5 Social-Emotional Activities for Kids

Children, just like adults, go through several emotions. But they might not always know how to cope with them. In times like these, trying some social-emotional interactive activities for kids at home can be helpful.

Starfish and Tornado

Starfishes are generally calm. Whereas a tornado is far from it! With this little activity, ask your child to identify whether they feel calm (like a starfish) or destructive and revved up. (like a tornado) If they’re clearly feeling revved up, you could help them channelize that energy in a healthy way. They could bounce a ball, squish some slime, or even simply doodle!

Turtle Time

Notice how a turtle is slow to take in their surroundings? You could teach your little one to do the same. This could help them to effectively pick up on social cues. The next time you’re out on a drive and you notice your kids being noisy, announce “turtle time!” and check if they’re being as slow as possible, and observing everything around them. Later, you could ask them to update you on their findings! This could be one of the best social emotional learning activities for preschool kids.

”Who Am I Right Now?”

Try this simple game of self-awareness with your little one. If you find them carrying out a positive activity, ask them “who are you right now?” or “what kind of person are you being right now?” Maybe they’re being helpful, generous, kind, etc. Once they identify their characteristics, they might feel motivated to keep performing such positive activities!

Activity of Compromise

Kids tend to get stubborn. It’s only natural. How can you help them better manage their state of mind? You could calmly ask them “You want this. I want that. Now, how can we both get what we want?” When you communicate with your child in this manner, they feel heard and so they try to listen to you as well. You could both then brainstorm ways to get what you both want.

Learning to Take Turns

It’s not always easy for children to be cooperative. They might not be willing to take turns. A great way to practice turn-taking and patience is to incorporate it in your daily routine (or once every few days). For example, each member of the family could take turns planning a fun night once a week! Or, you could cook up a favorite meal of each member of the family on specific days.

We hope you enjoy trying these social-emotional activities for kids. For more fun games for kids, check the rest of our website