With the push to promote SEL in schools, countless educators have spent time researching and implementing new classroom tools. Whether they're technology-based or not, these resources have been invaluable for many educators and students as they navigate post-pandemic learning. Among those classroom SEL resources is the Mightier SEL platform. With the Mightier video games and their effective content, students can learn to regulate their emotions and why it's important. In this Rising Resources post, we'll explore this purposeful approach to reducing behavioral problems and why Mightier is valuable.
In terms of creating the Mightier platform, certified clinicians from Boston Children's Hospital and the Harvard Medical School collaborated. Mightier is ideal for students who are between six and 12 years old and it helps them learn to identify why certain behaviors are harmful, how to avoid them, and how to manage their feelings. Children can use Mightier in or out of the classroom and they typically show improvements within the first three months. Plus, since it's largely game-based, Mightier appeals to students and helps them improve various emotional and reactive behaviors.
Why emotional regulation is important for kids.
Children with different backgrounds and existing emotional stressors can face a lot of different struggles in learning. There's nothing to be ashamed about if this is the case but, at the same time, we know that dysregulation can impede a child's ability to learn effectively. With Mightier, classroom teachers, resource specialists, or parents can help kids understand why they might be reacting in certain ways. Then, they can help steer them towards more effective alternatives for expressing their feelings. Whether kids are struggling with tantrums, anger, aggression, irritability, frustration, anxiety, or even ADHD or Autism, Mightier helps them refocus and progress in their development.
Oftentimes, students can recognize when they're behaving poorly but can't control their reactions. For other kids, they might not even realize that their actions are negatively impacting themselves and others. Emotional regulation is a very important element of a child's overall social-emotional health and, understandably, when they're this young, they might not have any clue about how to regulate these feelings. With the Mightier SEL platform, they can build better emotional habits and, over time, develop simplistic and effective regulation strategies. All they have to do is work with an educator or other licensed professional and access the Mightier app on an iOS, Android, or Amazon device. Check out the full list of Mightier device compatibility for more on the app.
Getting started with the Mightier SEL games.
Once they've signed up for a Mightier membership, students can access the games. The Mightier team designed these games with intent and to help children practice cooling down, calming down, and taking pauses. While the games are digital, the other piece of the Mightier SEL system is the heart rate monitor, which kids can wear around their wrist like a bracelet. Not only does it track their emotions, it displays them so kids can understand when they're getting too worked up or celebrate when they're in the proper range. Basically, as their heart rate goes up, the game becomes more difficult. This requires students to bring their heart rate down by pausing and, when they do so successfully, they earn rewards.
The games include various affirmations for kids as well and, over time, as they continue to play and work through the challenges, the cool down strategies start to become second nature for students. This continuous practice helps them become more capable of recognizing their emotions and working to eliminate potential outbursts. The Mightier team recommends students use the app just three times per week for 15-20 minutes at a time—that's often all they need to start seeing real improvements. Through these activities, kids learn how to pause and take a breath before reacting negatively—a simple but powerful benefit of this unique, interactive version of digital therapy for children.
The Mightier SEL app and features.
As you may assume, you can use the Mightier app and games in the classroom, at home, or anywhere else. There are three different membership options and as many as six people can use one account. There's a monthly plan, a 6-month plan, and an annual plan with different costs and features. Each of the Mightier SEL memberships includes access to the Mightier app, a tablet, and the Heart Rate Monitor Kit. With the Mightier app, students can practice everything from positive self talk to exploring creative anger management activities. Its effective structure helps ensure they're engaging with the games and working on their development in real time.
Within the Mightier app, educators or parents can set goals for children, create a gameplay routine, and track their progress. There's plenty of tips, guidance, and insights for users as well. Support from clinical experts is also available within the app seven days a week. The truly interactive nature of Mightier is valuable, especially as children see their heart rate fluctuate while they're playing games. Once they make the connection between having a steady heart rate and avoiding outbursts, they also tend to be more proactive about maintaining this emotional balance. Plus, when they encounter more challenging elements within the Mightier SEL games, on-screen prompts help them through with deep breathing exercises and the chance to practice coping skills.
Using games to help kids with regulation.
In terms of the games, they're very much like traditional video games and designed to be fun for students. They include racing games, problem-solving games, pattern recognition games, and more. There's a large variety in the game library, including short but engaging sessions to help students learn emotional regulation strategies. Plus, each game includes specific elements and opportunities for them to work on important regulation skills. The Mightier activities help children improve in many SEL-related areas, including with fun ADHD activities for kids and by highlighting beneficial anger management strategies. For these reasons (and many more), Mightier is an increasingly popular tool among school counselors, behavior specialists, and interventionists.
If you think Mightier SEL could fit into your school or program, we'd definitely recommend checking out their website and offerings in detail. After you've done that, feel free to browse our content on social-emotional learning and how STEM and SEL tie together. If you have any questions about SEL in the classroom, feel free to reach out to our team. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more.