Social-Emotional Development is something that is learned over time with experiences.
It begins the moment our children open their eyes and continues throughout life.
When we take a closer look at the orange pieces of the CASEL wheel, we see Self-Awareness and Self-Management defined as:
Self-Awareness: The ability to accurately recognize one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior. The ability to accurately assess one’s strengths and limitations, with a well-grounded sense of confidence, optimism, and a “growth mindset.”
Self-Management: The ability to successfully regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations — effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself. The ability to set and work toward personal and academic goals."
(quoted from https://casel.org/core-competencies/)
One way we are learning to regulate our emotions is by being able to identify what our feelings are and make a plan.
If your child is having an unexpected emotion, you can ask them, "what zone are you in?" They can tell you or point to the color. By helping them identify their emotions, we are in turn able to help them start developing strategies to get "back to the green zone" or optimal/"good to go" zone.
If a child is having a really big emotion, sometimes it is better to wait until they are calmer to reflect on what happened, how they felt (what zone) and what they can do next time when they start to enter the red or blue zone.
Some examples could be to take a walk, have some space, draw, read, get a hug, not talk until they say they are ready, hear affirmations, listen to music, have a snack, drink some water, etc.
If we work on these strategies not only at school but also at home, we can increase the likelihood that students can develop their ability to self-regulate and manage their emotions. This helps build their self-awareness and self-management skills.
