A great way for preschoolers to build relationships, problem solving skills, self regulation and self control are through play activities. Here are 8 fun social and emotional learning activities for preschoolers you can do at home.
8 Social and Emotional Activities for Preschoolers
Cooperative Play
Play involves children working with others. This can be with family members or peers. Play encourages problem solving with others towards a common goal or play idea. Sharing ideas is an important skill. Children will use this skill later in school. They will also use it in other settings, like sports or extracurricular activities.
A major advantage of playtime with others includes learning how to collaborate and compromise with others. It also involves recognizing others’ feelings, obeying the rules, and resolving conflicts. There is nothing that works better than playtime to model understanding and empathy.
Follow Their Lead
Children are constantly being told what to do by adults. Let them lead the decision making from time to time. It can be as simple as choosing a restaurant to eat at. They decide what park to go to. They choose what color they want to paint their bedroom.
Teaching kids to make their own decisions and pushing through is a social skill that builds motivation, participation and learning.
Board Games
You can’t go wrong with playing board games. Kids learn turn taking, impulse control and working in small groups. Playing board games with others provides an advantage. It offers a safe space to learn social emotional skills. These skills include winning and losing.
A Few of Our Favorite Board Games for Preschoolers
Read Books About Emotions Together
Child learn through reading books and stories, especially books that teach social emotional skills. Reading books with your child about different feelings, strong emotions and different emotions helps your child understand their own feelings.
Reading with your child makes it easier for conversations around big emotions to happen. Children learn emotional skills through storybook characters going through the different emotions akin to what they are be going through. Extra Resource: The Best Children’s Picture Books for Social and Emotional Learning
Feelings Matching Game
We highly recommend the game Who’s Feeling What? This is a great social emotional activity to teach young children specific emotions. It is also a fun way for children to learn about different emotions and facial expressions.
Draw a Self Portrait
Encourage your child to draw how they are feeling. Sometimes they can’t get the words out or have the complex language to express their feelings yet. Drawing a self portrait is good way for a child to learn self expression and recognize their emotions.
Role Playing Games
Role play strengthens social and emotional development. We highly recommend Peaceable Kingdom Friends and Neighbors: The Helping Game. While playing this game, you read about the feelings and needs of the characters. You can help your child recognize feelings in others.
Set up a Cozy Corner
You are probably saying to yourself, “What is a cozy corner?”. A cozy corner is a designated area in your home. Your child knows it’s there for them to find calm and peace.
A cozy corner can be a soft bean bag with a basket of stuffed animals nearby. Alternatively, it can be a pop-up play tent with pillows. Get creative! Choose items your child finds soothing and calming. This is helpful when your child is having strong emotions. It is a place they can go to calm down. A cozy corner encourages self control and self awareness.
Extra Resources for Building Social Emotional Skills
It can be overwhelming as a parent. You play a significant role in your child’s development, especially in the early years.
You would be surprised at how much children learn by watching how we handle situations. Telling our children to be loving, kind and caring isn’t enough. We need to show them!
We hope you found these fun social emotional activities helpful. For more ideas, check out these resources:
VIDEO: I Notice, I Feel, I Can 3-step plan to help children manage big emotions (Source: Sesame Street Workshop)
ARTICLE: Building Social and Emotional Skills at Home (Source: National Association for the Education of Young Children)
ARTICLE: 12 Tips to Raise Confident Children (Source: Child Mind Institute)
ARTICLE: 25 Simple Self-Care Tools for Parents (Source: Psychology Today)
