Aprendizagem de competências sociais e emocionais em crianças do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico

The present study intends to assess the effectiveness of the KidsTalentum outdoor training program for the social and emotional learning of elementary school children. In this outdoor program, children are removed from their comfort zone and encouraged to face various challenges. A quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test was adopted, with two classes of each year of elementary school, distributed in a control group (n = 78) and in an experimental group (n = 78 ). In order to evaluate the social and emotional competences, both performance and self and heteroperception instruments were used. The effect of the program was evaluated through the analysis of the change of scores. Students who participated in the KidsTalentum program showed improved decision-making and self-knowledge skills. The results point to the methodology of outdoor training as a tool to facilitate the learning of social and emotional skills.