Social skills curriculum preschool

CECMHC | Finding Social Emotional Curricula

Finding Social Emotional Curricula

The Choose and Use Guide on Social Emotional Curricula is based, in part, on the work of Powell, D., & Dunlap, G. (2009). Evidence-Based Social-Emotional Curricula and Intervention Packages for Children 0-5 Years and Their Families (Roadmap to Effective Intervention Practices). Tampa, Florida: University of South Florida, Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children. a print product of the Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education grant #h426B070002).

The current Office of Head Start funding is solely responsible for the current interactive product, the dimensions upon which the Choose and Use protocol is implemented and the suggested use of the guide.

Jump to:

• List of curricula with descriptions
• Curriculum search by target population or delivery method

One of the best ways that Head Start programs can assure that they are meeting the social emotional needs of children is to select and use an appropriate curriculum in this area of development.

There are, in fact, a number of social emotional curricula that have been widely used in early care and education settings, including Head Start. In previous work, Joseph and Strain (2003) identified eight classroom approaches that, based upon prior research and development, were deemed to be “ready” for wide-spread adoption.

These approaches vary widely on features that are critical to adoption decisions, including evidence of treatment fidelity, evidence of long-term outcomes, evidence of acceptability, validation with Head Start groups, and the type and degree of outcomes achieved.

In this Choose and Use guide we offer the user a template for choosing among curricula based on key features.

The Center does not promote any one model but does encourage providers to use the guide to help make a curriculum choice that best fits specific circumstances, resources and needs.

List of Curricula

• Als Pals: Promote emotional and social competence, foster resilient development, and reduce the risk of later anti-social behavior and substance abuse in young children. Targeted to children ages 3-8 especially those at risk due to factors such as poverty and violence.
• Incredible Years: Dina Dinosaur Classroom Curriculum. Promote children’s social competence, emotional self-regulation and positive school behavior. Targets children in preschool and kindergarten from high risk populations.
• Incredible Years: Dina Dinosaur Child Training Program. Promote children’s social competence, emotional self-regulation and positive school behavior; prevent, reduce and treat early onset of conduct problems in young children. Targets children ages 3-8 with diagnosed problems such as ODD, CD and ADHD; children exhibiting early onset of conduct problems.
• Preschool PATHS: Prevent or reduce behavior and emotional problems in young children and enhance children’s social emotional competence.
• Second Step: Primary prevention program designed to decrease aggression and promote social competence.
• Social Skills in Pictures, Stories, and Songs: Assist young children in learning social and emotional skills necessary for school readiness and success.
• Preschool I Can Problem Solve: Teach children how to think in ways that help resolve typical interpersonal problems with peers and adults in order to reduce and prevent early high-risk behaviors. Targets preschool children, ages 4 -5, especially those living in urban environments.

PreK SEL Curriculum - Changing Perspectives

Changing Perspectives

Promoting Awareness and Inspiring Empathy

Supporting

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• Positive relationships with adults and children
• Cooperative play
• Recognizing emotions in self and others
• Early conflict resolution skills
• Self-confidence
• Sense of belonging

Our PreK Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum includes activities of no more than 20 minutes and provides resources and support to trigger meaningful conversations that help develop essential social awareness and relationship skills.

We offer lesson plans, book resources, parent resources (in English and Spanish) and educator resources.

SAMPLE RESOURCES

Lessons

Book Lists

Parent Newsletters

• 50+ Lesson Plans (15-20 minute duration)
• 40+ Book Resources
• Educator Resources
• 10+ Parent Resources in English and Spanish

Technology

• Accessed via any browser, anywhere, anytime.
• Content is added to a Planner via an intuitive drag and drop interface.
• Days and content are easily added to and removed from the Planner.
• Planners are easily saved and retrieved.
• Unlimited planners are available.
• Planners can be emailed and/or printed and electronic versions contain links to the curriculum.
• SEL assessments easily emailed to a class. 
• SEL Assessment results accessible via the portal as completed.

Curriculum

• Designed for educator customization. 
• A precurated library of resources, with a variety of media and methods, that allow you to prepare content the way you need and that fit your teaching style.
• Changing Perspectives experts, and experts in the field of social-emotional learning, create new content which is added to the portal each summer.
• Social-emotional content is aligned with CASEL standards.
• Pre- and Post- SEL assessments for grades K-12.

Educator Support

• Parent newsletters, aligned with each competency, are available in English and Spanish and can be distributed multiple ways (print, email, posted online).
• Template letters, in Word & Google docs, are available for you to customize and share with parents.
• Tips & tricks for in-person and virtual presentation of materials are available.
• A rich Resource Library of materials, for you and to share with others, is included and is regularly updated throughout the year.
• Individual coaching and professional development available.

Our Planners allow you to drag and drop the content you choose to a customizable plan for your classroom. Easily add and remove days and content. Durations for the content are shown and are tallied by day for easy scheduling.

Social-emotional learning is an essential component of every child’s education and development. SEL provides the groundwork for developing the skills necessary to engage meaningfully in activities in our increasingly diverse communities.

The seeds of SEL are sown beginning at birth and early childhood is an important time for establishing and supporting the roots of these essential skills.

Our PreK social-emotional learning curriculum is an activity-based program that provides educators with  tools and resources to implement activities and lessons that support SEL development for young learners.

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Social skills of preschoolers - the development of social skills in children

The development of social skills is a necessary point of education. A child with a high degree of socialization will quickly get used to kindergarten, school, any new team; in the future will easily find a job. Social skills have a positive effect on interpersonal relationships - friendship, the ability to cooperate.

Let's figure out what social skills are.

What are social skills and why develop them?

Social skills - a group of skills, abilities that are formed during the interaction of a person with society and affect the quality of communication with people.

Man is a social being: all our talents and aspirations are realized thanks to other members of the group. Others evaluate our actions, approve or condemn our behavior. It is difficult to reach the pinnacle of self-actualization alone.

That is why social skills are important. They should be developed from early childhood and honed throughout life.

Social skills are a reflection of the child's emotional intelligence, to which educators and teachers assign an important role in the process of personality development. Without this group of skills, a smart child will not be able to apply the acquired knowledge in practice: it is not enough to create something outstanding, you need to be able to correctly convey thoughts to the public.

Sometimes people mistakenly believe that social skills relate exclusively to the topic of communication, communication. In fact, skills include many multidirectional aspects: an adequate perception of one's own individuality, the ability to empathize, work in a team, etc.

Why do we need social skills?

1. Regulate the area of ​​interpersonal relationships: the child easily makes new friends, finds like-minded people.
2. Minimize psychological stress: children with developed social skills quickly adapt, do not feel sad due to changes in external circumstances.
3. They form an adequate self-esteem from childhood, which positively affects life achievements and development in adulthood.
4. Social skills cannot be separated from building a successful career: the best specialists must not only understand the profession, but also have high emotional intelligence.

Development of social skills in a child

Social skills need to be developed from preschool age, but older children and even teenagers may well learn to interact with the world.

It is recommended to pay attention to areas of life that bring discomfort to the child, significantly complicate everyday life.

1. Friends, interesting interlocutors: the kid does not know how to join the team, he prefers to sit in the corner while the others play.
2. Verbal difficulties. The child does not understand the rules of conversation, is poorly versed in the formulas of etiquette (when you need to say hello, say goodbye, offer help).
3. Problems with the non-verbal side of communication. Such a baby does not recognize the shades of emotions, it is difficult to understand how others relate to him. Cannot "read" faces and gestures.
4. Does not know the measure in expressing a point of view: too passive or, conversely, aggressive.
5. The child bullies classmates (participates in bullying) or is a victim.

In case of severe moral trauma, one should consult a psychologist: for example, school bullying is a complex problem that children are not able to cope with on their own. The involvement of parents and teachers is required.

In other cases, family members may well be able to help the child develop social skills.

What are the general recommendations?

1. Be patient

Don't push your child to get the job done. Let them take the initiative: for example, do not rush to help during school gatherings, let the baby work on the problem on his own. The same goes for lessons and other activities.

2. Support undertakings

Children's dreams seem trifling to adults, but the initiative turns into a habit over the years and helps to discover new projects, meet people, and experiment.

3. Criticize the right way

When making negative comments, remember the golden rule of criticism: analyze the work, highlighting both positive and negative sides in a polite manner. Commenting on the specific actions of the child, and not his personality or appearance - this will lead to problems with self-esteem.

4. The right to choose

It is important for children to feel that their voice is taken into account and influences the course of events. Invite your child to personally choose clothes, books, cartoons. Ask about ideas, plans: “We are going to have a rest together at the weekend. What are your suggestions?

5. Personal space

Make sure that the baby has a place where he can be alone and take a break from talking. Personal things should not be touched: rearrange without prior discussion, read correspondence with friends, check pockets, etc.

Children, noticing the respectful attitude of adults, quickly begin to pay in the same coin; the atmosphere in the family becomes warm and trusting.

What social skills should be developed in a child?

Let's dwell on the main qualities and skills, the development of which is worth paying attention to.

1. The ability to ask, accept and provide help

Without the ability to ask for help, the child will deprive himself of valuable advice; the lack of the ability to accept help will lead to losses, and the inability to provide help will make the baby self-centered.

• Let the child help those in need: for example, a lagging classmate.
• Explain to your child that getting help from friends and teachers is not a shame.
• Show by personal example that mutual help enriches experience: tell how you exchange advice with colleagues, friends.

2. The ability to conduct a conversation and get the right information

Being a good conversationalist is difficult, but the skill is honed over time and brings a lot of benefits.

• Prompt your child for dialogue development options: for example, you can start a conversation with a relevant question, a request for help.
• Do not leave the child in the role of a silent listener: when discussing pressing issues at home, ask the opinion of the baby.
• Support children's public speaking: presentations at school, performances, funny stories surrounded by loved ones will add confidence.

3. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to recognize the emotions of others, put yourself in the place of another person, empathize.

This ability will make the child humane, prudent. How can it be developed?

• Start by recognizing the child's feelings - it is useless to listen to people if the person does not feel personal experiences. Ask your baby: “How do you feel after a quarrel with friends?”, “Do you want to relax today?”
• After conflicts with classmates, ask your child how the children with whom the quarrel may feel now.
• While watching cartoons, reading books, pay your child's attention to the emotional state of the characters.

4. Ability to work in a team

Many children can easily cope with tasks alone, but this is not a reason to refuse to work in a team. It gives the opportunity to exchange ideas and experience, delegate tasks, achieve goals faster and more efficiently.

• If the child does not communicate with members of the team, try to introduce him to another social group: for example, the lack of communication with classmates can be compensated by a circle of interests, where the child will feel calmer.
• Make the family a friendly team in which the child has his own "duties": for example, do housework, remind parents of upcoming events. Any activity related to the well-being of other family members will do.

5. Respect for personal boundaries

The absence of an obsessive desire to interfere in other people's lives is a valuable skill that helps to win people's sympathy.

• Respect the child's personal boundaries: do not enter the nursery unannounced, do not rummage through personal belongings and correspondence, if the matter does not concern the life and safety of the baby.
• If the child violates other people's boundaries (takes toys without permission, asks uncomfortable questions), talk about it in private.

6. Ability to overcome conflict situations

It is difficult to imagine our life without conflicts. The task of the child is to learn how to culturally enter into a discussion, defend his point of view, and not be led by the provocations of his interlocutors.

• Discuss problems that arise calmly, without raising your voice. Do not put pressure on the child with parental authority unnecessarily: the child is a separate person who has the right to an opinion.
• Do not judge people for views that differ from those of your family but do not affect your well-being. Show your child that the world is very different.
• You can demonstrate to children the basics of a civilized dispute, explain what arguments are, etc. It is advisable to teach this child in kindergarten.

7. Self-confidence

Stable and adequate self-esteem is a quality that not all adults possess.

It is formed under the influence of many factors: relationships between parents, the role of the child in the family circle, the characteristics of the environment that surrounded the child in early childhood.

It is important that the child does not grow up to be either a narcissistic narcissist with fragile self-esteem, or an overly shy person. How can you help your child find balance?

• Praise your child for personal progress: to receive a compliment from parents, it is not necessary to win prizes in school competitions. The zeal of the baby, the interest shown and the stamina also deserve praise.
• Explain, remind the children that initially they are worthy of respect and love, like all people around.

Social skills will help in many areas of life: in studies, hobbies, friendships, building a reputation in a team. The main thing is to encourage and support children at all stages.

Emotional intelligence for children

We introduce children to the types of emotions, how to manage them and how to show themselves in teamwork, through situational games

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Development of social and communication skills in children of preschool age in a preschool educational organization

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