Social emotional learning in math for kids

Social emotional learning in math for kids

Math is just about numbers, right? Actually, no! Math is about all kinds of things, like sorting patterns, counting plates of spaghetti, directions, and adding and subtracting doughnuts. And not only are there a whole lot of different things to teach kids in math, but there are also a whole lot of different ways for kids to learn math.

It’s part of social emotional learning or SEL. SEL helps kids develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence. An SEL curriculum promotes a growth mindset for kids and encourages stress management, reflecting, and communicating in math.

We make social emotional learning videos for elementary students because we believe learning how to identify and manage feelings in and out of the classroom is a skill for life!

What is social emotional learning?

SEL helps young learners thrive academically and personally. It promotes stress management and self-awareness, giving kids the tools they need to develop positive relationships and become passionate lifelong learners. SEL curriculums help kids develop healthy identities, too, and work toward individual and collective goals. Sounds pretty idyllic, right? We think so.

Social emotional learning in math

It’s not what we learn but how we learn it. Here’s an example: think of all the different ways we can count to five.

We can count:

• Out loud with our voices
• By looking at numbers
• By writing down numbers
• Quietly in our heads
• With a dog in a rocket ship to music

Maybe that last one’s just us…

All these different ways to count are equally valid. In other words, they are all the correct way to count — no way is better than another.

Reflecting and communicating in math with kids

Social emotional learning is also about how we feel. How do kids feel when they are learning about numbers? Maybe they adore it and feel happy and self-accomplished. Perhaps they feel frustrated because they don’t understand how something works.

As we develop self-awareness and a sense of identity, we recognize that it’s perfectly okay to feel happy, sad, annoyed, bored, nervous — ALLLLL the emotions when doing math. Why? Because when we understand how we feel, we can talk about it with someone we trust. And when we talk about how we feel with someone we trust, we take steps toward feeling better.

SEL for kids allows space to identify and manage feelings (fish tank optional — if you’ve watched our video, you know), and that improves the overall learning experience. WIN!

Mistakes and stress management

Here’s a question for you: Is it okay to make mistakes?

Of course, it is. Making mistakes is a part of life, and it’s a good thing. Why? Because making mistakes is a sign that you are learning, and learning is always a positive thing.

Kids often get frustrated or embarrassed when they make mistakes in math, so it’s important to remind them of all the things they can do now that they couldn’t do before. Talking is a great example. Unless they were some kind of super-genius baby, they had to try and practice and try and practice before they could speak words. Then, they had to try and practice and try and practice before they could speak full sentences.

Other examples include tying their shoes, eating food using a fork, and doing extra-tricky things in math.

Watch our social emotional learning videos for elementary students

There is so much more to math than numbers! Learning helps kids develop a sense of identity, learn stress management, and build self-awareness. Watch our SEL videos for kids now!