Family Resources
SEL at Home & Five To Thrive
Practice SEL at Home
Use the following resources at home or at school to practice SEL techniques. Below is some information regarding Five To Thrive, our SEL application for families. Also, you will find lesson plans, reading materials, and videos to grow and support your SEL experience!
Mindful Practices believes that student voice and relationship-building doesn’t stop inside the school building, that’s why we created Five to Thrive, our easy-to-implement Social Emotional Learning (SEL) platform for families. Parents can now harness the power of Class Catalyst at home.
Parents/caregivers register their Five to Thrive account and add their participating students. If you haven’t registered yet, no worries. Click below to learn more about our Five To Thrive application!
When do I do this?
Five to Thrive can be used as a daily check-in to help build healthy habits in self-awareness practices and can also be implemented any time a student needs to take a moment to pause, reset, and connect with a parent/caregiver.
Anytime your child or student:
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- Needs to make a positive choice about their behavior.
- Has a tantrum, is crying or has high energy.
- Is displaying signs of stress, anxiety or worry.
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What can I say to support my child or student?
“Thank you for sharing. I know it is not always easy to share how you are feeling and I want you to know I am here for you anytime you want to talk.”
“Thank you for sharing. It is okay to feel _____. Let’s pick a practice (see below) to do together. This will help you process what you are feeling.”
SEL at Home Documents
This one page guide for a POP check helps cultivate self-awareness and self-regulation and is available in both English & Spanish!
SEL at Home – English
¡Este cheque POP de una página completa ayuda a cultivar la autoconciencia y la autorregulación y está disponible tanto en inglés como en español!
SEL at Home – Spanish
Adults, please read these steps out loud and practice with your child or student.
First
Pause. Sit up tall. Roll your shoulders back. Breathe in for the count of four, 1-2-3-4. Breathe out for the count of four. 1-2-3-4. Take a moment to notice how you feel.
Then
Point to the battery that shows how much energy you have at the moment.
Next
Point to the face that best describes how you feel.
Last
Pick a practice that can help you.
A. Write & Rip
1. Take 3 deep breaths.
2. Write down something that is upsetting you.
3. Rip it up and throw it in the trash.
B. Draw & Share
1. Take 3 deep breaths.
2. Draw down something that makes you happy or that you are grateful for.
3. Share your paper with others.
C. Listening Breath
1. Sit quietly and listen for a noise outside.
2. Focus on that noise for 60 seconds as you breathe in and out.
3. Close your eyes, if you feel comfortable.
D. Smile Doodle
1. In 60 seconds, create a smiley face.
2. Take 3 deep breaths when your doodle is complete.
3. Share your doodle with someone who needs a smile today.
E. Paper Squeeze
1. Wad up a piece of paper and place it in the palm of your hand.
2. Squeeze the paper tightly for the count of 5, then release.
3. Repeat 3 times.
Complimentary Activities
Complimentary printable social emotional learning lesson plans for all ages!
Mindful Practices | SEL On Demand at Home
Our SEL On Demand Video Library offers educators the opportunity to choose SEL practices and activities to share with their students – remotely or in-person! Sharing a variety of educator and student favorite videos that families can practice together at home.
YOGA + GEOMETRY = FUN
Yoga Practice
Cultivate body awareness through these beginners yoga sequences.
Yoga Practice (English)
Cultiva la conciencia corporal a través de estas secuencias de yoga para principiantes.
Yoga Practice (Spanish)
Free Lesson Plans
Enjoy these complimentary lesson plans from Cooling Down You Classroom geared to address the Mindful Practices SEL Competencies!
Pass the Cool Cap
Build your social awareness and teamwork!
Holding Who I Am
Cultivate resilience and communication skills!
Cool Star Kid
Build your self-esteem and empathy!
What Is Your Temp?
Cultivate self-awareness and self-regulation!
Recommended Texts
Looking to deepen your understanding of the implementation and “why” behind bringing SEL, yoga, and mindfulness in schools? We highly recommend these additional texts:
Stories of School Yoga: Narratives from the Field
Edited by Andrea M. Hyde & Janet D. Johnson
View on Amazon
Mindfulness and Yoga in Schools: A Guide for Teachers and Practitioners
by Catherine Cook-Cottone
View on Amazon
Videos
Please enjoy our Mindful Practices and Class Catalyst Video Collection!
Class Catalyst
Your favorite Class Catalyst SEL practices, for students of all ages.
Mindful Reading for Kids
Join our founder Carla as she reads some great books and leads you through a mindful reflection of the texts, for a cross between a book reading and a guided meditation for our younger children.
Mindfulness & Movement: Early Childhood & Elementary
Join SEL Specialist Mr. Mike for 30 minutes of Mindfulness & Movement. Get your morning “Move & Groove” on to be ready for a busy day!
Prioritizing Your Life: Rocks, Pebbles and Sand
A simple animation about the impact of focusing on the important things in life with an important message about how focusing on minutiae may lead to you missing out on the important things. This metaphor is applicable to one’s personal life as well one’s career.
SEL Town Halls
A convening of experts in SEL, mental health and well-being to share strategies for schools recovery and return.
Equity & Allyship w/Justice in June
A conversation with the creators of “Justice in June” – a resource compiled by Autumn Gupta with Bryanna Wallace’s oversight for the purpose of providing a starting place for individuals trying to become better allies.
SEL Has An Implementation Problem
Conversation with Dr. Kiljoong Kim from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago for a candid discussion of SEL implementation problems and how we can proactively find more equitable solutions. Recorded 6/16/20
Equity & Student Voice
A place for us all to come together, in community, to hear student voices and perspectives. Q&A session with recent high school graduates around racism and equity in schools. Recorded 6/12/20
Collective Trauma: Strategies for Moving Through, Not Around
A place for us all to come together, in community, to share our voices and perspectives. To speak our fears and to collaboratively construct anti-racist, trauma-informed solutions. Recorded 6/7/20
Town Hall: FUD Happens, Now What?
What is FUD? How can we move from feeling stuck, overwhelmed and unsure into collecting the information we need to step to action and make brave, informed choices about our students’ mental health and social emotional well-being? Answers to these questions and more! Recorded 5/29/20
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