George Lucas Educational Foundation

Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

Find resources to help students manage their emotions, resolve conflicts, and make responsible decisions—creating the healthiest school culture possible.

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  • How Puppets Can Help Kids Express Emotions

    Using simple strategies acted out by puppets, students learn social and emotional skills that help them calm themselves, identify their feelings, and connect with others.
    2.2k
  • Classroom Management Built on Boundaries

    Guiding upper elementary students with boundaries rather than rules can make for a more harmonious classroom.
    Megan Moore
    875
  • An illustration concept of a child internalizing knowledge

    Why Ages 2-7 Matter So Much for Brain Development

    Rich experiences—from play to the arts and relationships—fundamentally shape a young child’s development.
    120.5k
  • Creating Opportunities for Unstructured Play

    When schools make space for free play in a natural environment, students are left to their own devices to build, create, and problem-solve—and the benefits continue once they are back in the classroom.
    488
  • Making Students Feel Safe

    A trauma-informed approach ensures that students feel safe, supported, and nurtured—to improve their chances of academic success. 
    129.4k
  • The Power of Administrator-Led Morning Meetings

    Middle school leaders who hold morning meetings with students before the first bell give teachers a break and build relationships.
    989
  • A side profile of a young woman. Part of her face is comprised of triangles that are breaking off of her face.

    When Students Are Traumatized, Teachers Are Too

    Trauma in students’ lives takes an emotional and physical toll on teachers as well. Experts weigh in on the best ways to cope.
    112.9k
  • 4 Ways Classroom Design Impacts Executive Functioning

    Effective classroom design can help elementary students develop skills like organization and task initiation.
    9.5k
  • Teacher and student high-fiving

    8 Proactive Classroom Management Tips

    New teachers—and experienced ones too—can find ideas here on how to stop disruptive behavior before it begins.
    68k
  • The Power of a Compliment

    A project that invites students to anonymously compliment their classmates and teachers has improved the culture at one high school.
    984
  • A Daily Support System for Students

    Students who need extra social and emotional support have a quick check-in with an adult at the start and end of each day.
    89.8k
  • The Art (and Science) of Using Praise for Improvement

    In addition to improving relationships, praise from teachers can boost students’ confidence and self-esteem.
    1.3k
  • A dog lying patiently on the floor in a classroom between rows of chairs

    Bringing a Dog to School

    A veteran teacher and administrator makes the case for having a therapy dog in elementary school.
    62.5k
  • Making Sure Each Child Is Known

    A middle school in Nevada uses a simple strategy to build deeper connections between teachers and students.
    63.1k
  • A group of teenagers doing an icebreaker exercise in which one person is blindfolded and the others are helping him jump across yellow tiles that are scattered across the floor

    10 Powerful Community-Building Ideas

    Strategies for ensuring that students in every grade feel like they’re part of the classroom community.
    47.4k

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
Edutopia® and Lucas Education Research™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries.