tie these emotional and social lessons back to real-life situations, and directly into our academic standards.
How SEL Book Companions Enhance Learning
1. Building Empathy Through Character Exploration
Empathy is one of the cornerstones of SEL. It’s one thing to tell students to “put themselves in someone else’s shoes,” but quite another for them to feel the struggles, triumphs, and decisions of a character in a story. Each book companion in the bundle is designed to guide students deeper into the characters’ experiences, fostering a genuine understanding and empathy for diverse perspectives. One of my favorites SEL book companions for empathy is We’re All Wonders.
2. Teaching Resilience and Perseverance
Resilience is learned in the face of challenges, and literature is filled characters who overcome adversity. Through guided discussions and activities, students can explore these stories, understanding that setbacks are not failures but steps in the journey of growth. The book companions provide frameworks for discussing these themes, helping students to internalize the lessons of persistence.
3. Enhancing Emotional Intelligence
Recognizing and managing emotions is a skill that benefits from practice and exposure. Stories provide a safe space for students to witness emotional expression and regulation. The SEL Book Companions include activities that encourage students to articulate their feelings and strategies for managing them, thereby enhancing their emotional intelligence. Two book companions I love for this are Roaring Mad Riley and The Boy with Big Big Feelings.
4. Promoting Social Skills Through Group Activities
Many of the activities included in the SEL book companions are designed for small groups or pairs, encouraging students to practice communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution. These structured interactions are invaluable for developing the social skills necessary for successful friendships.
5. Connecting SEL to the Real World
Perhaps the most significant advantage of using SEL book companions is their ability to bridge the gap between abstract SEL concepts and students’ lives. Through reflection questions and real-life application activities, students can see how the lessons learned through stories apply to their own experiences, making the SEL learning process both meaningful and impactful. Two book companions that really drive this home are What if Everybody Did That? and What Does it Mean to be Green?
Implementing SEL Book Companions in Your Classroom
Creating a Space for Discussion
Before diving into the stories and activities, it’s essential to build your classroom into a safe space where students feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and feelings. This environment encourages open and honest discussions that are critical for SEL learning. Spending time building community and relationships is so important, especially when your aim is to deliver lessons about emotional topics.
Integrating SEL into the Curriculum
SEL shouldn’t be an add-on or afterthought. By using SEL book companions, you can seamlessly integrate SEL topics into your existing literacy curriculum. This integration ensures that SEL learning is consistent and reinforces the idea that emotional and social development is just as important as academic achievement. Each companion is tied to CCSS, and incorporates activities like retells, connections, and vocabulary building.
Encouraging Family Involvement
SEL learning doesn’t stop at the classroom door. The book companions provide an excellent opportunity for extending discussions into the home. Encourage students to share stories and activities with their families, fostering a community-wide commitment to SEL development. You can even send home links to YouTube read alouds of the book so families can listen again and enjoy in the text.
The Last Page
Incorporating the SEL Book Companion Bundle into your teaching practice offers a comprehensive, engaging, and effective way to address the critical aspects of social-emotional learning. By leveraging the power of storytelling, these resources can help you guide your students through the essential lessons of empathy, resilience, emotional intelligence, and social skills, preparing them not just for academic success but for a fulfilling life beyond the classroom.
Here’s some related blog posts:
How to Use Books to Teach Emotion Vocabulary
10 Picture Books Exploring Fear