Spotlights

Roundup: 11 Blogs Showcasing SEL in Unexpected Places

January 21, 2025
CASEL
A montage of pictures from each of the blogs in the round-up.

Key Points

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  • SEL doesn’t just happen in the classroom! From afterschool to the sports field to the field trip, there are many opportunities to promote the development of students’ social and emotional skills and build relationships.
  • Here’s a roundup of blog posts that highlight all the places SEL can happen.

1. Why Museums Are “The New Frontier” for SEL

Museums are natural partners to support the work of educators in classroom and schoolwide settings, in addition to being cultural institutions with the capacity to serve families and caregivers in their own SEL work.

2. From a Torn ACL to Coaching With SEL

A physical educator and coach describes how her experience coaching soccer to middle school students offered a powerful avenue for promoting SEL.

3. Exploring the City, Discovering Themselves

Every year, Harlem Academy’s middle school unit, “Explore,” challenges students to create their own day-long field trip in New York City, offering students the chance to develop empathy and strengthen leadership, collaboration, and communication skills.

4. SEL Skill-Building at Summer Camp

At its best, high-quality summer camp is a truly inspirational environment for social and emotional skill development.

5. How I Found SEL on the Basketball Court

A CASEL staff member recounts how time spent informally on the basketball court built relationships with students that carried over into the classroom.

6. Leveling Up SEL With Gaming

A high school student recounts her experience joining an esports club at her school, which she describes as a great outlet for SEL and “one of the best decisions of my life.”

7. SEL Through Art: The Get to Know Me Project

A professional learning specialist describes how she developed an art project that provided a shared community and learning space for young people to truly understand themselves and others.

8. Olympians, Paralympians, and Youth Athletes Agree: Great Coaching Is More Than X’s and O’s

Get a behind-the-scenes look at what Olympic and Paralympic medalists think it takes to be a great coach (hint: social and emotional skills), and learn what the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is doing to equip coaches with these essential skills.

9. 6 Fun Ways to Support Your Kids’ Social and Emotional Learning This Summer (in English and Spanish)

Activities like nature walks, art projects, cooking together, and summer jobs offer ways to encourage the development of SEL skills.

10. “SEL Skybridges”: Museums as Partners in Social and Emotional Learning

By offering K-12 student programs, classroom resources, and professional development for adults improving their SEL skills, museums are well-positioned to offer aligned learning opportunities.

11. SEL Steps Into the Spotlight: Theater as the Perfect Setting for Social and Emotional Growth

A theater director and educator explains how theater and SEL are complementary and mutually reinforcing fields of study for students’ social and emotional development.

The views in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CASEL.

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