June 2023 - Sincerely Sally
"Feelings are something you have; not something you are."
Dear educator, how do you prioritize student well-being in your classroom?
When students feel their best, they are better able to learn, work with others, and meet their goals. A great way for teachers to connect with students and understand their thoughts and feelings throughout the school year is to incorporate check-in activities. These are simple ways for the children to identify and communicate their emotions.
Classroom Check-In Activities
One example of a daily check-in would be to use a Feelings Chart. It could have a range of feelings such as “great, good, okay, not good, etc.”- upon which the students can place a sticker or token when they enter the classroom. Another example would be a calendar that the students fill in with different colors to represent their mood each day. Daily check-ins could also promote self-care habits such as getting enough sleep, physical activity, and healthy eating.
A morning meeting is a good way to check-in a few times a week. This meeting can be a time to discuss a shared question focused on what the students think or feel about school, the month, their favorite seasons, etc.
Asking the students to describe their week in three to five emojis is a fun weekly check-in exercise. Another method is a “Rose – Thorn – Bud” activity; the students can tell you about their week by describing a small win or accomplishment (Rose), a challenge they faced (Thorn), and something they are looking forward to (Bud). This could also include an “Aha!” box which students can fill in throughout the week describing times when they learned something new or when something clicked. (Driscoll)
Resources You Can Use
Emotion Cards: Language Builder
- Emotion Cards: Language Builder
- My Feelings Game: Exploring Emotions
- Everyone Has Feelings: A Book About Emotions for Young Children
- Can You Tell How Someone Feels?
"You don’t have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you."
Sally
Works Cited
Driscoll, L. (n.d.). 10 Student Check-In Activities to Connect and Understand . Retrieved from https://www.socialemotionalworkshop.com/.