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SEL Home Adventure

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Monica Jones

Tier 1
For Schools

Project Guide

SEL Home Adventure

A fun, 30-minute family guide for 4th graders and parents to practice social-emotional learning (SEL) together. Strengthen emotional skills, build empathy, and deepen family bonds through three simple activities and reflection prompts.

Objective

Help 4th graders and their families:

• Identify and express emotions

• Practice empathy and active listening

• Share appreciation and build connection

Materials Needed

• A timer or clock

• Paper and pencils or markers

• Family SEL Guide for quick tips and background

Agenda (30 minutes)

  1. Welcome & Check-In (5 min)
  2. Activity 1: Emotion Charades (10 min)
  3. Activity 2: Family Feelings Journal (10 min)
  4. Activity 3: Appreciation Circle (3 min)
  5. Wrap-Up & Reflection (2 min)

1. Welcome & Check-In (5 min)

• Gather as a family in a comfortable spot.
• Parent briefly explains: “Today we’ll play games and talk about how we feel.”
• Each person names one word for how they feel right now.

What word describes how you’re feeling at this moment?












2. Activity 1: Emotion Charades (10 min)

  1. Write or draw five emotions on separate slips of paper (e.g., happy, surprised, frustrated, proud, worried).
  2. Fold slips and place them in a bowl.
  3. Take turns drawing a slip and acting out the emotion—no words allowed!
  4. The rest of the family guesses the emotion.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Which clues helped you guess correctly?
  • How did it feel to act out a strong emotion?
     
     

3. Activity 2: Family Feelings Journal (10 min)

  1. Give each person a sheet of paper or open a shared journal.
  2. Write today’s date at the top.
  3. Draw or list three feelings you experienced today and one short sentence about why.

Example:
• Feeling: Proud
Why: I finished my reading homework early!

Your turn!












After writing, share one entry with the group.

Active Listening Tip for Parents:

  • Maintain eye contact and say, “I hear you…” before reflecting back their feeling.

4. Activity 3: Appreciation Circle (3 min)

  1. Sit or stand in a circle.
  2. One at a time, share one thing you appreciate about the person to your right.

Example:
“I appreciate how you always help set the table because it makes dinner time faster for everyone.”

5. Wrap-Up & Reflection (2 min)

Quick Round:

  • What was your favorite activity and why?











One final thought: How can we use what we practiced today in our week ahead?

Thank you for practicing SEL together! For more family-friendly activities and discussion ideas, revisit the Family SEL Guide.

lenny
lenny

Slide Deck

SEL Home Adventure

A fun, 30-minute family guide for 4th graders and parents to practice social-emotional learning (SEL) together.

Strengthen emotional skills, build empathy, and deepen family bonds!

Welcome families and introduce yourself. Explain that today’s session is a fun, 30-minute adventure to practice social-emotional learning (SEL) together.

Objectives & Materials

Objectives:
• Identify and express emotions
• Practice empathy and active listening
• Share appreciation and build connection

Materials:
• Timer or clock
• Paper and pencils or markers
• Family SEL Guide for quick tips and background

Review each objective and point to the materials. Show the Family SEL Guide if families want more tips.

Agenda (30 min)

  1. Welcome & Check-In (5 min)
  2. Activity 1: Emotion Charades (10 min)
  3. Activity 2: Family Feelings Journal (10 min)
  4. Activity 3: Appreciation Circle (3 min)
  5. Wrap-Up & Reflection (2 min)

Walk through the agenda so everyone knows what to expect and how time will be spent.

Welcome & Check-In

• Gather comfortably as a family.
• Each person says one word that describes how they feel right now.

Prompt: What word best describes how you’re feeling at this moment?

Invite each family member to share their word. Model by sharing your own word first.

Activity 1: Emotion Charades

Steps:

  1. Write or draw 5 emotions (e.g., happy, proud, worried) on slips of paper.
  2. Fold them and place in a bowl.
  3. Take turns acting out the emotion—no words!
  4. Family guesses the emotion.

Discussion Prompts:
• What clues helped you guess correctly?
• How did it feel to act out a strong emotion?

Encourage expressive acting and celebrate guesses. Use prompts to deepen the conversation.

Activity 2: Family Feelings Journal

Steps:

  1. Each person takes a sheet of paper or opens a journal.
  2. Write today’s date at the top.
  3. List or draw three feelings you experienced today and write one sentence why.

Example:
• Feeling: Proud
Why: I finished my reading homework early!

Parent Tip:
Use active listening—say “I hear you…” before reflecting back their feeling.

Demonstrate one journal entry. Encourage parents to use active listening when children share.

Activity 3: Appreciation Circle

  1. Sit in a circle.
  2. Each person shares one thing they appreciate about the person to their right.

Example:
“I appreciate how you help set the table because it makes dinner faster for everyone.”

Model a round of appreciation. Encourage specific, heartfelt statements.

Wrap-Up & Reflection

Quick Round:
• Which activity was your favorite? Why?

Final Prompt:
How can we use what we practiced this week at home?

Guide the reflection by calling on volunteers. Reinforce how to carry these practices into daily life.

Thank You & Next Steps

Thank you for practicing SEL together!

For more family-friendly activities and discussion ideas, revisit the Family SEL Guide.

Thank families for their participation and point them back to the resource for more ideas.

lenny