​If you were to walk into our Kindergarten classroom, you will see our little ones interacting in a variety of different ways. You may hear them discussing project ideas, figuring out how to best play a game, sharing their thoughts or even giving each other a compliment. No matter what the conversation may be, these children are building critical social and emotional skills that will be the foundation for their future.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning has identified some core skills as the critical social- emotional skills…

1. Self-Awareness: Self Awareness is the ability to recognize your emotions and understand the link between emotions and behaviors. It is not uncommon for Kindergarteners to get into conflicts and disputes with their peers when they do not agree with each other. We often practice using our words to express how we are feeling.
2. Self-Management: Self-Management is the ability to regulate emotions, thoughts and behaviors. The Responsive Classroom approach recommends that classroom teachers create a safe space for students to de-escalate. This is a positive place that rewards students for noticing that they are feeling emotionally frustrated and use strategies to calm themselves. This week, we created mindful glitter jars using  bottles, glue, water and glitter! Students were encouraged to shake these bottles when they felt upset and take deep breaths as they watch the glitter settle. The glitter symbolizes their emotions, thoughts and feelings.
3. Social Awareness: Social awareness is the ability to demonstrate empathy. Kindness and empathy are important in fostering emotional intelligence. The students engaged in a Random Acts of Kindness Challenge in our classroom.  In this challenge, they recognized when someone does something nice for them unexpectedly and surprise others with random acts of kindness themselves.

We had a wonderful week spreading love and kindness in our classroom while building meaningful friendships. At PNA, we strive to create a safe and joyful learning community for every child!