Social emotional learning (SEL), as defined by EQ, is "the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions."
Today's technology offers numerous tools and resources to help enhance students social and emotional literacy. Below are iPad apps that you can use to this end. Check them out to learn more.
[Related: Emojis apps and tools for teachers]
1- Mood Meter
Mood Meter provides students with a color-coded chart of emotions organized along two dimensions: energy and pleasantness. The chart is composed of four quadrant each of which is associated with a particular feeling.
Students use the chart to plot their feelings and to provide explanations to why they are feeling the way they are. Based on students feedback, the app provides suggestions of regulation strategies that include quotes, images, and practical tips. Check Mood Meter full review to learn more about how to use this app with your students and kids.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: $0.99 / Age: 4+
2- Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame
This apps offers various interactive activities and challenges to teach students a number of SEL skills such as problem solving, strategic thinking, persistence, resilience, self-control, and planning.
As students help the Sesame Street monster calm down and solve everyday challenges, they get to learn how to take deep breaths to calm down and develop a rich emotional vocabulary.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases/ Age: 4+
3- SuperBetter
SuperBetter draws on the learning power of games to help users "build resilience, achieve goals, and tackle challenges including anxiety, depression, stress, chronic pain, concussion recovery and more."
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free / Age: 4+
4- Quandary
Quandary is a learning game that teaches students the following skills: critical thinking, empathy, perspective-taking, decision making, problem solving, moral reasoning, global awareness, collaboration, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
5- Touch & Learn
Touch and Learn helps students learn and recognize emotions through the use of a wide variety of pictures. As a teacher, you can use the app to introduce students to new (or existing) concepts regarding emotions and behaviour.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
6- Calm
This is definitely one of the best apps students can use to practice and learn everything about mindfulness and guided meditation through breathing programs, stretching exercises and relaxing music.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
7. Wondergate
Wondergate is an app that helps parents teach their kids emotional skills using a wide variety of educational activities, application tips, and animated and calm-down tools. Other features provided by Wondergate include: short meditations for calming worries, educational video content, deep breathing exercises, affirmations for positive self-talk and growth mindset and more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
8. Social Story Creator & Library
Social Story Creator & Library uses the educational power of social stories to teach kids social skills. The app features a growing number of social stories organized by skills and which can be easily printed out. The app also enable students to create their own social stories using pictures, recordings, and text.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
9. Smiling Mind
Smiling Mind is a SEL app that helps enhance students mental well-being through the power of mindfulness meditation. Smiling Mind resources are designed to help users deal with stress, pressure, and challenges of daily life. These resources include sleep programs for adults and kids, meditations guided by smooth and calming voices, and more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free / Age: 4+
10. Carousel: SEL for All
Carousel offers a wide range of lessons and activities to help users develop a number of SEL skills including mindfulness, gratitude, positive relationships, and self-awareness. The app also enable teachers and parents to track their kids and students progress and monitor their performance.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
Feelu is another useful SEL application that helps kids to:
- 'Acknowledge their feelings and handle them in a healthy manner
- Offer different strategies to calm down and cope with tantrums
- Be mindful and relax their bodies
- Be grateful
- Be kind and empathetic to each other and to animals
- React safely to bullying', and more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
11. Headspace
Headspace app helps students learn and use mindfulness and meditation in their daily practice to relax, manage stress, and find focus. Headspace offers guided meditations, courses, and mindfulness activities on subjects such as stress, general anxiety, resilience, breath-work, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
