Page 19 - 101 SEL Activities

Instructions: In a designated area, choose an object (or objects) to hide. Have your child close their eyes and count to 20 while you hide the object/s. Have them look, and, if they need clues, let them know if they are close or far from the object e.g. warmer/colder. Repeat.
Taste Test (3+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: This is another grounding activity. Have them also pay attention to texture and smells. It also builds trust, as they are unaware of what they are eating. Have fun with it and connect.J
Instructions: Get a variety of foods/flavors. Blindfold your child and have them guess what they are tasting. This isn’t limited to food. You can also do this with any of the senses—touch, smell, etc.
I Spy (3+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: To help your child get grounded and think about one thing at a time. This game helps orient them to place and time. Your child must listen and focus long enough to play. As they get older they will also learn to read body language (where someone is looking, if they are giving nonverbal cues, etc.). Help point out how to read body language.
As a coping skill this can help when they are in the yellow zone, feeling stuck in their head (i.e. before a test, being hard on themself, etc.). This can help regulate and calm.
Instructions:
spy.
Encourage your child to play solo. For solo play, look around and find an object from every color in the rainbow. If that is too easy, try finding something you have never seen before, or modify to make it more difficult. For instance, on the walk to school try find 5 things that are purple etc. Play for short periods frequently.
Categories (4+)
Time: 2-5minutes
Purpose: Teaches a grounding skill to help your child learn to better regulate their emotions.
Instructions: Use 26 notecards to create ABC cards with a letter on each card. Shuffle the ABC cards. Have your child choose a card. Instruct them to say something they could find in their school starting with the letter on the chosen card. Keep going until the deck is gone. For even more grounding
Pick an object. Pick your first hint. State “I spy with my little eye something red
(insert first hint).” Provide the first hint. Let each player guess. Provide another hint if necessary. Let the
player who guesses correctly become the next
- 13 -