Published on August 30, 2024 by Tula's International School
Social and Emotional Learning Tips for Parents
Social and emotional learning is taught at the Best Boarding School in Dehradun strengthens individuals and communities, especially in times of uncertainty. Developing and inculcating skills including social awareness, self-management, relationship building, and decision making among others helps an individual in dealing with stress, anxiety, and several other challenges. Social and emotional skills are required and applied from early childhood through adulthood. SEL i.e. Social and Learning skills attend to children’s potential to learn about and manage their emotions and interactions with others. These are the skills that all children require to succeed in school, create healthy relationships, and ultimately excel in their workplace.
This article mentions some of the most sought after tips for parents on social and emotional learning.
1. Take care of yourself:
The best co-ed boarding schools in Dehradun suggest that in order to develop social and emotional skills among children, it’s very important that parents first take care of their own mental, social and emotional wellness. Children are very sensitive towards stress and they daily sense when their parents are worried or are anxious. All this directly affects the emotions of the children and thus parents must learn to stay calm and realistic in front of them. They must build in time, even if only a few minutes a day, for their own wellness practices that may include writing, going for a walk, meditating, exercising, etc.
2. Engage in acts of service and kindness:
Engaging in the act of kindness helps in developing gratitude skills for our own lives and situations and also improves our physical and mental health. As taught at the good boarding schools in Dehradun, quite often parents must also demonstrate the act of kindness to their children as it gives a more powerful message than just talking about it. It also helps in building gratitude during difficult times.
3. Practice active listening:
Parents must not assume that they know exactly what their child is feeling or is afraid of. It’s very important to ask them questions, listen to them actively, create eye contact, and then explain to them what you can do in response to their questions. Acknowledge their feelings, fears and concerns is an important step to make them realise their worth. By validating the emotions of a child, parents help them in better accepting and understanding their feelings, develop self-compassion, and also empathise with others.
4. Avoid humiliating or mocking your child:
This one practice should not be made by parents as it can make children feel bad about themselves. It can lead to a lack of self-confidence and, in turn, lead to problems related to schoolwork, illness, and trouble getting along with friends. Unfair remarks and criticism also hurts the bond of trust between children and parents. The Best Boarding School in Dehradun suggests being mindful of how you speak to your children. It’s crucial to offer some space to your child when they try to learn new skills.
5. Building empathy at the best co-ed boarding schools in Dehradun:
Rough times can be used to teach children how to support their friends, classmates and other people in bad phase. Talking to children and discussing with them about how certain situations can affect different people will help in building empathy in them. Parents must also teach their children to listen carefully and be supportive towards others. This life skill will surely benefit the children throughout their lives.
6. Let your child express:
Allowing a child to express helps them in understanding their feelings in a much better way. If a child is struggling to identify his/her feelings, parents must ask the child to express it by various means; either by drawing, by doing facial expression, or by doing a body. For older children, parents can help them in writing diaries.
7. Practice social-emotional learning daily:
The good boarding schools in Dehradun makes sure to inculcate the habit of learning social and emotional skills. Developing important social and emotional skills takes practice, and just as one brushes his/her teeth every day, students and adults also need to identify the opportunities, express and manage their emotions. Our emotions and behaviour change every hour and every day, and it’s important that we check in with ourselves and those around us in order to understand what we all need in order to work through such feelings and move past them together.