How can we teach our students that they are part of a community? How can we help them see that they aren’t alone in how they are feeling and what they are experiencing? Reaching out to others and engaging socially and building positive relationships with others is an important skill that we can teach our students. One of the ways to help them feel a sense of connection and community is providing time and space in the classroom to play games like Never Have I Ever. In this activity the teacher reads off a statement and students hold up a finger if they have had that experience before. Students are able to see they have common experiences, and feel less alone.
Rethink Mental Health
Rethink Mental Health is a non-profit organization that developed and distributes the H.E.A.R.T. social-emotional curriculum for schools. H.E.A.R.T. is a social-emotional learning (SEL) program geared towards improving the way adolescents between the ages of 10 and 15 treat others and themselves. As a result of participating in the H.E.A.R.T. program, schools can create a more empathetic, responsible and emotionally resilient generation of youth while effectively reducing bullying and creating a culture of safety, health and wellness at the school and beyond.
