Peace Games members believe that peace education has “specific and overarching applications” that encompass topics such as “conflict resolution, inner and outer peace, mindfulness, community, communication, morality, values, exploration of new topics and perspectives, and how to contribute to society.” The inclusion of peace education and brain-based learning principles in schools has multiple benefits. The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development’s A Lexicon of Learning explains brain-based teaching as “approaches to schooling that educators believe are in accord with recent research on the brain and human learning. Advocates say the human brain is constantly searching for meaning and seeking patterns and connections.” The meaning and finding connections, a part of human nature, is not always fostered in teaching practices and traditional school settings. However, they can be further explored and uncovered through social and emotional learning experiences—experiences that programs such as Peace Games can offer. Marc Brackett, director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, acknowledges that “The neural pathways in the brain that deal with stress are the same ones that are used for learning.”

Summary: Thus, fostering children’s social and emotional skills is an essential element to their success. Peace Games developed a set of learning objectives to help guide the new curriculum, with social and emotional learning as the overarching goal. Peace Games sees working in a group, communication, understanding others’ perspectives, responsibility for oneself, the ability to be reflective, and reading emotions as important components of social and emotional intelligence.