As more schools look to integrate social and emotional learning (SEL) into their curriculum, it becomes increasingly important for schools, preschools, and day care centers to understand what SEL means.
At its core, SEL focuses on the skills that people develop to support long-term success in school and life.
Identifying social and emotional skills often begins in preschools, and they generally include the ability for children to:
- Cooperate with others
- Manage strong feelings
- Feel and show empathy
- Focus their attention
- Work through challenging tasks
- Make responsible decisions
- Set and achieve positive goals
SEL supports the ways that people gain and utilize social and emotional skills, and how the skills can be applied to achieve positive life goals.