Parents have faced great challenges that have come from the pandemic: they are parenting and teaching/tutoring and working all from the same place, all while trying to stay safe.
Teachers can equip parents with a school’s common language as well as an understanding of social emotional learning goals, conflict de-escalation, and self-regulation or self-soothing tools. It could be that parents, without knowing it, are already practicing SEL values at home. Creating intentional SEL partnerships with parents will fortify their engagement even further, and give them and their families more opportunities to practice SEL.
Informing parents of the language, tools, and goals of SEL ignites a ripple effect: students practicing SEL at school can bring it home, and the children practicing SEL at home with parents will bring it into the community.
TIP: SEL’s focus on mindfulness and well-being offers concrete health benefits. Without judgment or presumption, try offering parents some mindful and breathing techniques for self-soothing, including the following options from our Activity Corner: