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The term that is creating enormous buzz in education and parenting circles is 'Social Emotional Learning' or SEL. Let's think about this. Your kids learn complex equations, histories, learn to write essays and crack exams, but they rarely learn to work on their emotions, build and foster relationships, deal with failure, and focus on their self-awareness. These are skills that need to be taught as much as writing or numeracy. They don't come automatically and even if you do face difficult situations, you don't develop a rubric or a workaround with your emotions or such situations.
Twenty-six years ago, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) first introduced the term "social and emotional learning (SEL)" to the world but it is only in the light of recent difficulties and events that the term has gained importance.
What are the evidence-based benefits of social-emotional learning? CASEL's five SEL competencies are self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process of developing the self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.
People with strong social-emotional skills are better able to cope with everyday challenges and benefit academically, professionally, and socially. From effective problem-solving to self-discipline, from impulse control to emotion management and more, SEL provides a foundation for positive, long-term effects on kids, adults, and communities.
As with any learning, books can shape perspectives, give moral strength to children and in a sense be their life coach. Here are 20 great books to build on the 5 SEL skills - self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, relationships skills and responsible decision-making.
Soda is a dog who feels like a dog. Bonda is a cat who feels like a ... dog! A quirky tale about two friends, which makes us think about who we are and how we see ourselves.
Expressions, colours and textures work in perfect balance with the seemingly simple text to create a joyful portrait of a friendship that goes beyond appearances.
For Anjali, playing the tabla is something that comes naturally. But when the boys in her class give her a hard time for being better than them, she messes up on purpose.
When her teacher announces a contest where the winner will get to perform with him at his next concert, Anjali is distraught. Winning the contest would be a dream for Anjali. But it seems like the better she gets, the meaner some of the kids are.
In this follow up to Always Anjali, Anjali realizes that she should never let anyone make her feel bad for being good at something. An important story for all children to remember to ’never dim their light.
The Bhagavad Gita is not just one of the greatest and oldest books in the world but it is also acts as a moral, mental and spiritual guide. Do I do what I must or do what is good? How do I manage my emotions? How do I achieve self-awareness and peace?
Is The Gita for Children meant only for older or religious people? Is it difficult to read?
Roopa Pai's spirited, one-of-a-kind retelling of the epic conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his mentor and friend Krishna is perfect for kids and teens. Lucid, thought-provoking and brimming with fun trivia, this book will stay with you long after you have turned the last page.
When I first came to this country, I felt so alone.
A young immigrant girl joins her aunt and uncle in a new country that is unfamiliar to her. She struggles with loneliness, with a fierce longing for the culture and familiarity of home, until one day, her aunt takes her on a walk. As the duo strolls through their city park, the girl's aunt begins to tell her an old Parsi story, and a story within the story begins.
A long time ago, a group of refugees arrived on a foreign shore. The local king met them, determined to refuse their request for refuge. But there was a language barrier, so the king filled a glass with milk and pointed to it as a way of saying that the land was full and couldn't accommodate the strangers. Then, the leader of the refugees dissolved sugar in the glass of milk. His message was clear: Like sugar in milk, our presence in your country will sweeten your lives. The king embraced the refugee, welcoming him and his people.
This is a lovely story for people who feel alone or disconnected from their community. It is a tale of inclusion and support.
Little Bose is enchanted with his mother and her beautiful shiny nose ring! one day the nose jewel goes missing from his mother's face leaving little Bose heartbroken! His mother finds the nose jewel again for Little Bose and somehow it looks bigger, better, and shinier this time!
The book doesn't deal directly with loss or fear but missing objects can mean so many things to an impressionable young mind. We absolutely love how sensitively and beautifully the author narrates this tale!
Aadya looks just like her mother (Aai)—same little nose, same delicate ears, same big eyes and identical thick, long hair. But one day, Aai goes away to a big hospital with a promise to return before Aadya learns her next Math lesson. The long-awaited return shocks Aadya because now her mother looks completely unlike her. She wonders if Aai will ever greet her with her usual, cheery, ‘Hello! Mini-me.’
Or will Aadya have to take matters into her own hands just to hear that again? With lyrical prose and a tender touch, Aai and I is an empowering story of the bond between a mother and a daughter, and of the little one finding her own identity as she finds herself no longer ‘looking’ the same as her mother. Mamta Nainy captures with elan Aadya’s innocence, impatience and dilemma, and Sanket Pethkar’s vibrant, gorgeous artwork brings to life the nuanced see-saw of the child’s emotions in this Marathi household.
This is a beautiful board book that rallies young children to get up, embrace the world, laugh so hard that they feel it in their cheeks and "cross the monkey bars or fly to the moon." This vibrant and colorful board book strikes a perfect harmony between empathy and aspiration among children.
Be excited, the book says, because it is a blessing to play. The book talks to a child, the reader, and addresses him or her as 'my love,' asking the child to go forth with courage and excitement. We especially love the page about the child who is engaged in a 'show and tell' in school and the author asks the children to talk about their favorite animal as if it was right in front of them, to really get into the skin of the character they are talking about in front of the class.
The book tells children, gently asks of them, to share their joys with their family. Written by California-based dad, entrepreneur and author Bhajneet Singh, this book is a great addition to your child's collection.
Diya has a vivid imagination, enjoys being naughty, loves playing with friends, dislikes homework, and thinks elders don't always understand children! She is also super curious about everything.
When her head starts buzzing with doubts or confusions, Diya heads straight to Baba for answers. After all the whole town of Isapuram turns to him for advice. Baba, her neighbour and a spiritual teacher, is the most loved man in town. This bundle contains 'The Chameleon Effect and Other Stories,' 'Lights Camera Action and Other Stories' by the author.
As parents, we want our children to know about the big, bad world but we also want them to retain their innocence. This book strikes that balance perfectly!
Anjali and her friends are excited to get matching personalized license plates for their bikes. But Anjali can't find her name. To make matters worse, she gets bullied for her "different" name, and is so upset she demands to change it.
Malhar wants to be a famous tabla player. But why do tabla players always sit to one side of the stage? Are they not important enough? Malhar wants answers--and he wants to sit in the middle!
We love this book for finding such brilliant solutions to big questions and problems. More power to Malhar as he charts is own course and rewrites tradition while maintaining all the love in the world for his heritage.
Narayan loved words, while Doodu loved to draw. This is the story of how two brothers created the immortal town of Malgudi.
A delightfully illustrated short biography that will encourage young readers to pursue their aspirations!
The book is narrated from the writer RK Narayan's point of view. Narayan loves the written word and writes as many stories as he possibly can, stories that feature people, incidents and places from his own childhood. His brother, Laxman, whom Narayan calls Doodu, loves drawing and wants to be a famous cartoonist some day.
While Laxman knows what his true calling is, Narayan is a little more perplexed. He loves to write stories about everyday people but grapples with different kinds of setbacks. For one, he tries to read all the tomes in his father's libraries but understands very little. He wants to emulate the master writers of the English language but finds that he has his own style, a style that shuns formality and affectation. He submits stories to many publishers but is constantly rejected. In the end, Narayan goes on a walk in Mysore, a walk that ends in a shift in perspective and an exciting new idea.
Shanti misses the warm monsoon rains in India. Now in America, she watches fall leaves fly past her feet.
Still, her family’s apartment feels like a village: Mama cooking luchi, funny stories in Bangla, and Baba’s big laugh. But outside, everything is different – trick-or-treating, ballet class, and English books.
Back and forth, Shanti trudges between her two worlds. She remembers her village and learns her new town. She watches Bollywood movies at home and Hollywood movies with her friends. She is Indian. She is also American. How should she define home?
This is an Indian picture book that challenges and debunks the discriminatory idea of "fair is beautiful", this book for kids is valuable for building positive self-esteem as it tells them that thoughts and actions define you and not your skin colour.
Samaira is a little chocolate-colored girl who meets a purple-colored lady called Anahi. Anahi wants to change Samaira into a shade of white. How Samaira responds to her forms the rest of the book.
ll Shreya wants for her birthday is to grow ten feet tall! She dreams of reaching high places and towering over those who tease her. Will her wish come true?
This book uses concept, culture and science to explain the importance of being body positive early.
A powerful and captivating novel, Supriya Kelkar's American as Paneer Pie is is about an Indian-American girl named Lekha who lives in Oakridge, Michigan.
A lover of Bollywood and Indian food, Lekha has been happy living in her own world and ignores jibes from other kids about her - who she is and where she comes from. Lekha has a brown birthmark shaped like a bindi on her forehead, prompting a boy in school named Liam to call her 'Dot.'
From people not getting her name right, to making fun of the food she eats and how she dresses, Lekha tries to keep to herself. She makes it to the super-competitive swim team, much to Liam's chagrin, and his bullying increases. Lekha is okay with dealing with these jibes, until a girl named Avantika moves to town and challenges the status quo in a major way, standing up to bullies. Interestingly, the novel is set against the backdrop of a divisive statewide election and adds so much context to the story.
The rain clouds are long gone and the dry season scorches the land. Everything is new for the baby giraffe. As she bounds ahead and lags behind, her mother patiently explains the ways of the grasslands. And until she grows a little taller, older, and wiser, her mother reminds her: “You’re strong with me.”
For children and changing families who have two unique homes. Peek into the simplest solutions for understanding one of life’s most difficult moments–separation.
When Keya’s parents stopped living together, unusual things happened.
Keya became the only girl in her class with two homes.
‘Where will you live?’
‘Who will you live with?’
‘Sometimes Mama,’ Keya said, ‘sometimes Papa!’
This heart-warming story with comforting pictures reassures young readers that parents, whether alone or together, are always there for them.
What happens when the scarecrow decides to leave his field one day? This wonderfully imaginative book helps children to see that everything in our world has a role to play and we are all responsible for one another
For the magic to work, I had to learn to say "thank you" instead of "choo-choo" and really mean it.'
Baby train has always wanted to travel the world. When he finds out that a magic fuel called Gratitude can take him far, he can't wait to get started! Grazie, Mahalo, Dankie, he says as he learns how people thank each other around the world, Merci, Arigato, Dhanyawaad. As he fills his tank with this magic fuel, he finds himself growing stronger and living his dream.
Tankful of Thankful toots the magic of thanking each other in different languages-for the small things, for the grand things, for all things. Read this picture book out loud to your children, and start a beautiful conversation about living gratefully.
Embarrassed by her clumsiness, eight-year-old Meena, an Asian Indian American girl, is reluctant to appear in the school play until she gains self-confidence by practicing yoga.
