Dear HPE families,
Winter break is a wonderful time to relax, celebrate, and connect as a family. It’s also a great opportunity to support your child’s social and emotional growth through simple, fun activities. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) helps children build essential skills like self-awareness, empathy, and emotional regulation—key tools for success in school and life.
This season, we encourage you to explore easy SEL activities that fit into your holiday traditions, fostering meaningful family moments while boosting your child’s confidence and resilience.
1. Emotion Snowmen
Activity: Draw or build snowmen that represent different emotions (e.g., a happy snowman, a sad snowman, etc.). Talk with your child about what each emotion feels like and when they experience these emotions.
SEL Focus: Emotional identification, self-regulation.
Extension: Use the snowmen to discuss how to manage these feelings, such as deep breathing when feeling frustrated or talking to someone when feeling sad.
2. Family Check-Ins
Activity: During family meals or at the end of the day, have a "check-in" where everyone shares how they are feeling. You can use a simple chart or emojis to help younger kids express themselves.
SEL Focus: Communication, self-awareness, relationship skills.
Extension: Discuss ways to support each other if someone is feeling upset or stressed, reinforcing the idea of emotional support within the family.
3. Winter-Themed Role-Playing
Activity: Use favorite winter stories or movies (like "Frozen" or "The Snowman") to role-play different characters. Discuss the emotions and challenges these characters face and how they handle them.
SEL Focus: Perspective-taking, empathy, problem-solving.
Extension: After role-playing, talk about how your child would respond if they were in the same situation as the character. What choices would they make?
4. Mindful Nature Walks
Activity: Bundle up and take a mindful walk outside. Encourage your child to notice the sights, sounds, and smells of winter. Have them describe how the experience makes them feel.
SEL Focus: Mindfulness, self-awareness.
Extension: Afterward, you can ask your child how they might use this calm feeling during moments of stress or frustration.
5. Cozy Conversation Cards
Activity: Create conversation cards with questions related to emotions, empathy, and relationships (e.g., "What makes you feel loved?" or "How can you help a friend who's sad?"). Pull a card during family time or while cozying up with hot cocoa.
SEL Focus: Emotional literacy, empathy, communication.
Extension: After discussing the questions, encourage your child to apply the skills in real-life situations.
6. Storytelling with a SEL Twist
Activity: Read winter-themed books (like "The Mitten" or "The Snowy Day") and pause to discuss the characters' feelings and choices. Ask your child what they think the characters are feeling and why.
SEL Focus: Empathy, social awareness, relationship skills.
Extension: Create alternative endings or "what if" scenarios to practice problem-solving and decision-making.
7. Winter Craft for a Cause
Activity: Make winter crafts, such as snowflakes or holiday cards, to give to others (e.g., family members, neighbors, or community workers). Focus on the joy of giving and the impact of kindness.
SEL Focus: Empathy, social awareness, kindness.
Extension: Have your child think about how their gifts make others feel, reinforcing the emotional benefits of giving.
8. Snowball Fight with Positive Words
Objective: Build self-esteem and social skills.
Materials: Paper, markers, and a large space.
How to: Write positive words, affirmations, or compliments on small pieces of paper, crumple them into “snowballs,” and have a fun, playful "snowball fight." After the game, open the snowballs and read the positive messages together.
9. Mindful Hot Cocoa Time
Objective: Teach mindfulness and emotional regulation.
Materials: Hot cocoa ingredients.
How to: Set aside a quiet moment to make hot cocoa together. Encourage children to engage their senses: listen to the sound of the cocoa being stirred, smell the rich chocolate, and take slow sips to really taste and enjoy the drink. Discuss how mindfulness can help them slow down and appreciate the present moment.
10. Holiday Thank-You Cards
Objective: Foster gratitude and relationship-building.
Materials: Blank cards, markers, stickers.
How to: After receiving holiday gifts or spending time with family, encourage your child to make thank-you cards. They can reflect on why they are thankful for specific gifts or gestures and how those acts made them feel. This reinforces the importance of gratitude.
11. Yoga and Mindfulness for Kids
Activity: Practice simple winter-themed yoga poses together (e.g., pretending to be a tree in the wind or a snowflake falling). Focus on deep breathing and being present.
SEL Focus: Mindfulness, self-regulation, body awareness.
Extension: Incorporate breathing exercises to help children manage stress or calm down when they're upset.
By integrating SEL into fun and engaging winter break activities, parents can help their children develop crucial life skills while enjoying the holiday season together!
Wishing you a joyful and enriching winter break!
Warm regards,
Mrs. Williams
HPE School Counselor
rbwilliams@hse.k12.in.us
