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Kikori January Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Calendar

New Year, New Goals, New Beginnings: Sky’s the Limit

As the new year unfolds, January offers a wonderful opportunity for students to reset, reflect, and grow. This January, we’re empowering students to turn their aspirations into achievements with a focus on goal setting, self-reflection, and resilience. It’s a time to dream big, start fresh, and embrace the journey ahead.


Through meaningful conversations and personal goal-setting activities, students will uncover their strengths and build the confidence to make this year their best yet. Throughout the month, students will explore critical social-emotional learning (SEL) themes: self-awareness, goal-setting, empathy, and social engagement. Each week is carefully designed to build skills that empower students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.


Let’s inspire them to reach for the stars—because the sky is truly the limit!


Experiential SEL Calendar Overview

Week 1: Self-Awareness | Identifying Emotions

The first week of January focuses on helping students identify and understand their emotions. This foundational skill builds emotional intelligence, enabling students to better manage their feelings and interactions.

Learning Intentions:

  • PK-K: "I can say how a character feels in a story and tell about a time I felt that way too."

  • 1st-2nd Grade: "I can describe how different situations make me feel."

  • 3rd-5th Grade: "I can record my emotions throughout the day (am, before lunch/after recess, pm)."

  • Middle School: "I can describe emotions associated with personal experiences."


Week 2: Self-Management | Goal-Setting

The second week introduces students to the importance of goal-setting, emphasizing planning, discipline, and perseverance to achieve their objectives.

Learning Intentions:

  • PK-K: "I can say the importance of goals and set an academic goal for myself."

  • 1st-2nd Grade: "I can identify a skill/behavior I want to change and describe ways to change."

  • 3rd-5th Grade: "I can set a school goal and list the steps I need to take to reach it by a certain time."

  • Middle School: "I can set an academic goal and create steps to reach it by specific deadlines."


Week 3: Social Awareness | Empathy

In week three, students focus on empathy—recognizing and understanding the feelings of others to build stronger, more inclusive relationships.

Learning Intentions:

  • PK-K: "I can explain how being kind to others (sharing, encouraging) makes them feel."

  • 1st-2nd Grade: "I can work together with my class to create a ‘policy’ on teasing."

  • 3rd-5th Grade: "I can list strategies to support students who are left out or teased."

  • Middle School: "I can explain how resolving a conflict can help me learn or grow."


Week 4: Building Relationships | Social Engagement

The final week emphasizes the value of community and teamwork. Students will explore how they can contribute to their classroom, school, and local communities.

Learning Intentions:

  • PK-K: "I can list ways that my classmates and I can help the classroom ‘run smoothly.’"

  • 1st-2nd Grade: "I can identify a way I can help make my community better."

  • 3rd-5th Grade: "I can analyze my rights and responsibilities as a member of our school community."

  • Middle School: "I can work with my classmates to create a plan that helps solve a community need."


By the end of January, students will have gained valuable skills in self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social engagement. They will be better equipped to set meaningful goals, build empathy, and foster positive relationships in their classrooms and beyond. These lessons will not only enrich their academic journey but also help them grow as compassionate and proactive members of their communities.


Let’s inspire our students to embrace the new year with enthusiasm, determination, and a commitment to growth!❄️✨


What resources does Kikori provide you?

Our SEL Calendar provides you with daily experiential social emotional learning (eSEL) activities accessed via the Kikori platform that you can lead with your students.  


Here’s what that our eSEL Calendar provide you with EVERY DAY:

  • Start your day with a Morning Message or Advisory Announcement

  • Practice those ever-important social skills with Greeting Activity

  • Encourage connection with a Sharing or Acknowledging Activity

  • Facilitate an interactive National Day Activity (i.e. Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day, National Ice Cream Day, World Kindness Day, etc.)

  • BONUS: Looking to help your students build critical social emotional skills? Each of Kikori's activities are aligned to  CASEL's Social Emotional Learning standards, 21st Century Skills and Sustainable Development Skills!


Ready to get started? Download January Social Emotional Learning Calendar Week 1 For FREE Below

Elementary SEL Calendar

Discover daily activities aligned with CASEL SEL Standards to help your students practice kindness and giving.
January Social Emotional Learning Calendar
Discover full Morning Meeting activities at your fingertips build their skills in kindness and giving.
Kikori January Elementary SEL Calendar Week 1


 

Middle & High School Advisory Social Emotional Learning Calendar

Discover activities to support Middle School and High School Students Advisory.
January Social Emotional Learning Calendar for Advisory


Discover activities to support adolescents in practicing kindness and giving.
January Advisory SEL Calendar Week 1



PLUS, check out the great resources that bring the Kikori eSEL Calendar to life!

Daily Morning Meeting Leson Plans | Facilitator Slides | Printable Resources | Guided Student Reflections
Kikori SEL Calendar Offerings for Educators & Schools
 

📚 How to Create SMART Goals with your Students

Creating SMART goals is a great way to make sure you are setting clear and achievable goals. Here’s how you can create a SMART goal:

  1. S – Specific 🎯

    • Make your goal clear and focused.

    • Ask yourself: What exactly do I want to achieve?

    • Example: "I want to improve my reading skills."

  2. M – Measurable 📏

    • Make sure you can track your progress.

    • Ask yourself: How will I know when I’ve achieved my goal?

    • Example: "I want to read 5 books this month."

  3. A – Achievable ✔️

    • Set a goal that is possible to reach.

    • Ask yourself: Is this goal realistic? Do I have the time and resources to reach it?

    • Example: "I can read for 20 minutes every day."

  4. R – Relevant 💡

    • Make sure your goal is important to you.

    • Ask yourself: Why is this goal meaningful to me?

    • Example: "Improving my reading will help me do better in school."

  5. T – Time-bound ⏳

    • Set a deadline for your goal.

    • Ask yourself: When do I want to achieve this goal by?

    • Example: "I will finish 5 books by the end of this month."


SMART Goal Example: 📝

"I will read 5 books by the end of this month, reading 20 minutes every day, to improve my reading skills and do better in school."


Now it’s your turn! Think about a goal you want to achieve and make it SMART! 🌟


Kikori's Goal: Empowering Every Student to Grow and Achieve Through Goal Setting!

At Kikori, we believe that personal growth begins with setting meaningful goals and working together to achieve them. How does Kikori help you foster a classroom environment where students feel empowered to set and achieve their own goals while supporting one another?


Through our SEL Calendar, we provide daily Morning Meetings and Advisory lessons that guide students in reflecting on their aspirations, setting clear goals, and celebrating their progress. These activities help build a culture of growth, resilience, and shared success, ensuring every student feels confident and connected:


  • Monday: Popcorn Sharing

  • Tuesday: Partner Sharing

  • Wednesday: Round Robin Sharing

  • Thursday: Journal Writing

  • Friday: Small Groups


These varied sharing activities give students opportunities to express gratitude, appreciate one another, and offer support in different formats. Each interaction strengthens bonds, fostering an environment where kindness becomes second nature. As students share and receive positive reinforcement, they begin to naturally offer support to others, cultivating a sense of giving and empathy.


We also incorporate Think-Pair-Shares into many activities, encouraging students to connect with one another before sharing with the larger group. This reflective practice not only builds confidence but also deepens students' empathy, helping them understand and respond to others with compassion. Through these daily routines, students learn that small acts of kindness—whether through words, listening, or support—have a powerful impact on their classroom community.


The power of this approach is clear—check out Lower Yukon School District Case Study and their students' growth in caring behaviors (as well as remarkable growth in student attendance, engagement and confidence) in just four weeks using Kikori's experiential SEL Curriculum!


Would you like January's full SEL calendar?


Are you an individual educator? Sign up for Kikori Premium!

For the price of one Teacher's Pay Teacher's printable, gain access to an entire month of curated, research-backed activities! Premium memberships include access to daily Morning Meeting slides (now for K-2 AND grades 3-5!), downloadable activity printables and access to a library of playlists designed to support student outcomes aligned with SEL Standards and 21st Century Skills!


Are you and other educators in your school using Kikori? Sign up for the Kikori School-wide Solution!

Kikori's School-wide Solution provides all educators in your school with access to Kikori's platform including extra school-wide bonuses like Morning Meeting customizable slides, school-wide sharing and communication, staff training on trauma-informed eSEL best practices on community-building and so much more!


Would you like to learn more about the research-backed practices built into Kikori's eSEL Calendar?


How does Kikori ensure these activities build social emotional skills like self-awareness and relationship skills?


Each activity provides you with instructions that follow Kolb's Experiential Learning Cycle. This means the activities help youth actively engage and then provides reflection questions related to the activity.


These questions help youth reflect and build self- and social-awareness (what happened during the activity?), make meaningful connections to their own lives (how did what happened during the activity connect to other experiences?), and engage in personal growth (what are they going to take from this activity into their lives?)


Daily National Day 10-min Prop-free Activities

At Kikori, we think it's important to educate our students on important days of the year and learn what they stand for. To make team building in the classroom or at youth development programs MEANINGFUL and RELEVANT, we've included a special National Holiday for every day and a corresponding team building activity. The National Days are specially curated for a mix of important moments in history; STEM learning related to math and science; days related to well-being; and some days Just for FUNN!


Kikori's Day-of-the-week Activities

In the platform you'll also find activities focused on the following daily Kikori themes:


Mindful Monday activities include meditations, visualizations and mindfulness

Together Tuesday activities involve team building and initiatives that build trust

Wellness Wednesday activities focus on ways to build physical and emotional health

Thoughtful Thursday activities use problem solving and reflection to help grow inward

Fun Friday activities are energizing activities that reinforce the importance of joy


How to Use Your Monthly eSEL Calendar:


How easy is it? Just click the activity!

All of the Planners are CLICKABLE to take you straight into the national days and Kikori activities in the Kikori platform! The Elementary and Advisory calendars share a monthly theme, and activities within the two clickable calendars are specially catered to that age range. If you want to specify for your student grade further, click on the correct grade level variation within the activity! We also encourage you to explore “Variations” offered within individual Kikori activities.


How to Kikori:


What is your favorite activity to play in January with your students? Let us know in the comments below!

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