Teach Pre-K Students How to Set Goals for Social and Emotional Improvement

Pre-kindergartners can sometimes forget to practice positive actions for self-management, just like the characters in the story "Running Late." It follows StarBoy and StarGirl mismanaging their possessions, time, and energy, resulting in negative consequences and negative thoughts. This relatable story helps pre-kindergartners learn why it is important to set goals for their social and emotional development.

To help the students understand the concepts better, this lesson includes the "StarBoy" and “StarGirl” visual aids, a “Goals” poster, and the Positive Action music, “Managing Me.”

During class discussion, pre-kindergartners explore the "To Manage Ourselves" picture in the “Goals” poster. It depicts a girl who sets goals to always remember and practice social and emotional positive actions to improve herself. This helps pre-kindergartners learn how to set realistic goals to improve themselves socially and emotionally.

After this, they participate in an SEL activity that allows them to accomplish a goal and set more goals for themselves. Then, they promise to commit to self-improvement and mark off their Positive Behavior Chart. The song "Managing Me" plays at the end to reinforce and conclude the lesson.

Social and emotional development sets the foundation for pre-kindergartners' growth and healthy response toward different life experiences. They learn to react positively toward social and emotional challenges and are less likely to resort to violent behavior such as self-abuse and bullying.

By learning to face failures with resilience and persistence, pre-kindergartners develop healthy coping mechanisms for handling difficult emotions like sadness or discouragement. When they encounter peers that are different from them, they show compassion, understanding, and respect.

With that said, it is highly important to encourage pre-kindergartners to improve their social and emotional skills. Reducing bullying cases and behavior problems makes school environments safer for students. By giving pre-kindergartners the tools to self-manage positively, they are set up for success in their social and emotional life.