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The SEL Lesson Planning Guide: Aligning Challenging Behaviors, SEL Skills, and Teaching Strategies in Early Childhood
Journal article   Peer reviewed

The SEL Lesson Planning Guide: Aligning Challenging Behaviors, SEL Skills, and Teaching Strategies in Early Childhood

Michael J. Haslip, Neisha Terry and Stephanie Smith Budhai
Early childhood education journal, Forthcoming
29 Mar 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-026-02168-x

Abstract

Social Emotional Learning Lesson Planning Challenging Behaviors Individualized Instruction Differentiation Teaching Strategies
Early childhood educators need scaffolded support to link SEL competencies with teaching strategies that address specific behavioral challenges. Furthermore, few studies have examined how teachers individualize SEL instruction for typically developing children or learn to backward plan from behavior to SEL skills and strategies. This qualitative study explored how 20 experienced early childhood educators in Pennsylvania, United States, developed individualized SEL lesson plans during an applied professional development course. Document analysis, coding, and pattern identification of 61 teacher-created and implemented SEL lesson plans revealed clear patterns linking challenging behaviors with the SEL skills and teaching strategies teachers used to address them, illustrating how teachers intentionally aligned these elements within individualized lesson plans. The study culminated in the development of the SEL Lesson Planning Guide, a practical framework that matches five types of challenging behaviors with corresponding SEL skills and related teaching strategies for instruction, providing educators with an actionable resource for individualized lesson planning.

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