Page 18 - 101 SEL Activities

Play Doh Squish (3+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: To help introduce deep breathing as a means to better regulate and manage emotions.
Instructions: Make a large Play-Doh ball so it can fit in your hand and another one for your child’s hand. Hold the Play-Doh in one hand (or a ball for each hand), and take a deep breath in while squeezing the Play-Doh. Don’t stop until the Play-Doh seeps through your fingers. Once the Play-Doh seeps through your fingers, breathe out slowly and slowly open your hand(s). Make another ball and repeat. When you don’t have Play-Doh, have your child imagine the Play-Doh in their hands. This can also be done with squishies.
Turn Your Brain Off (3+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: To help your child regulate and learn how to slow things down emotionally.
Instructions: At bedtime do not engage in conversation about your child’s day. Instead help teach them how to “turn their brain off” and quiet their thoughts. Use bedtime as a wind down and have a routine to help your child wind down. Use this during other parts of the day when your child needs a break.
I know this can be difficult as you want to hear about their day, but work to find a different time to do this. When you engage in conversation with your child to reflect on their day, you are winding their brain back up—the opposite of what you want at bedtime.
Freeze Dance (3+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: To regulate emotions, tolerate mistakes and develop grit in a nonthreatening way. They have to manage their emotions in order to be able to stop when the music stops. This is also grounding as they have to be present enough to know when the music stops. They also have to listen and focus. This also helps with building a stronger connection and developing empathy.
Instructions: Play music and instruct your child to freeze when the music stops. They resume dancing once the music starts up again. Dance with them.J
Hide The Object (3+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: To help teach how to regulate emotions.
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