Teaching Tools to Support Social Emotional Learning by Developmental Age

Strategies & Tools for Social, Emotional & Organizational Learning

For over 25 years Social Thinking has been a guiding resource for schools, clinics, and families around the world, and we’re here for you, too! Our Free Stuff Portal is filled to the brim with teaching ideas and resources to foster the development of students' social competencies. Discover free support strategies to use with your students, clients and children. We stand committed to providing quality, practical information that is rooted in research, built upon real-world experiences, and is responsive to the needs of the people who use our methodology. We are constantly learning and gaining inspiration from our clients and others we meet, so our work is ever-evolving yet remains grounded in its adherence to rigorous standards of quality.

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Throughout our 25+ years of research, practice, and teaching, we’ve found that when children as young as four years old learn the mechanics of why and how we use our social minds to foster social and emotional awareness and self-monitoring—it helps them develop deeper insights and foundational social competencies that follow them throughout their lives. Help children build foundational social competencies and essential life skills through stories, lessons, and play activities. Social Thinking's Free Stuff for early learners is designed to be used with both typically developing children and those with social learning differences.

Explore Early Learners

Explore Early Learners

Social expectations grow as children go through elementary school—they are expected to become stronger social observers, problem solvers, and know how to regulate their own emotions and behaviors. Engaging in a social emotional thinking/feeling based process can be difficult at times for everyone. Our role as interventionists (teachers, speech language pathologists, therapists, clinicians, parents) is to help motivate social emotional learners to "do the work" and explore how we all share social expectations, thoughts, feelings, make mistakes and try again as we learn to navigate our way toward our social goals. Social Thinking's Free Stuff for school age students is designed to be used with both typically developing children and those with social learning differences.

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Somedays Activity

How to Foster Students’ Flexible Thinking & Advocacy Skills Using Future Thinking

Simply ask kids to think about and respond to this prompt: Someday in school, I would like to ___. Students can respond by writing their response, answering the question aloud, or drawing a picture. Each someday goal will likely require flexible thinking, goal setting, interactions with others & opportunities for all students to practice using their voice of advocacy in meaningful ways. Download this free Someday Activity infographic.

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Explore School Age

The Social Thinking Methodology first developed from our work with high schoolers. It’s now the premier, go-to source for understanding the social world through an evidence-based lens, which encourages the ongoing development of teaching concepts, strategies, and tools for working with and supporting tweens and teens as they learn about themselves and others, as well as how to navigate meeting their own goals in the ever-changing landscapes within the social world. Social Thinking's Free Stuff for tweens and teens is designed to be used with both typically developing children and those with social learning differences.

Explore Tweens & Teens

Explore Tweens & Teens

Throughout our 25+ years of research, practice, and teaching, we’ve focused on the needs of young and mature adults and have found that when these social learners are presented with relevant and explicit concepts, tools, and practical strategies to make sense of evolving expectations within the social world, they can continue to learn to improve their social emotional problem solving. They’re able to gradually gain social competencies that help them, step by step, achieve their own social goals as they learn to navigate the complexities of the adult social emotional world.

Explore Young & Mature Adults

Explore Young & Mature Adults

Strategies to Build Social Competencies

The Social Thinking Methodology provides evidence-based strategies to help people ages four through adult develop their social competencies, flexible thinking & social problem solving to meet their own social goals and improve:

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What People Are Saying About Social Thinking

Parents & Families

Testimonial Thank you doesn’t seem enough for all that your teachings have done for me and my family! They have been a lifeline for me to re-connect with my 9-year-old. Everything you publish is 100% applicable. Keep up the amazing work!

Parent of 9 year old

Elementary School

Testimonial Social Thinking has completely changed the environment of who we are as a whole. Thank you for providing us with such rich social and emotional resources. The impact that your resources make are life changing and early intervention is key. Your curriculum is truly amazing! I bought into Social Thinking about 9 years ago and will use this as long as I am in education.

Natalie, Resource Teacher

Schools

Testimonial I appreciate how the Social Thinking Methodology links social intent/thinking and the common core or school based standards. This connection, and the understanding that exists, is so crucial to every member of a student's school community.

Peggy, 3rd Grade Teacher

Mental Health & Clinicians

Testimonial The Social Thinking Methodology is the philosophy that I ascribe to professionally. It serves as my guide through assessment and intervention.

Greg, School Psychologist

Speech Language Pathologists

Testimonial I love how realistic the approach is, and doable! Based on real clinical experience adaptable to individual needs/strengths. Great that all the vocabulary is simple, easy to understand, and not full of professional shop talk.

Amy, SLP

Parents & Families

Testimonial Social Thinking’s program has given me the much needed tools to communicate in a meaningful way with my 9-year-old son. Thank you. The stress level in our house has decreased along with the meltdowns. He is able to come out of the meltdowns much more readily.

Tammy, Mom of 9 year-old boy

Adult Clients

Testimonial I am a professional, high-functioning 37 year old woman diagnosed as being on the spectrum two years ago. The Social Thinking Methodology is by far the most helpful resource I have encountered. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it changed my life. Your concrete examples are extremely helpful.

Autistic Adult

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Strategies & Tools for Social, Emotional & Organizational Learning

Free Stuff for Early Learners (Ages 4-7)

Thinking Thoughts and Feeling Feelings

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Free Stuff for School Age (Ages 5-10+)

Social Smarts & Science Smarts Thinksheet