Self-Awareness
Skills like self-perception, self-confidence, self-efficacy
As we all settle into new routines – learning from home, working from home (thank you essential workers!), and spending endless hours together in shared spaces – we have a sneaking suspicion you’re experiencing a full range of emotions. We are, too! This is normal, healthy, and expected. So, what better time to intentionally practice – and grow – our social emotional skills?
We’ve put together a list of resources for you and your kids, broken down by grade level. Below you will find a book to read with follow-up questions, discussion prompts for family mealtime, and a hands-on activity – all centered on self-awareness.
We hope that these social emotional resources find a place in your new routine and allow you and your family to have fun while checking-in with each other’s emotional health. #We’reAllInThisTogether
For Grades K-2
💡 book to read
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain | Read-aloud version
Four Follow-up Questions:
- What is a new emotion word you learned from the book?
- Which emotion could you relate to the most? Share a time you felt a similar emotion and why.
- Do you have an emotion you feel a lot that wasn’t mentioned in the story?
- Can you name three positive and three negative emotions?
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💡 Table talk & dinner prompts
Use mealtime intentionally as a check-in time
- Describe how you felt when you got up this morning.
- How do you feel when you are learning? Playing? Helping around the house?
- What makes you feel__________? (Happy, excited, nervous, scared)
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💡 activity
Show Your Emotion
Goal: Have your child practice drawing how they would feel based on different scenarios
Supplies: Whatever you want to use to express yourself – paper, pencil, crayons, markers, sidewalk chalk, etc.
Instructions:
- Share a scenario (examples are listed below)
- Have your child draw their reaction
- After each round, encourage your child to show off their drawing and explain it
- Have fun!
Example Scenarios:
- Your friend brings you candy
- You have to cancel your party because of COVID-19
- You are running in the hallway and you trip and fall
- You FaceTime with a family member or friend
- You miss your classmates and have to do your schoolwork online
- You lose a board game
- You see a rainbow
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For Grades 3-5
💡 book to read
Juna’s Jar by Jane Bahk | Read aloud version
Four Follow-up Questions:
- What emotion do you think Juna felt when Hector moved away?
- Have you ever had a friend move away or go to a different school? How did that make you feel?
- What did Juna’s brother do to try and help cheer her up?
- When you’re feeling a negative emotion, what helps to cheer you up?
💡 Table talk & dinner prompts
Use mealtime intentionally as a check-in time
- What different emotions have you felt this week?
- What situations stir-up positive emotions for you?
- What situations stir-up negative emotions for you?
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💡 ACTIVITY
Emotion Name
Goal: To identify different emotion words using the letters of our names
Supplies: Whatever you want to use to express yourself – paper, pencil, crayons, markers, etc.
Instructions: Have your child write their name – vertically – down one side of the paper, writing one emotion word using each of the letters of their name. If you’re having a hard time coming up with an emotion word for a particular letter, choose an emotion that has the letter somewhere inside the word.
Example:
Calm
Hopeful
Relaxed
Interested
BaShful