“It’s never that our young people lack greatness; it’s that society isn’t creating the conditions for all youth to tap into their power.” - Byron Sanders, Big Thought
A child’s first reactions to the world are emotional. They approach shapes, sounds, and colors with wonder, openly expressing the urgency of their emotions. But because emotions can be both positive and negative, the ability to regulate them becomes more important with age.
Children can only build healthy relationships with their friends, family, and fellow students by possessing emotional awareness. It’s through this and having empathy for others that balance can be achieved. Fortunately, a social-emotional learning curriculum (SEL) is important in realizing this ability.
In a post-pandemic world, the necessity for this kind of learning has only become more important. In data from the National Survey of Children’s Health in 2020, it was determined that 12% of children aged 3-17 had experienced anxiety or depression, a 9% increase from 2016.
Where anxiety and mental health issues arise, Bloomster offers SEL solutions that focus on the social, emotional, intellectual, mindfulness, and physical pillars of holistic growth that can help children adapt.
Here are the benefits to our online holistic education platform, which also build the keys to lifelong evolution and success.
Focusing on social-emotional learning for kids can help them build the resilience needed to take on new challenges. After all, challenges offer an opportunity for growth!
Through a personalized holistic learning journey, Bloomster prioritizes a child’s self-awareness and helps them monitor negative self-talk. Whether a child is learning a new software program or how to ride a bike, they’ll be empowered to try and try again until they prevail.
Academic performance is a commonly used barometer to define a child’s success. While grades will always remain a priority, emphasizing social-emotional learning can actually improve them because children develop confidence in their ability to manage other facets of life. They can embrace problem-solving techniques and teamwork while staying motivated against adversity. Bloomster’s holistic education promotes critical thinking so they can engage with curriculum while rising to its challenges.
A 2011 landmark analysis of 213 studies involving 270,000 students found that SEL interventions that address the five core competencies increased students’ academic performance by 11 percentile points.
The world’s collective mental health has suffered greatly since 2020.Unfortunately, children have suffered the most, as they are even more vulnerable and sensitive to what we’ve been through. From the minimized social interactions homeschooling created and the lack of day-to-day conversation to the fact that children are most vulnerable and sensitive to disruption, our younger population has suffered the most. However, SEL activities can bridge the gap, because children who practice these understand their feelings, making them better equipped to ask for help when struggling.
An emphasis on holistic learning also cultivates healthy outlets for self-expression. Whether through art, music, or a favorite sport, children will have the means to let out their frustrations.
Between the ages of 11 and 15, children tend to become more introspective, requiring privacy to sustain their sense of self. However, they also begin to value others’ opinions more. SEL can provide the tools children need to deal with the emotions that arise from both of these effectively. Whether they feel anger, sadness, or happiness, children, specifically preteens and adolescents, need to balance emotional awareness with logic in a given situation.
Through Bloomster’s online holistic journey, children can respect themselves while respecting others. They can build and maintain healthy relationships with their friends and fellow students by minimizing interpersonal conflict.
A survey by the United Way of the National Capital Area in Washington, D.C. determined that empathy ratings across the United States decreased by 14% between 2019 and 2022. That’s staggering when we think about how critical empathy is to good relationships. To be a valuable family, team or community member, we need to understand where others feelings. By prioritizing the social, emotional, intellectual, mindfulness, and physical pillars through SEL, Bloomster can help students understand others’ feelings. Only through engaging with a different perspective can a child offer genuine support and kindness.
The challenges of a post-pandemic world have been immense for nearly everyone. And for children trying to succeed academically while grappling with emotions, life requires even more mettle.
A child who engages with social-emotional learning can adapt to adverse times. Bloomer’s transformational journey offers children the opportunity to build the foundation they need to continually evolve.
Are you ready to begin an SEL journey that will empower your child to succeed? Sign up for our 30-day free trial today!