Social and Emotional Wellbeing for Children

Statistics for the diagnosis of childhood depression, suicide rates particularly in young males, substance and alcohol abuse is frightening! Many of us don’t want to know about it.
Sadly, it’s now part of our society, which in turn, makes it part of our schools and early childhood centres. My classroom experience, academic roles and consultancy positions have all demonstrated to me that collectively, we need to support each other, our children and families. What we do in the workplace for ourselves and the children we work with will help to prepare them for a happy and productive life after school.

What is Social and Emotional Learning and Social and Emotional Wellbeing?

We’ve all heard the terms, but what do these mean?
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare define Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEW) as, “The way a person thinks and feels about themselves and others. It includes being able to adapt and deal with daily challenges (resilience and coping skills) while leading a fulfilling life” (p. 8). Helping children understand and accept diversity and difference also adds to SEW. In turn, having a strong sense of social and emotional wellbeing leads us onto the pathway of social and emotional learning.

These foundational skills support the cornerstones of rich learning in cognitive, physical and language developmental domains. The Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning (in Department of Training and Employment, n.d.) has identified five core goals for development of wellbeing in our schools

and centres. The goals highlight the importance of social and emotional learning and wellbeing and what it might look like in our classrooms.

1. Self-awareness: Identifying and recognising emotions, recognising personal interests and strengths; maintaining a well-grounded sense of self-confidence.

2. Self-management: Regulating emotions to handle stress, control impulses and motivating oneself to persevere in overcoming obstacles; setting and monitoring progress toward the achievement of personal and academic goals; expressing emotions appropriately.

3. Social awareness: Being able to take the perspective of and empathise with others; recognising and appreciating individual and group similarities and differences.

4. Relationship skills: Establishing and maintaining healthy and rewarding relationships based on cooperation and resistance to inappropriate social pressure; preventing, managing, and constructively resolving interpersonal conflict; seeking help when needed.

5. Responsible decision-making: Making decisions based on a consideration of all relevant factors, including applicable ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms; the likely consequences of taking alternative courses of action; evaluation and reflection.

(Department of Education, Training and Employment, Guide to social and emotional learning in Queensland State Schools, p.2) Why do we Need to Explicitly Teach Social and Emotional Learning and Social and Emotional Wellbeing?

Students lacking in social and emotional learning (SEL) or social and emotional wellbeing (SEW) may find it difficult to follow directions, self regulate their emotions or interact with others. Social and emotional skills are key determinants of academic success and productivity in the classroom. Research from John Hopkins University in America indicates that students behind in their social and emotional development are:

Up to 80% more likely to need a repeat year.

80% more likely to require learning intervention and support.

Seven times more likely to exhibit difficult behaviour.

A clear outcome from this research is that SEL and SEW are highlighted as being vital to establish positive approaches to individual learning and set students up for success. The Student Learning and Wellbeing framework developed by Education Queensland (2018) reminds us of the World Health Organisation’s statement that, “Wellbeing is a state in which every individual realises his or her potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” With this in mind, the importance of SEL and SEW is evident for all students.

One way to support students, is to use resources that explore the range of social and emotional concepts that are needed to strengthen and support self awareness and acceptance of personal strengths and challenges. The Gifted Kid Book Series (www.giftedkidzone.com) is one example of children’s books that do this in a gentle, entertaining, child friendly manner.

Foundations for Mental Health and Lifelong Learning:

Greenberg (2003 in Department of Education, Training and Employment, n.d.) explains that there is a strong link between social and emotional development and mental health. Building social and emotional learning (SEL) and social and emotional wellbeing (SEW) have been shown to decrease the rates of depression, suicide, eating disorders, stress, antisocial behaviour and the like. A positive sense of self, developed through SEL and SEW activities, has been linked to adult productivity, success and happiness (White, Hayes & Livesay, 2013; Department of Education, Training and Employment, n.d).

Using resources developed explicitly to support the development of SEL and SEW is a good start. Some other ideas to support SEL and SEW include:

It’s a bit like planting seeds in a garden, watering them and watching them grow and flourish. Don’t we owe it to our children to give them a safe space in which to grow and develop these skills so they are set up for success?

• Developing a safe classroom culture where discussions help to develop strong mental health by developing self awareness and acceptance of self.

• Reading an engaging story and holding an ongoing discussion enables students to offer opinions and develop
an awareness of the needs and thoughts of others. These are skills needed for lifelong learning. In this way, a strong self concept, positive self esteem and self confidence can develop and grow.

• Embracing social and emotional wellbeing leads to higher social cohesion within families, classrooms and communities in general, which in turn builds social capital and positive futures for students. This becomes cyclical with SEL building positive relationships: positive relationships promoting SEL and SEW.