Now that you’ve had a brief introduction into what Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is, we are going to provide you with some sequenced activities to try at home. Sequencing is a tool used in SEL development to help activities connect to each other, build off one another and reach the overall goal of improving your social emotional learning.
Here are two key tools to keep in mind and utilize throughout your journey into SEL:
Challenge by Choice
Most of us function within three different zones: comfort, growth, and panic. Challenge by choice strives to help people learn how to move out of their comfort zone, participate in their growth zone, and avoid situations that put them in their panic zone, while giving them the choice to determine their own level of participation.
When doing these activities, try to recognize what zones participants are operating in and adjust as needed.
Full Value Contract
Invites participants to engage with one another to reflect and agree upon the norms of the group and commit support to everyone in the group. Creating a FVC supports challenge by choice and is effective when reinforced with consistent check-ins. It is an opportunity for every individual to reflect on their own value system and behaviors as well as imagine and empower their best and most authentic selves.
Try writing out some agreements on paper about how you want to interact and work together as a group (ie: listening, sharing ideas, respect, have fun, etc.). Have everyone sign or agree to try to exhibit the values you come up with. Check back in at the end of activities with a ‘thumb o’ meter’ on how well you did and what you could work on!
Ready to give your first sequence a try? Check out Block Party here!
