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Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in Kindergarten

Celebrating Islands of Excellence with Joyful Authentic Teaching and Learning

Scroll down to learn about the fingerspelling “WOW!” Salute

 I have had the honor and joy of working with some of the finest kindergarten teachers in the country and have documented many their best practices! Joyful, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and accelerating language and literacy has always been our foundation for excellence. 

Many of these delightful SEL practices have been updated into my new book, Social Emotional Learning in Kindergarten: Celebrating Islands of Excellence with Joyful Authentic Teaching and Learning. I am so excited to share it with you! This features proven practices from master educators. Decades of work. Rough draft after rough draft…it is finally ready!

You will find proven strategies that spark joy: 

  • Teach children to work hard and be kind
  • Activities to cultivate a culture of friendship
  • Experiential learning alive in the classroom
  • How to teach through the lens of language development and SEL 

Save precious classroom minutes: Support SEL while implementing an integrated and multimodal approach to early literacy! 

Book includes: 

  • Dialog questions for your PLC (professional learning community)
  • Practicum suggestions for graduate credit
  • 160 pages of engaging lessons
  • Actionable family resources that honor childhood

Here’s a sample of one playful, multisensory SEL/literacy lesson from Katie Nelson. Notice how friends honor their classmate with a “WOW!” The learning experience integrates fingerspelling, writing with good handwriting, word work, and JOY!

We Salute Our Friends With a “WOW!” Fingerspelling and Good Handwriting Is a Part of the Literacy Framework

Fingerspelling and Good Handwriting Is a Part of the Literacy Framework

This playful WOW Fingerspelling Salute is used to honor children in
Katie Nelson’s kindergarten.
After a young author shares a book they have written, Katie might invite the children,

“Let’s give them a Wow!”

Children practice “quick writes.” This becomes a powerful part of phonics word work: If you know “wow”—you also know how, now, cow, bow, and pow! Children learn to create the house of “ow” using wipe-off boards.

I hope this new book will bring a SMILE to your heart and remind you why you love teaching young children! There are directions for having the book spiral-bound at your local print shop.

3 Ways to Receive Social Emotional Learning in Kindergarten book:

  1. Enjoy this “Nellie Edge gift” for online readers. Download this 160-page treasure now!
  2. Soon, the book (complete with 40 printables!) will be on TPT at half-price for 48 hours. (Follow me on TPT for  notifications.) 
  3. Our Growing SEL Bundle will feature my Social Emotional Learning in Kindergarten Part 1, printables, and MANY additional favorite SEL resources. Building an “I can do it!” growth mindset and a classroom of friends is what we do best! (Coming in April) 

Photos used with permission from master teachers and appreciative parents.

“It’s spring when the world is puddle-wonderful…”
“[in Just-]” by E. E. Cummings

Spring SMILES!
Nellie Edge 

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Spark Joy

All Year Long!