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5 Read Alouds and STEM Challenges to Teach Self-Management to Kids

Our students arrive at school each day expecting to learn the educational basics, but let’s not miss the opportunity to teach them the foundational life skills that reach so far beyond the classroom walls. Social and emotional learning (SEL) has always been important, but we are now realizing just how important these skills are for our elementary learners.

More than ever, we need to ensure that the social-emotional development of our students (and ourselves) is at the forefront. Student and teacher well-being is so important, but can also be challenging to address with all the other things that may be on our plates.

Integrating SEL in our classrooms doesn’t have to be another thing that we add to our already packed schedules. SEL skills and strategies can be incorporated into the content we are already teaching. There are many connections between the goals of meaningful STEM learning and the tenets of social-emotional development.

SEL provides the opportunity for classrooms, schools, families, and the community to work together to establish skills for academic success, student engagement at school and in the community, health, wellness, and successful, future careers.

CASEL’s SEL Framework

CASEL’s SEL framework includes 5 core competencies, one of which is self-management. Students who are able to self-manage are able to delay gratification, manage stress, and feel motivation and agency to accomplish personal and collective goals. Self-management allows the student the ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations.

Such as:

Managing one’s emotions
Identifying and using stress management strategies
Exhibiting self-discipline and self-motivation
Setting personal and collective goals
Using planning and organizational skills
Showing the courage to take initiative
Demonstrating personal and collective agency

We’ve put together a SEL STEM bundle with 5 of our favorite read alouds and STEM challenges to help teach students about the importance of self-management. These challenges will give your students the opportunity to explore feelings, learn and practice coping strategies, and make wise decisions.

1. Eat Pete!

Eat Pete by Michael Rex is the story of a little boy who makes friends with a monster. The monster didn’t really want to play. He wanted to eat Pete! Together they go on adventure after adventure and form a friendship. The monster never loses his desire to eat Pete and eventually learns a hard lesson on self-restraint…or did he?

In this STEM lesson, students design, build and test their own car ramps for Pete and the monster to play with. Students also discover how to calm down and practice patience using different self-management techniques.