Social-Emotional Learning Vocabulary for 1st Grade

20 terms

JamWise Education Team·Updated March 2026

In 1st grade, students in the early elementary (K-2) band encounter 20 essential social-emotional learning vocabulary terms. These words form the foundation for classroom discussions, reading comprehension, written assignments, and standardized assessments. Mastering this vocabulary gives students the language they need to express their understanding with clarity and confidence.

Below you will find every social-emotional learning term for 1st grade, organized by topic where applicable. Each term links to a detailed definition page with grade-level explanations, related vocabulary, and connections to JamWise learning resources.

Kindergarten (20)2nd Grade (19)

decision-making

Consequence

What happens because of something you did, which can be good or bad.

Problem

Something that is difficult or needs to be figured out.

Right and wrong

Knowing the difference between actions that help people and actions that hurt people.

Solution

An answer or way to fix a problem.

relationships

Communication

Sharing your thoughts and feelings with others through words, writing, or actions.

Cooperation

Working together with others to get something done that you could not do alone.

Teamwork

A group of people working together, each doing their part to reach a shared goal.

self-awareness

Calm

A peaceful feeling when your body and mind are relaxed and quiet.

Excited

A strong happy feeling you get when you are looking forward to something fun.

Frustrated

A feeling you get when something is hard and does not work the way you want it to.

Lonely

A sad feeling you get when you are by yourself and wish someone was with you.

Nervous

A worried feeling in your body when you are unsure about something, like butterflies in your stomach.

Strength

Something you are good at, a skill or quality that makes you special.

Surprised

A feeling you get when something happens that you did not expect.

self-management

Focus

Paying close attention to one thing without letting other things distract you.

Goal

Something you want to do or achieve, like learning to read or making a new friend.

Perseverance

Keeping on trying even when something is hard and you feel like giving up.

social-awareness

Empathy

Understanding how another person feels by imagining what it would be like to be them.

Feelings of others

Noticing and caring about how the people around you feel.

Respect

Treating others the way they want to be treated and valuing their feelings and ideas.

Explore more

Social-Emotional Learning subject page

All social-emotional learning resources on JamWise

Full glossary

Browse all 1,700+ vocabulary terms

1st Grade overview

All subjects for 1st grade

For teachers

How JamWise works in the classroom

Learning games

20+ interactive vocabulary games

Social-Emotional Learning songs for 1st grade

JamWise creates curriculum-aligned social-emotional learning songs that make vocabulary stick. Free for teachers.