How Can SEL Strengthen the Home-School Connection?

Empowering Families and Schools to Work Together for Student Success

The base on which a student's academic success is built goes beyond marks or scores. It has to do with emotional development. As educators, we would agree with Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) as being just as important as achieving academic success to yield well-rounded and resilient students. Nevertheless, the full impact of SEL only materializes when it is reinforced inside the classroom and at home.

As school leaders, you have the unique chance to bridge home and school together to create an effective, seamless partnership that enhances emotional well-being for your students. In this issue, we discuss actionable strategies to help you build on the home-school connection through SEL:

Parents and SEL: Why It Matters

Working together with parents and schools, students will receive more than just academic success. A robust home-school partnership links students' emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and higher-level academic outcomes. Unfortunately, many parents are unsure about what actions they can take to support their child's SEL journey.

As educators, we need to empower parents with knowledge of the significance of SEL, as well as equipping them to support the implementation of SEL at home. This way, we establish a supportive community in the students' lives in regard to SEL.

1. Engage Parents on the Goals and Initiatives of SEL

For that reason, it is paramount to advise parents on SEL programs being introduced in school periodically. This may be through newsletters, parent-teacher conferences or school websites with clear goals and activities for SEL. Once parents are aware of the SEL skills their children are learning, such as regulation of emotions, empathy, or decision-making, they are better placed to support and advance their child's development at home.

For example, sending regular updates of SEL lessons home and providing tips for parents on how to talk about emotions or how to handle conflicts in a positive manner helps foster better communication.

2. Provide Incentives for SEL Activities at Home

SEL doesn't have to end when the school bell rings. SEL should follow into the home where parents can encourage SEL activities within their daily routines. Simple things like having children reflect on their feelings at the end of the day, practicing gratitude, or role-playing problems to be solved, can reinforce the SEL skills learned at school.

Providing parents with lists of SEL resources such as books, videos, or activities may help them include emotional learning in family time.

?3. Parent Workshops on SEL

Most parents might not be acquainted with SEL or how to apply it in parenting. Workshops or webinars on SEL can give parents invaluable insights and, at the same time, arm them with the kind of knowledge needed to foster emotional intelligence within their families.

The workshops can include discussions on emotional wellness, conflict resolution, and advantages of SEL for children. Inviting mental health professionals to this workshop will further help parents understand SEL.

4. Have an Open Feedback Loop Between Home and School

An open, transparent channel of communication will be very useful to support SEL efforts. Teachers should be able to regularly share a student's emotional growth with parents via email or phone call. In return, parents could give insights on what is happening at home, how the child behaves, or the challenges he/she is facing at that time.

A feedback system, may be a digital one or anonymous suggestion box, shall ensure all voices are heard.

5.? Professional Development for Teachers as Well as Parents

Just as teachers benefit from professional development opportunities, so can parents be educated about SEL. Professional development sessions for both teachers and parents would ensure everyone invested in the child is better positioned to assist them.

There can be professional development workshops of topics like conflict resolution and empathy building. Such an endeavor can supply both with the skills necessary to make their students or children emotionally smart.

Why This Matters: Impact on Student Success

There's power in parent-school partnership. So long as parents and the school team up to support SEL, students are better off in the short and long term-learn to manage their emotions, build stronger relationships, and better understand themselves. All this translates into greater academic success and a stronger, more resilient mindset.

Building students' emotional lives is a community effort. By both elevating SEL at school and at home, we equip students with the capacities they need to overcome obstacles, develop positive relations, and succeed in their personal and academic lives.

Strengthen Your Home-School Connection Today

If you're interested in learning more about how to integrate these strategies into your school or want to see how game-based SEL can further enhance these efforts, visit [TomoClub.org] for more information. You can also book a demo or reach out to us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support your school's SEL initiatives.