The Best SEL Strategies for Teachers in the Classroom

Imagine this…a student walks into your classroom looking upset. Instead of diving right into morning work, you greet them by name, check in, and give them a chance to share how they feel. You aren’t pushing them to hurry up, or asking them why they might be late, or giving them a hard time for not immediately getting with the program that morning. 

You know this student and as soon as you see them, you know something’s up. So you dive in and connect with them first. As a human, as a teacher, as a safe adult. And that simple moment changes the tone of their entire day. 

The power of social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies in the classroom isn’t just about teaching a lesson. It’s about modeling through our own emotions, supporting emotional regulation, and cultivating positive relationships with and among students.

As teachers, we’re not just focused on academics, we’re also helping students grow into confident, kind, and resilient people. Being an SEL focused teacher doesn’t have to mean adding another big task, or long lesson plans to your already full plate. It’s about weaving small, intentional practices into your daily routine.

Here are some of the best ways to incorporate SEL into your practice. These are teacher-tested social-emotional learning activities you can start using right away, plus some ready-to-go resources that make implementing them even easier.

Start the Day with Connection

How we welcome students into the classroom sets the tone for everything that follows. Starting the day with intentional connection helps students feel seen, valued, and safe. Here are two simple, powerful ways to begin building that positive foundation.

1. Greet students at the door by name.

A personal touch point to start your day feeling connected goes further than just the hello. It shows students, especially older students, that you see them. Look your students in the eye, say their names, and make it warm and genuine. Even a quick question about their interests like, “How was your soccer game last night?,” builds a sense of belonging. 

This specific strategy isn’t just about recognizing students to start the school day, it’s about reminding them that they have a fresh start everyday. That’s powerful-especially for students that may struggle with behavior. 

2. Use daily check-ins.

Check-ins can be as simple as a feelings chart by the door, a digital form, tapping into gratitude, or a virtual emotion tracker. The goal is for students to take stock of what they’re feeling as they start their day. 

Consistency matters more than complexity. Make it easy and easy to replicate! If you want to try out a virtual emotion tracker, click here.

When students know you care how they’re doing, they’re more likely to share. If you want to add in a gratitude practice, check out this Gratitude Journal.

Build SEL into Classroom Routines

SEL doesn’t need to happen only during designated lessons. Some of the best opportunities come from weaving it into daily routines and transitions. By modeling and embedding SEL into the flow of the day, students get repeated practice in authentic situations. They learn without even knowing they’re learning…win, win.

1. Teach emotional vocabulary

Before students can manage their emotions, they need words to describe them. Try introducing a “feeling word of the week” or weaving emotions into your morning meeting. My Self Management Task Boxes have hands-on activities for students get some SEL practice in with the skills of learning, recognizing, and managing emotions.

2. Practice mindful moments.

Mindfulness doesn’t have to mean a long meditation. Try a one-minute breathing exercise, stretching between activities, or a calm-down break after recess. These quick hits of mindfulness practices go a long way in regulating students and supporting emotional well-being throughout their day. 

Teaching students how to reset their emotions builds critical self-management skills. As students encounter negative emotions throughout their day, instead of demonizing them, mindful moments supports the student’s needs to support those feelings. 

3. Use restorative conversation prompts.

When conflicts and arguments come up, are we quick to dismiss them? Instead, let’s practice supporting students through active listening and guide them through a more structured reflection to solve the problem. You ask things such as:

• What happened?
• How did it make you feel?
• What could we do differently next time?

This practice helps build relationship skills and accountability. Plus, it helps solidify the positive classroom community you want to have. Using the SEL activities in my Relationship Skills Task Box Pack will help students learn how to be a good friend and solve problems, plus so many more important other emotional intelligence building skills.

Teach SEL Skills Explicitly

Just like academics, SEL skills don’t come naturally for every student. They need explicit modeling, practice, and reinforcement. Setting aside intentional moments to teach these skills helps students transfer them into real-life situations when it matters most. Some students will require more hands-on support, some will need peer models, some will even need 1:1 teaching time with these skills. The important thing is that we meet each student where they’re at and support them in gaining these skills for life.

1. Role-play real-life scenarios.

Don’t wait for huge issues to come up. Practice what to do and how to handle them ahead of time! 

Role-play situations like joining a group, asking for help, or sharing supplies. Students love acting things out, and it’s a safe way to learn social awareness. We want to support responsible decision-making skills and the Social Awareness Task Boxes are a great place to start.

2. Set goals with students.

Goal-setting isn’t just for academics. Encourage students to set small, personal SEL goals like “I’ll  ask one friend for help today when I need it.” You can also make goals academic or around after-school activities. Think outside the box here, but stay consistent. You want students understand that goal-setting and reflecting are unique opportunities to practice social emotional skills.

3. Teach problem-solving frameworks.

Give students a simple process: Stop → Think → Choose → Reflect. 

So often, students go right into reaction when faced with decision-making opportunities. The more we can teach students to practice the real world sill of pausing and thinking before reacting, the greater ability they’ll have to make appropriate choices. 

Practice with both academic and social problems. For example, deciding how to share classroom materials can become a teachable SEL moment. 

Keep SEL Ongoing (Not One-and-Done)

SEL isn’t something to check off a list. It’s a culture you build over time. To make it stick, integrate it into academics and continue to celebrate student growth along the way. That ongoing reinforcement is what transforms skills into habits and lifelong learning.

1. Integrate SEL into academic lessons.

SEL doesn’t need its own block on the schedule. If you have it, amazing! But, you really can integrate these skills daily without it. Weave it into what you’re already teaching. Here are a few ideas:

• Reading: Discuss character emotions and decisions – model and explicitly call-out what students should be looking out for.
• Math: Practice teamwork during group problem-solving, incorporate more STEM related activities.
• Science: Celebrate persistence and curiosity as part of the process, not just focusing on the product, but on the resilience and perseverance.

2. Celebrate growth, not just achievement.

Once of the greatest, perhaps wildly underutilized strategies for teaching social emotional skills is noticing. 

Notice when students do GOOD things! 

Notice when they use the SEL skills you’ve taught them. Narrate the incredible, simple things they do daily without thinking. Calling out the great things students are already doing, and labeling it, helps foster more positive outcomes and social interactions.

Say things like, “I saw you calm down and ask for help instead of walking away-that was amazing.” 

Recognizing these moments reinforces progress. And it’s a unique opportunity to continue the work you started at the beginning of the day with greeting students. The more students feel like you’re watching them in order to celebrate them, and not just point out their misbehavior, the more buy-in you’ll get.

Encourage Student Voice and Choice in SEL

One of the most powerful ways to make SEL meaningful is by giving students ownership over the process. Yes, they are more capable than you think! Especially when we give them the tools they need to be successful.

When students feel like their voice matters and they have a say in how they practice skills, buy-in and engagement increase.

1. Let students choose their check-in format.

Some kids may love drawing their feelings, while others prefer writing, or using an emotions chart. Offering multiple options makes the process more inclusive and reduces the pressure for students who struggle to verbalize emotions right away. 

These daily practices help students with emotional development and set them up for a positive day.

2. Create student-led routines.

Assign classroom jobs that connect to SEL, like a “mindful moment leader” who guides a breathing activity, or a “kindness captain” who points out examples of peers showing relationship skills. You can still keep your “pencil sharpener” and “line leader” jobs if you want, but weaving in an SEL spin on the classic classroom job brings so much more meaning into these tasks. 

These small leadership opportunities give students authentic ways to practice self-awareness and social awareness.

3. Use student feedback to shape SEL goals.

Ask students what they find most helpful when they’re upset or need to refocus. Their answers can guide you in crafting routines that feel relevant and important to them. You can even set class-wide goals together, like “This week, we’ll practice giving compliments during small groups.”

As we wrap up, I really hope you can see that social-emotional learning strategies don’t have to be overwhelming. It’s more about consistent, small skills that build connection, awareness, and resilience in your students. 

From morning greetings to problem-solving frameworks, you can make social-emotional learning part of the fabric of your classroom with daily practice that make you and your students feel good.

Whether it’s a new school year, or the middle of the year, there’s no wrong time to start this work. Incorporating various SEL strategies will only ever benefit your students exponentially. 

Let me know how you’re planning on integrating these social emotional strategies into your classroom!