Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Nutrition Education
SEL supports children’s growth, development and success academically, emotionally, socially and financially through school and into adulthood.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) + Nutrition Education
As school communities incorporate Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) into curricula and teaching practices, nutrition education can provide opportunities for students to develop fundamental SEL skills. Activities related to food naturally bring students together to build relationships, self-awareness, and other social-emotional skills, while also relating food and nutrition to their own health, culture and personal experiences. Read more on the ways to connect nutrition and SEL.
Nutrition Education + SEL = Whole Child, Whole Health
Nutrition lessons and activities offer engaging and relatable topics for daily practice of the five SEL competencies from the CASEL framework.
Self-Awareness: Food tasting and garden activities offer opportunities for hands-on exploration of foods and allows children to experience and describe foods with all senses while building self-awareness and relationship skills.
Self-management: Educating students to pause before eating and to slow down while eating helps students develop the skills needed to manage impulse choices, set goals and practice self-Management skills.
Social Awareness: Teaching students about where food comes from and introducing them to the parts of a whole remarkable food system builds social awareness and appreciation for the work it takes to bring food to our plate.
Relationship Skills: Providing students with nutrition activities to complete at home and encouraging them to participate in grocery shopping and preparing meals builds nutrition knowledge, creates connection with family members and helps strengthen relationship skills.
Responsible Decision-Making: Nutrition lessons empowers children to make healthy food choices, enabling them to be daily decision-makers for their own health and well-being.
Resources for Educators
Nutrition lessons and activities empower children to make healthy choices and can provide opportunities to reinforce SEL learning.
After exploring resources on this page, consider sending educational resources to families to help encourage healthy eating practices that support SEL skill building at home.
Schools can support healthy school nutrition policies that include practices that support a positive social and emotional school climate and SEL core competencies.
Our team of local Community Nutrition Advisers are nutrition experts and can provide presentations and training on a variety of nutrition topics. Reach out to local advisers to discuss your support needs.
Register a new account on HealthyEating.org to order nutrition resources, get the latest nutrition science or support healthy eating in your community.
Create account
Please enter your name.
Please enter your name.
Please enter your email.
Please enter a valid email address.
Please make a selection.
Please make a selection.
Please make a selection.
Please make a selection.
Please make a selection.
Please make a selection.
Please enter your title.
Please enter your company name.
Please enter a password.
Password is invalid. Passwords must be at least 8 characters.
Please enter a password.
Confirm password is invalid. Passwords must be at least 8 characters.
