The study examined the effect of using the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Strategy on promoting the SEL competencies and foreign language (FL) critical reading skills of the primary second grade pupils in the first cycle of the basic education. The participants comprise 60 pupils enrolled in two classes at an international school. The participants were divided into two groups: control and experimental with 30 pupils assigned to each group. For the purpose of data elicitation, the study employed three instruments, namely the critical reading skills pre-and-posttests, pre-and-post-administered SEL observation checklist, and semi-structured interviews of ten FL experienced teachers. The study adopted the mixed method of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Inferential statistics was used including independent samples t-test and paired samples t-test. Qualitative analysis covers the responses to the observation checklist and semi-structured interview. Findings emphasized the necessity to incorporate the SEL strategy into the FL curriculum of basic education second grade