The South Carolina Early Learning Standards are incorporated into the Seashell class curriculum.  This month’s focus is on Emotional and Social Development (ESD).

• Goal ESD-6: Children identify, manage, and express their feelings.
• Goal ESD-7: Children recognize and respond to the needs and feelings of others.
• Goal ESD-4: Children form relationships and interact positively with other children.
• Goal ESD-5: Children demonstrate the social and behavioral skills needed to successfully participate in groups.

The seashells have been discussing what it means to be kind and identifying feelings and emotions. Stanley and Sally Seashell, our classroom puppets, were introduced to the Shells. The puppets were used to display different emotions to the children. The teachers also introduced picture cards of facial expressions. The children were asked to identify the emotion displayed (happy, angry or sad) in each photo. The children explored mimicking the expressions in a mirror. Sally and Stanley acted out different scenarios and asked the Seashells to help them work out their problems. From these observations, the children were able to make comments on how they thought the puppets might feel. Juliette stated that “she should hug him” since she noticed the one puppet was feeling sad, and Mary said, “they can share!”

Over the next few days, we extended our learning by talking about what it meant to be a good friend and how you can show kindness to others. We read several books on demonstrating kindness and identifying emotions. We discussed ways to be kind and documented the children’s thinking on chart paper. Some responses included, “giving hugs, sharing books, and cleaning up”.

Throughout our study on emotions and kindness, we recognized when the children were doing something kind or helpful and would write the act on a “sprinkle” and add it to our kindness donut. Some of the observations included “John gave Keagan a turn with a toy” and “Owen cleaned up a mess that wasn’t his”. We would read the sprinkles out loud every day so the children could get recognition for their kindness and inspire others to be kind as well. This allowed us to provide opportunities for them to interact appropriately and be aware of their emotions, as well as recognize others’ expressions and emotions. 

Our inquiry into recognizing emotions and kindness promoted an atmosphere of cooperation and respect among the children. We continue to aim to create a positive classroom environment where the ‘Shells can openly express their feelings, figure out how to become good friends, and learn how a simple act of kindness can go a long way.