The Social Institute shares new screen-free offline lessons for K-2 focused on foundational skills

The Social Institute (TSI), a gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, has launched offline lessons for children in Kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2. 

Available for the 2025-2026 school year, the screen-free lessons are designed to support foundational skills such as treating others with kindness, making good choices and handling situations in respectful ways. 

Educators do not require any training to access the lessons as they are ready to use once printed.

The K-2 lessons focus on empathy, emotional regulation, and decision-making using hands-on, engaging activities that require no technology or screen time. TSI says they are designed specifically for younger children with a focus on active, play-based learning and cover topics such as balancing time spent on YouTube with time playing outside with friends.

The activities are designed to build a foundation for future academic success and help children practice skills such as empathy and emotional regulation before they start to scroll, click and play. They also lay the groundwork for TSI’s #WinAtSocial curriculum, which is currently used in schools at grades 3-12 across the world.

“As the conversation grows around how technology should be used in schools, having a curriculum that helps educators teach the skills that students will need to navigate this topic is essential,” explains Dr. Jessica Anderson, a licensed school and clinical psychologist.

"K-2 is such a formative time when students are like sponges, absorbing everything around them," adds Laura Tierney, Founder and CEO at The Social Institute. "By starting with these foundational skills early, we're setting students up for success as they grow and eventually encounter the online world. These offline lessons create the perfect launching pad for our peer-to-peer #WinAtSocial Lessons in later grades that are designed to grow up with students."

The lessons were developed alongside TSI’s educator advisory board, internal elementary experts and K-2 families. 

TSI has also launched reimagined lessons for grades 9-12 to help prepare high school students for their futures. The news lessons cover topics such as using AI to manage stress and stay organized.

“We see first-hand that students are most engaged when they have a say in their learning, so we’re amplifying student agency by empowering them to take ownership of how they learn with 'Choose Your Next Huddle,'” adds Tierney. “During #WinAtSocial Huddles, students spend the majority of each lesson collaborating and problem-solving, not staring at a screen. That means more connection and deeper learning.”