Tag: learning

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A Simple SEL Routine That Builds Connection in Under 5 Minutes a Day

Back-to-school season is the perfect time to set the tone for connection and emotional safety in your classroom. One simple but powerful tool I’ve used over the years is the student check-in — a quick, intentional moment that helps kids pause, reflect, and feel seen.

Whether you’re building your classroom community from scratch or looking to strengthen your existing routines, incorporating daily and weekly check-ins can make a big difference in how students show up, both emotionally and academically.

Why Use Student Check-Ins?

Student check-ins create space for:

  • 🌟 Self-awareness – Students begin to notice and name their emotions.
  • 💬 Student voice – They know their feelings matter and are heard.
  • 🧘‍♀️ Emotional regulation – A consistent routine helps them manage ups and downs.
  • 🤝 Classroom community – Students learn that everyone has good days and hard days.

Best of all? They don’t take long — just a few minutes a day!

What’s Inside the Editable Student Check-In Toolkit

I created this toolkit to make it easy for teachers to get started (or to level up their existing SEL routines). It includes both daily and weekly check-in templates that are simple, age-appropriate, and completely editable to meet your students’ needs.

Here’s what’s included:

✔️ Daily check-in slips (with and without prompts)
✔️ Weekly reflection forms to support goal setting
✔️ Google Slides and printable PDF versions
✔️ Fully editable fields for total flexibility
✔️ Simple, student-friendly design
✔️ Great for calm down corners, morning meetings, or independent work time

How I Use This in My Classroom

I love using the daily check-in as a soft start to our morning. Students grab a slip, circle how they’re feeling, and add a sentence or doodle to share more. On Fridays, we shift to the weekly reflection — where students choose one thing they’re proud of or set a goal for the week ahead.

I’ve found that giving students regular opportunities to check in helps build trust — not just with me, but within the classroom as a whole. It normalizes emotions and opens the door for meaningful conversations.

Tips for Making It Work in Your Routine

  • 💡 Model first: Share your own example as a morning check-in.
  • ⏱️ Keep it quick: This doesn’t need to take more than 5 minutes.
  • 🎨 Give choice: Let students write, draw, or choose emojis.
  • 🗂️ Collect or keep private: Some teachers collect check-ins; others let students keep them in folders or journals.
  • 🧩 Use for small groups: These check-ins can also help you decide who might need a quick one-on-one or a calming strategy.

Ready to Try It?

If you’re looking for a simple way to boost SEL and build student connection, the Editable Student Check-In Toolkit is ready to go. Just print or assign it in Google Slides — and you’ve got an easy-to-use tool that supports emotional wellness all year long.

👉 Grab the Check-In Toolkit on TPT

On Pinterest? Pin it for later!

https://pin.it/6oM2ZtFzb

I’d love to hear other ideas How do you help students manage their emotions?

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My Go-To Tool for Supporting Emotional Regulation in the Classroom

Teaching emotional regulation is just as important as teaching reading or math — especially in the early grades. I created these SEL strategy cards to give students concrete, visual tools to help manage their feelings when emotions start to take over.

Whether they’re feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, or just need a moment to reset, these cards help guide students to use calming strategies independently.

💡 What’s Inside the SEL Strategy Cards Set

This printable resource includes:

  • ✅ calming strategies in student-friendly language
  • ✅ Categories like breathing, movement, visualization, and positive self-talk
  • ✅ A calm, clean design with hand-drawn style icons
  • ✅ An instruction page to help you introduce the cards with confidence

🧺 How I Use Them in My Classroom

I introduce the cards during our class meetings and model how to use them. We role-play different scenarios and talk about how each strategy helps. Once students are familiar, I place the cards in our Calm Down Corner along with a few quiet tools like crayons, stress balls, and a timer.

The best part? Students now know what to do when they need a moment — and they don’t need to ask me for help every time.

🏫 Other Ways to Use These Cards:

  • ✅ Morning meetings or SEL mini-lessons
  • ✅ Small group counseling
  • ✅ Pre-teaching strategies before a tough test or transition
  • ✅ Substitute or independent work time SEL centers

📥 Grab Your Set of SEL Cards

You can grab the full set of SEL Strategy Cards for Kids in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

👉 Click here to get the SEL cards on TPT!

Just print, laminate, and use them all year long to support your students’ emotional growth.

📌 Save This for Later

Pin the image below to your SEL or classroom management board so you don’t forget it!


📌 Check out my Pinterest Page for more SEL strategies

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Why I Teach Self-Reflection in the Elementary Classroom

As elementary teachers, we wear a lot of hats. We plan lessons, assess progress, meet diverse academic needs, and ensure students master grade-level standards. But one of our most important—and often overlooked—roles is supporting the social and emotional growth of our learners.

Helping students understand their choices, emotions, and reactions is powerful work. When done consistently and with care, it can transform not just individual behavior, but the entire classroom climate. I’ve seen firsthand that the more time we invest in this kind of support, the more successful our students become—not just as learners, but as people.

That said, teaching emotional regulation and reflection isn’t easy. If you’ve ever worked with a student in the middle of a meltdown or conflict, you know that teaching in the heat of the moment rarely works.

That’s where self-reflection becomes essential.

📝 What a Reflection Form Is (and Isn’t)

A reflection form is not a punishment.
It’s a tool—a calm, structured way for students to pause and process what happened. The goal is to build self-awareness and emotional vocabulary, not shame or blame.

🕒 When I Use It

  • After a conflict or disruptive behavior
  • In calm-down corners, when students are ready to reflect
  • During restorative conversations
  • As a check-in tool for ongoing SEL support

💬 What I’ve Noticed Since Using It

Since I started using reflection forms in my classroom, I’ve seen some amazing changes:

  • Students are better able to identify and express their emotions
  • There are fewer repeated behaviors
  • I’m having more restorative conversations instead of reactive ones
  • Students are becoming more aware of how their actions affect others
  • Our classroom community feels stronger and more connected

🎁 Try It in Your Classroom

I’ve created a simple, kid-friendly Student Reflection Form you can start using right away. It’s perfect for calm-down corners, behavior support, or SEL lessons.

👉 Click here to grab the free reflection form

Let’s help our students not just manage their emotions—but understand them.

Check out My TPT page for more SEL classroom tools as well .

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The One Daily Activity That Changed My Classroom Culture

What brings me the most joy as a teacher?
Building a strong community of learners.

In my opinion, you can’t expect students to do their best unless they feel safe, supported, and connected—not only to you, their teacher, but to each other. That’s why I spend a lot (like… A LOT) of time intentionally building a classroom community.

Because when your students trust, value, and respect each other, you set the stage for truly meaningful learning to happen.

💬 The Game-Changer: Question of the Day

There’s one activity I’ve used for years that completely shifts the tone of my classroom:
Question of the Day.

It’s one of our favorite moments. The students can’t wait to see what the question will be, and let’s be honest—they love any opportunity to talk about themselves. (Don’t we all?)

At the beginning of the school year—or whenever you start this routine—begin with light, low-stakes questions that are easy for everyone to answer. Think:

  • “What’s your favorite food?”
  • “If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?”

These simple prompts help students feel safe, ease social anxiety, and give everyone a voice in a supportive environment. As the year goes on, you can begin to ask more thoughtful, reflective, or community-focused questions that relate to what’s happening in the classroom.

🧠 Examples of Thoughtful Questions:

Here are some of my go-to prompts that spark discussion and build connection:

  • “What is something that currently brings you joy?”
  • “On a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = blah, 5 = AMAZING), how are you feeling today? Why?”
  • “Tell us something you don’t think any of us know about you.”
  • “Tell us something good—anything!”
  • “It’s lunch time and you notice someone sitting alone looking sad. What do you do?”
  • “What do you do when you’re feeling worried? Share a tip that helps you relax.”

You can also use these moments to invite students into the decision-making process:

“Yesterday was really noisy during our work cycle and many people were distracted. Do you have ideas that might help us stay focused today?”

Giving students ownership over their classroom experience empowers them to take responsibility and builds community in real time.

🪑 What It Looks Like in My Classroom

We gather together once a day in a circle. It’s important to make sure everyone can see each other and make eye contact—this small detail builds connection and encourages active listening.

We use a “talking ball” to take turns speaking. It can be any soft item that’s easy to pass and signals who has the floor.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Using a visual cue like this makes turn-taking smoother and keeps the routine consistent and respectful.

⭐ Key Takeaways

Even on the busiest days—when the schedule is full, time feels short, and you’re juggling a thousand priorities—make space for student voices. This practice will:

  • Help students feel seen and heard
  • Build peer empathy and understanding
  • Teach listening, turn-taking, and respectful conversation
  • And most importantly, create a classroom community that feels like a team

When students feel like they belong, everything else—academic engagement, behavior, motivation—gets easier.

So go ahead. Add a Question of the Day into your morning meeting, closing circle, or transition time.
It might just become your favorite part of the day, too.

I can help you get started: check out my TPT page for some free samples and question ideas!

Click Here for a full set of ready to go question cards