In today's ever-evolving early childhood education landscape, merging academic goals with social-emotional learning (SEL) is critical. Educators are increasingly focused on creating balanced classrooms that nurture cognitive and social-emotional development. Frog Street’s curriculum integrates strategies from Conscious Discipline® to help children build essential life skills such as self-regulation, empathy, and conflict resolution. This integration enhances social-emotional growth and promotes academic success, ensuring children thrive in environments that support their overall development.
When integrating new curricula, it’s essential to understand the role that SEL plays in academic success. Social-emotional regulation directly impacts a child’s ability to focus, engage, and succeed in the classroom. Embedding SEL into everyday lessons can create an emotionally secure environment where students feel safe to explore and participate in learning.
Integrating SEL with curriculum implementation ensures:
Rather than treating SEL as an additional component, it should be integrated into the fabric of everyday classroom instruction, shaping how children approach learning and interactions with others.
Conscious Discipline® is a highly effective SEL framework embedded within Frog Street’s curriculum. It helps teachers model and practice key strategies that promote social-emotional growth and academic success.
Using calming techniques and structured routines, educators are better equipped to create safe, nurturing environments that support social-emotional and cognitive development.
Frog Street’s curriculum leverages Conscious Discipline®, a research-based SEL framework designed to equip educators with practical tools for managing both classroom behaviors and social-emotional development.
Here’s how integrating Conscious Discipline® facilitates SEL within curriculum implementation:
Balanced Growth: By weaving social-emotional skills into academic lessons, educators ensure that children are developing cognitive skills while also learning essential life skills like problem-solving, empathy, and cooperation.
Once you incorporate your curriculum with Conscious Discipline®, it helps children develop key social-emotional skills. Here are some ways these strategies are used in the classroom:
One of the key aspects of Conscious Discipline® is the use of calming techniques.
Teachers can model and practice these strategies during transitions or morning meetings, helping children regulate their emotions throughout the day.
Integrating these moments of social-emotional check-ins into the curriculum supports SEL and ensures a smoother transition into academic tasks.
Children thrive on predictability.
Regular, scheduled moments for SEL activities—such as breathing exercises or group discussions—build consistency, making it easier for children to manage both their academic and social-emotional worlds.
SEL should be part of the academic goals themselves. For instance, during literacy lessons, teachers can incorporate discussions about characters’ emotions, helping children understand social-emotional concepts while also improving language skills.
Similarly, math or science lessons can involve teamwork and cooperation, reinforcing both cognitive and emotional skills.
A core component of Conscious Discipline® is the "Safe Place" within the classroom.
This space—whether it’s a cozy chair or a special corner—provides children with a physical and social-emotional space to calm down, reflect, and regain control of their emotions.
Incorporating this into the curriculum ensures that social-emotional regulation is taught and practiced daily.
Frog Street is committed to helping educators seamlessly integrate SEL with curriculum implementation. Our approach focuses on offering the tools, strategies, and professional support needed to create classrooms where social-emotional and academic learning thrive together.
Here’s how we do it:
Many educators have successfully integrated Conscious Discipline® strategies with curriculum implementation, yielding transformative results.
One educator, Janie M. Partridge, Co-Owner and Director of Curriculum and Operations for Miss Marty's Preschool, shares her experience:
“We are enjoying the Frog Street curriculum and all it has to offer our teachers and children! The materials are well thought out, and our teachers find it easy to implement into their everyday routines.”
This testimonial underscores the benefits of Frog Street’s curriculum combined with Conscious Discipline® strategies, helping teachers create structured environments where children can excel emotionally and academically.
Integrating SEL with curriculum implementation is a powerful strategy that equips children with the social-emotional resilience and skills they need to thrive in school and life.
By using Conscious Discipline® as a foundation, educators can create structured, supportive classrooms where children learn to manage their emotions while achieving academic success.
Frog Street supports you on this journey, offering the resources and professional development needed to make SEL integration a seamless and effective part of your curriculum.
Download our Conscious Discipline® & Curriculum Implementation Guide today and begin creating a classroom where children thrive emotionally and academically.