Table 3.

Description of teacher training sessions, workshops’ objectives, skills, and toolkit items.

Workshop 1 Orientation session	Objectives: (1) Enhancing teachers’ knowledge and awareness of SEL and its importance in the ECE system; (2) Introducing the theoretical and pedagogical concepts of the Roundies SEL curriculum, (3) Setting teaching goals for implementing the curriculum. Specific teacher strategies/behaviors: Day-to-day habits to foster a positive teacher-child interaction and build a positive learning environment (e.g., praising each child’s efforts and achievements verbally and nonverbally, greeting each child positively, comforting a distressed child, and praising a child in front of others); Play and playfulness to promote children’s social and emotional skills and decrease their behavior problems. Toolkit items: Emotional cards, Play, Strength cards, Roundies Storybooks, Posters, Wind Map of Emotions, Roadmap of the Program, Coloring exercises, Songs, Roundies breathing exercise cards.
Workshop 2 Self-awareness	Objectives: Enhancing teachers’ knowledge of (1) The development of self-awareness in early childhood; (2) Individual differences and how to use this knowledge to improve teacher-child interactions; (3) Separation anxiety symptoms and how to deal with it; (4) Own self-awareness and acknowledgment of how their own emotions can have an impact on their well-being and children’s SEL. Specific teacher strategies/behaviors: Positive reinforcement and praise to encourage good behaviors; Nonverbal communication (e.g., facial expressions) to help children recognize and understand their own emotions; Group discussions with other teachers to discuss children’s behaviors and temperamental differences; Particular morning routine to help children deal with separation anxiety Toolkit items: Emotional cards, Strength cards, The Roundies storybook, i.e., “Three Cheers for Giraffe”.
Workshop 3 Self-regulation I	Objectives: (1) Enhancing teachers’ knowledge on the development of self-regulation in early childhood; (2) Instructing teachers on how to deal with children’s restlessness and hyperactivity; (3) Increasing teachers’ awareness of the importance of setting daily routines; (4) Participating in a teachers’ discussion group to reflect on the last theme’s goals and setting new goals for the next session. Specific teacher strategies/behaviors: Providing a calm, nurturing, and predictable social and emotional environment in the classroom; Providing children with short, fun, and explicit SEL activities to enhance their concentration and encourage them to calm down; Stating the expectation clearly and providing positive reinforcement; Allocating a particular space in the classroom for performing some routine calming down activities. Toolkit items: Emotional cards and structured discussions, Flamingo’s nest poster, Coloring exercises, The Roundies storybook, i.e., “Bouncy Bananas Goes Bananas”.
Workshop 4 Self-regulation II	Objectives: (1) Deepen teachers’ knowledge of self-regulation in early childhood; (2) Increasing teachers’ knowledge and awareness of children’s aggression behaviors and using the knowledge to improve teacher-child interactions; (3) Familiarizing teachers with some calm-down activities; (4) Enhancing teachers’ own self-regulation skills; (5) Participating in a teachers’ discussion group to reflect on the last theme’s goals and achievements and setting new goals for the next session. Specific teacher strategies/behaviors: Identifying and reducing stressors that trigger outbursts in children; Using active listening to detect the early signs of aggressive behavior; Opening a dialogue with the child about their stress; Teaching children to recognize and manage the feelings and actions that lead to unsafe and aggressive behavior; Using positive verbal feedback; Providing examples of how to say “sorry” and how to handle challenging situations; Using positive reinforcement to draw the child’s attention to good behavior; Teaching children a few quick calming exercises. Toolkit items: A checklist for identifying sources of aggression in the classroom, Visual map of the intensity of feelings, Roundies breathing exercise cards, The Roundies storybook, i.e., “Cranky Crabbies’ Hissy Fit”, Play, Emotional cards, Structured discussions.
Workshop 5 Responsible decision making	Objectives: (1) Increase teachers’ knowledge of responsible decision making in early childhood; (2) Provide some tools for the teachers to set boundaries in positive ways; (3) Enhancing teachers’ awareness of jealousy and envy and how to handle it; (5) Educating teachers on how to foster children’s confidence and self-esteem; (6) Supporting teachers to help children become more responsible; (7) Enhance teachers’ awareness of the importance of apology; (8) Educating teachers on how to deal with confrontation/defiance in children; (9) Participating in a teachers’ discussion group to reflect on the last theme’s goals and setting new goals for the next session. Specific teacher strategies/behaviors: Treating children equally to prevent envy; Giving positive feedback based on each child’s strengths; Verbalizing the situations that create jealousy to calm the situation; Teaching children to celebrate their individuality; Engaging children when making rules; Telling children clearly what is expected of them; Giving the children time to choose to follow the rule; Using nonverbal ways to set boundaries; Showing affection for the child; Providing children with appropriate tasks; Praising the children when trying and when achieving; Creating a list of how to make up after a conflict; Try not to make it a game of power and get carried away in “yes but, no but”-conversations; Try to distract the child; Observe the child’s needs; Let the child rehearse decision making by choosing one of two alternatives. Toolkit items: Emotional cards and structured discussions, Visual Making up –list for the children to understand ways of giving an apology, The Roundies storybook, i.e., “Cocoala Wants to be The Best”.
Workshop 6 Social awareness	Objectives: (1) Enhance teachers’ knowledge of the development of social awareness in early childhood; (2) Supporting teachers in teaching children how to recognize and understand others’ perspectives and feelings, empathize with them, and offer help when needed; (3) Supporting teachers’ understanding of shyness in early childhood; (3) Supporting teachers to foster resilience in ECE settings; (4) Participating in a teachers’ discussion group to reflect on the last theme’s goals and setting new goals for the next session. Specific teacher strategies/behaviors: Modeling how to show compassion and empathy towards others; Creating opportunities to practice taking another’s perspective; Encouraging children to offer kind and supportive words to a stressed child; Setting clear expectations; Encouraging children to think and talk about how the other person might be feeling in a particular situation; Practice active listening to each other’s perspectives; Supporting children’s resilience; Motivating children to engage in SEL by engaging them in activities that they are naturally interested in; Teaching children when to try their best and when to give up; Supporting shy children; Acknowledging other positive attributes of children instead of referring them as being shy. Toolkit items: Emotional cards and structured discussions, Play; Writing individual “praise posts”; The Roundies storybook, i.e., “Feisty Foxy Doesn’t Give Up”.
Workshop 7 Relationship skills	Objectives: (1) Enhancing teachers’ knowledge of the development of relationship skills in early childhood; (2) Supporting teachers in how to improve children’s social skills and peer relationships; (3) Increase the awareness and understanding of bullying; (4) Enhancing teacher’s knowledge of how to develop children’s problem-solving skills; (5) Participating in a teachers’ discussion group to reflect on the last theme’s goals and setting new goals for the next session. Specific teacher strategies/behaviors: Creating a “friendship bench,” i.e., a place for children to sit when they feel lonely or in need of a friend to play with so that others could notice them and take them along; Creating opportunities to practice practical social skills and encouraging children to connect with peers; Facilitating collaborative learning in the classroom; Giving children an active role in solving conflicts; Calming the child down before solving the conflict. Toolkit items: Emotional cards and structured discussions; Play; The Roundies storybook, i.e., “KissKiss Feels Left Out”.
Workshop 8 End session	The last session for teachers included concluding all the SEL program’s theoretical concepts and evaluating its impact. The teachers were asked to discuss: (1) Whether the program’s objectives were met; (2) Whether the children’s social-emotional skills enhanced; (3) Whether children’s problem behaviors decreased; (4) Whether the teachers’ own well-being improved. The teachers’ final session also included planning some fun exercises for the last children’s session, i.e., “End celebration”.