Pre-Kindergartners Learn About the Self and Its Importance to SEL

Pre-kindergartners meet some awesome people today. Themselves! This lesson helps the students to be aware that each of them has a "self."

The lesson opens with a fun puppet play with their beloved hedgehog puppets, Squeak and Mimi! Through them, the students are engaged and immersed in learning about what a "self" is.

After the puppet play, the teacher leads an interactive class discussion to further explore the concept of the ‘self’. Students understand that a "self" has a body, mind, and heart, which, when happy and healthy, makes them feel happy and healthy too.

Pre-kindergartners also learn what areas make up the "self" and how actions can influence and be influenced by the “self.” These are taught with the “I Am a Positive Action Kid” music and the Positive Action “Philosophy” poster.

The methodology of SEL aims to help students to develop positive learned behaviors like kindness, responsibility, and smart decision-making. To foster these positive behaviors, the Positive Action program targets every critical part of the process that leads to behavior. This includes the "self." Hence, this lesson brings the idea of the “self” to pre-kindergartners' awareness.

The "self" is important to social-emotional learning as it is a significant factor in successful behavioral change.