Easy Ways to Weave SEL Activities into Your Classroom

It’s so important to check in with our students to see how they’re doing, not just with their schoolwork but emotionally, too. Teaching kids how to identify their emotions and what to do with them is a big part of this. When we show students how to practice it, we’re helping them feel seen, heard, and safe. They know they’re surrounded by people who care about them. The best part is that Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities don’t have to be anything fancy or take up a lot of time. Simple, engaging activities can make a huge difference and stick with our students. Today, I’m sharing a few SEL activities that my students enjoy participating in.

Why It’s Important to Include SEL Activities Into Our Class Time

Incorporating SEL activities into our class time is essential for helping our students thrive both inside and outside the classroom. When we carve out time for social-emotional learning, we’re giving our students the tools they need to handle the ups and downs of life. That could be managing stress, communicating effectively, or resolving conflicts. These skills are invaluable and the foundation for building strong relationships and becoming resilient, confident individuals.

I’ve noticed that when I make SEL a priority, the entire classroom environment shifts in a positive direction. I see students starting to self-regulate and students begin to connect with each other on a deeper level. They’re more willing to collaborate and help one another. It also creates a strong sense of community, where all our students feel supported and valued. Let’s not forget the impact on academic success. When our students feel safe, seen, and heard, they’re more likely to take risks, ask questions, and stay engaged in learning.

The beauty of SEL activities is that they don’t have to be complicated or take up a lot of time. A quick check-in, a guided reflection, or even a short game can go a long way in building emotional intelligence and creating a positive classroom environment. When our students have the chance to practice these skills regularly, they’re better equipped to handle challenges, both in school and in life.

SEL Activities to Use in Your Classroom

Let’s dive into a few easy-to-use activities that will become favorites in your classroom. These activities are simple but powerful. Whether you’re looking for something quick to add to your daily routine or a more structured activity to add to a lesson, these options are engaging, effective, and perfect for helping your students build those essential social-emotional skills.

Digital Coping Bingo

One of the easiest and most engaging SEL activities I’ve found is Coping Bingo. This digital activity is low-prep and makes reviewing coping skills fun and interactive. It’s the perfect activity to complete after you talk about coping skills and why they are important.

It’s super easy to play! You share the slideshow, and your students can move the bingo chips onto their boards using Google Slides. As the teacher, you’ll control the digital spinner, call out the coping skill, and wait for your students to shout, “BINGO!” It’s a fun way to help your students recognize and practice different ways to manage their emotions while building those all-important social-emotional skills. If you want to mix it up, you can even play with different bingo styles like four corners, full board, or horizontal.

Acts of Kindness Digital Bingo

I also love to use my Acts of Kindness Digital Bingo with my students. It’s similar to the Coping Skills Bingo, but this time, the bingo boards are filled with different examples of acts of kindness. Each board features simple, meaningful ways for our students to show kindness. Examples include writing a thank you letter, taking turns, raising their hand in class, or complimenting a friend. These activities encourage positive behavior and help build a caring classroom community.

You can play this like a typical game of bingo where you call out specific activities and students mark them off or you can make this is RAK challenge. In a traditional game, you will use the provided spinner to call out activities. Students will mark off the activities on their cards until someone has a bingo.

To complete a challenge each student completes the acts of kindness that are on their bingo card. Once a day, take a few minutes to open the bingo cards and let students mark off any of the activities they have completed. It’s nice to also have time to share about the activities too. Challenge students to complete a five-in-a-row bingo or a blackout where they try to do all of the activities listed. And. . . if individual bingo cards are too much, choose one card as a class and challenge the class to complete the activity of the day before it gets marked off.

What I love most about this game is that it reinforces those little daily acts that make such a big difference in the classroom. Plus, there are multiple ways to use it in your classroom!

Brick Feelings Reflection Pages

Another one of my favorite SEL activities that really gets my students thinking and talking about their emotions is my Brick Feelings Reflection Pages. These pages feature fun Lego Brick heads that are so familiar and well-loved by our students! Each student picks a Lego Brick head to complete. First, they will reflect on how they’re feeling. They will identify the emotion and why they are feeling that way. They can put this into words at the bottom of the page. Then they get to draw and color their chosen emotion on the brick face. It’s such a simple activity, but it allows our students to practice identifying and expressing their emotions in a creative and engaging way.

Sometimes, I’ll put the feelings chart up on the smartboard for a class-wide check-in. Other times, I’ll hand out individual sheets for my students to work on independently. It helps reinforce the idea that every feeling is okay. It’s how we manage those emotions that really matters. The Lego Brick heads make it extra fun, and my students love customizing their bricks to reflect how they’re feeling.

What I love most about this activity is how it builds community in the classroom. After my students complete their Brick heads, we often share them as a group. This helps everyone realize they’re not alone in their feelings. This leads to creating a stronger sense of connection and understanding. Whether it’s on the first day of school or any other day, these Lego Brick heads are a go-to SEL activity that helps my students feel seen and supported.

Digital Daily Check-Ins

One of my most used SEL activities is my Digital Daily Check-ins which I use daily with my students. It’s a quick and easy way for me to connect with them every day. Plus, it helps me gauge where they’re at emotionally. These check-ins are done through Google Forms, which makes it super simple to collect responses. Each form has five questions, asking our students how they’re feeling, what they did well yesterday, what they can improve today, and if they have any questions for me. I also include a daily-themed question just to mix it up a bit and keep things fun!

What I love most about these check-ins is that they don’t take up much time. They still provide so much valuable insight while creating a consistent routine. I can see which of my students are feeling great, which ones might need a little extra support, and even which students are ready to tackle the day head-on. The responses come in live, so I can track everything in real-time allowing me to support each student at the levels they need for the day.

All you need is a device and a reliable internet connection, and your students can access the form easily through Google Classroom or a direct link. It’s a fantastic way to keep all of our students accountable and engaged, all while checking in on their emotional well-being. I’ve found that these check-ins help me stay connected to my students while helping them develop self-awareness and reflection skills. They have also been a great way to build relationships with students who want to share information but not be ready to talk about it face-to-face.

Bringing SEL Activities Into Your Classroom

Bringing SEL activities into your daily routine doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. It can make a huge difference in our students’ lives. Whether it’s a fun game of bingo, a daily check-in, or a creative reflection activity, these moments give our students the chance to practice essential life skills like kindness, emotional regulation, and self-awareness. When we take the time to build these habits in our classroom, we’re helping create a positive, supportive environment where our students feel safe and ready to learn. So, if you’re looking to make a lasting impact on your students, these SEL activities are a great place to start!

Additional SEL Activities and Resources

Learn more on how to incorporate SEL activities into your classroom routines by exploring the below resources!

• How to Digitally Check In: SEL
• Easily Add Social Emotional Learning to Your Daily Routine

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Remember to save this post to your favorite SEL Pinterest board for quick access to the SEL activities!