Social Emotional Check-In Worksheets

What is Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom?

Social emotional learning (SEL) is an integral educational approach that goes beyond traditional academics. It focuses on nurturing students' self-awareness and emotional intelligence, essential life skills that contribute to their overall well-being and success. SEL encompasses a range of activities, discussions, and exercises designed to help each child understand and manage their emotions, develop empathy, make responsible decisions, and build meaningful relationships.

How to Integrate Social-Emotional Learning to Your Teaching

As an educator, you recognize the significance of nurturing well-rounded individuals who excel both academically and emotionally. Integrating SEL into your classroom routines provides a powerful framework to achieve this goal. By incorporating actionable steps and techniques that foster self-management skills, social awareness, and valuable life skills, you create an environment where every child thrives not only in their studies, but also in their personal growth. Let's explore effective strategies to seamlessly integrate SEL into your teaching approach.

• Creating a Meaningful Social-Emotional Check-In Routine: Begin each day with a social emotional check for students that sets a positive tone for learning. Practice with a brief exercise where students express how they feel using words from a emotions words list. This simple practice helps kids identify and communicate their emotions.


• Utilizing Feelings Check-In Worksheets: Engage your class with worksheets that encourage them to reflect on their daily emotions and experiences. These worksheets can include prompts that guide kids to describe how they're feeling and why. This process encourages self-expression and introspection, enhancing their ability to manage and understand their emotions. Use our wealth of free social emotional learning worksheets available on our website. These resources cover a range of topics, from identifying emotions to developing self-management skills.


• Guided Emotional Check-In Worksheets: Utilize a guided worksheet that prompts kids to explore how they feel more deeply. These worksheets may ask each child to reflect on recent experiences that triggered certain emotions and encourage them to articulate their thoughts.


• Expanding Vocabulary with Emotions Words: Introduce kids to a wide range of words beyond basic emotions like happy and sad. Help them expand their emotional vocabulary by providing a list of own emotions words they can use to accurately describe how they feel. This empowers your class to articulate their emotions with precision, enhancing their self-expression and communication skills.

Effective Emotional Check-In Activities

Dive into a world of inventive activities that not only promote self-awareness and empathy but also empower students to express their feelings in constructive ways. Explore how these worksheets seamlessly enhance these activities, making the process engaging and impactful for individuals. Check out some of our emotional check-in ideas below:

Artistic Expression: "Emotion Canvas"

Encourage youngsters to creatively portray their emotions through art. Provide a blank canvas and various art supplies. Instruct them to translate their feelings into colors, shapes, and symbols. After completing their "emotion canvas," guide students to discuss their artwork, explaining the emotions they've depicted. Enhance this activity with worksheets by having students label and elaborate on what they've represented in their artwork.

Emotion Journals: "Daily Check-in Diary"

Distribute printable emotional check-in worksheets to each student. Task them to write a brief description of their feelings each day. Encourage them to pinpoint the factors influencing how they feel. At the end of the week, lead students in reviewing their entries to identify patterns and triggers. This activity not only promotes emotional understanding but also creates a valuable resource for parents to initiate meaningful conversations at home.

Emotion Charades: "Express and Guess"

Elevate emotional expression through a game of charades. Prepare emotion cards with various feelings written on them. Instruct students to draw a card and convey the emotion using facial expressions, body language, and gestures. Their peers then guess the emotion being portrayed. Following each round, facilitate discussions about the chosen emotion's triggers and appropriate responses. SEL worksheets can enhance conversations by exploring the nuances and contexts of each emotion.

Storytelling Sessions: "Emotional Tales"

Encourage students to craft short stories or scenarios involving different emotions. These stories could revolve around characters confronting challenges, triumphs, or dilemmas that evoke various feelings. To further enhance their emotional understanding, consider incorporating social emotional learning read alouds that feature characters navigating complex emotions in relatable situations. Students can then share their narratives in groups, fostering discussions on empathy and diverse viewpoints. Complement this activity with social emotional learning worksheets that prompt students to connect their stories to their personal experiences.

"Emotion Exploration" Interviews

Pair students for interviewer and interviewee roles. The interviewer asks open-ended questions about the interviewee's emotional experiences. Encourage authentic conversations where students share their thoughts and feelings openly. Provide a free printable worksheet featuring emotion-related prompts to guide interviewers in asking thought-provoking questions and to assist interviewees in articulating their thoughts effectively.

Check List Activity: "Emotional Self-Reflection"

Using our checklist maker, introduce a checklist activity that encourages students to reflect on their emotions. Provide a checklist of common emotions and feelings. Ask kids to mark the emotions they've experienced recently. After completing the checklist, guide them to identify patterns and triggers for these emotions. Use social emotional learning worksheets to help students explore the root causes of their emotions and strategies for managing them.

Bell Ringer Activities: "Emotional Start"

Incorporate emotional check-ins as bell ringer activities at the start of each class. Distribute social emotional learning worksheets featuring prompts related to emotions. Encourage students to reflect on how they're feeling that day and why. This routine helps set a positive tone for the class while promoting emotional awareness. Later, discuss students' responses, creating a safe space for sharing and discussion.

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Emotional Check-In Worksheets

What are feelings check-in worksheets?

Feelings check-in worksheets are tools that help individuals, including students, identify and express their emotions. These worksheets typically include prompts and spaces for individuals to describe how they're feeling, providing a structured way to engage with and understand emotions.

Where can I find free social emotional learning worksheets?

You can find a variety of free social emotional learning worksheets on our website. Our worksheets cover a range of topics, from emotional awareness to empathy and self-management, and are designed to support emotional intelligence development.

How do printable emotional check-in worksheets work?

Printable emotional check-in worksheets prompt students to reflect on their current emotions and experiences. Students can write down or mark how they're feeling and use the worksheets to explore the reasons behind their emotions. This process encourages self-awareness and effective emotional expression.

How to teach social-emotional learning?

Teaching social-emotional learning involves creating a safe and supportive environment where students can explore and develop emotional intelligence. Incorporate activities such as feelings check-in worksheets, role-playing scenarios, and group discussions to facilitate conversations about emotions, empathy, and interpersonal skills.