Incorporating Social Emotional Check Ins in the Classroom

I’m excited to introduce this week’s guest blogger: Lauren from Structured Special Ed to talk all about incorporating social emotional check ins with your classroom!

Is it sometimes hard to get a pulse on how your students are doing social emotionally this school year? 

This 2020 school year in the midst of a pandemic has been really hard for a majority of our students and their social emotional wellbeing. 

One of the best ways I found to get a pulse on how my students are doing is by doing daily or weekly check ins with them.

I will do a variety of check ins throughout the week, some that are fun, some that are serious and some that check in on specific areas of concern like stress or anxiety.  

And it is actually easier than you think to incorporate social emotional check ins.

Here are some ways you can incorporate check ins in your class:

Fun Social Emotional Check Ins

For my fun check ins, I will do a variety of animal pictures and have kids pick which animal picture represents them. I have also done fun ones where I ask kids to send me three emojis that best represent how they are feeling. These are fun and fast ways to get a pulse on how students are doing and also get them comfortable with exploring and understanding their feelings and emotions. 

Serious Social Emotional Check Ins

I do serious check ins where I have students respond to different prompts such as things they are doing well with and struggling with. 

Another type of serious check in I do is where they have to rate how they are doing on a scale 1-5 and explain the rating or a multiple choice option. These types of check ins promote self awareness and helps kids understand the reasons why they are feeling that way.

Check Ins on specific areas of concern or emotions

I will do check ins on specific emotions or feelings like being stressed or being anxious so kids can recognize when they are feeling those specific emotions that aren’t as straightforward as other basic emotions like happy, sad and mad. 

I will also have students reflect on multiple emotions and think of times in their week that they felt these emotions. The more we can teach our students awareness of their emotions and what causes them, the better we can help them in the future work through the emotions they struggle with. 

I do all of my check ins using Peardeck but I have also used Google Forms a handful of times. The reason I love those two options is because it allows the students’ responses to remain private and anonymous to their peers. Kids feel more comfortable being open and honest during their check in if they feel safe and secure and it maintains their privacy. 

Also, when I am doing check ins I like to throw in some prompts for students to encourage self advocacy. I will often have students brainstorm solutions to their struggles or think of ways that we as teachers can support them when they are struggling. 

It is great for students to be aware of their emotions and feelings but it is equally important for us to encourage them to try and find solutions to their struggles and a voice to ask for help if needed. 

Read more about how to make your classroom a safe space!

Instagram | TeachersPayTeachers | Facebook | Boom Learning Library | Pinterest  | Youtube