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Strategies to Focus on SEL Through Distance Learning

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9+ strategies and ideas to focus on social emotional learning during distance learning. This post includes free ideas, printables, and even digital resources to help teachers and support staff get started. #pathway2success

In the midst of a challenging situation, it’s critical to make time and space for social emotional supports for learners. Simply put, social emotional skills are the foundation for overall well-being. Kids and teens need to feel safe, respected, loved, and valued. They need to have strong coping skills to work their emotional challenges and they need to improve cognitive flexibility to deal with the changes that are happening, so many outside of their control.

For these reasons, it’s important that social emotional skills take the front seat when it comes to distance learning. While these skills are important all of the time, it’s easy to argue that learners need them now more than ever.

Whether you are a classroom teacher, school counselor, social worker, paraeducator, or parent, this list includes specific strategies and ideas to help support all learners during this distance learning experience.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Read Stories

It’s easy to say that literature is a great way to integrate SEL into the day. Pretty much any book or short story targets a variety of social emotional skills like kindness, empathy, perspective-taking, and more. It’s important to note that picture books aren’t just for little kids. Many older kids love a good read aloud, too!

Record a video of you reading a text (making sure the author gives permission for this first) and send to your students. You could even do a live read aloud with some videochat tools, like Zoom or Screencastify.

Use this free digital and printable list with ideas for SEL read alouds.

If technology isn’t an option, you can always recommend students and families read books as use. Use this free printable that highlights picture books for every area of social emotional learning.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Virtual Morning Meeting

Morning meeting is the semi-structured time of day when students and educators greet each other, check-in, and learn some important skills before starting the day. While it’s certainly preferable to lead a morning meeting in a face-to-face way, it’s also important to note that virtual morning meetings can work, too!

One of my favorite ways is to use a video conversation app, like Flipgrid, to start the conversation on a daily SEL topic. Topics you could choose might be positive self-talk, staying organized, or showing kindness. The specific topic is really up to you. After choosing the topic, record a video of you briefly explaining the skill.

Then, ask a question you want kids to respond to. If you are focusing on kindness, you might ask them to share a kind act they’ve done in the past week. If you are highlighting strengths and abilities, you might ask kids to talk about something they are great at doing. The best part is that with a video conversation app like Flipgrid, kids get to connect with you and each other.

Another option is to schedule a weekly or daily time with your learners to meet online using the software or programs your school is encouraging. That might be Zoom or any other program, depending on your school or student needs.

If you need some extra ideas for morning meeting topics to discuss, I’ve created this set of morning meeting cards for older learners and this set of morning meeting cards for elementary students. They specifically target one SEL skill every day, making it easy to go over all the skills kids need in every domain of social emotional learning.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Virtual Emotions Check-Ins

This is a stressful time for everyone, kids and teens included. Spend 1:1 time with individual students and check-in with how they are doing. Use this virtual conference time to ask students how they are feeling, what strategies they are using to focus on wellness, and techniques for managing stress.

Virtual check-ins can be simple messages through emails or Remind, or they can be in the form of videos using Google Hangout or other video programs.

Use this free digital and printable activity as a mindful morning check-in.

I also created this free digital and printable mindful morning activity to help learners start off the day in the right way.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Digital Task Cards

As an educator, I have always loved task cards. They are a simple activity to teach skills in a way that feels so different from a worksheet. Of course, in times of distance learning, it might not be as practical to send sets of task cards to each of your students. That’s where digital task cards come in.

For many of my favorite social emotional task cards I’ve already created, I have added a digital component. This makes it easy for kids and teens to still get the social practice they need, while responding to the cards right on the digital Google Drive page.

While there are many distance learning activities to choose from, these social problem-solving task cards are a free set to get learners started.

Use these free digital task cards to help learners work on social skills.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Video Instruction

Using videos can be a valuable tool in teaching a variety of skills. Some educators are using pre-recorded YouTube videos to share with their learners, while others are recording their very own personalized videos to send to their students.

If you aren’t quite sure how to get started, try recording yourself on your phone while teaching a mini-lesson to your students. For example, you might record a lesson teaching about using coping strategies, using positive self-talk, or practicing mindfulness (all skills that are extremely important right now).

Make a quick video just to practice and get started. Then, send it to your learners. Not only will you be sending valuable skills, but your students will love seeing you teach again.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Digital Lessons and Workbooks

One of the best ways to provide lessons through digital learning is Google Classroom. Using Google Drive digital-friendly resources, students can respond right on the workbooks and activities. Not only does this make things much easier for the student and families at home, but your students can then send their completed assignments straight back to you for review.

Browse a complete collection of digital resources for kids and teens.

I have added digital versions to a number of social emotional resources already. The reason why I’m adding digital version to pre-existing materials is simple. If you have already purchased a social emotional activity from me, you get the update for free. You deserve to have both options so that you can use digital materials now, but always have the choice to using print/paper copies in the future. Browse through the complete collection of digital resources to get started. Many resources are paid, but some are free, too!

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Using Apps and Websites

There are a number of websites and apps that students can use to practice social emotional skills. Some are free all of the time, while others have offered free membership for a period of time. Some possible apps and sites to try out include:

  • Breathe, Think, Do
  • Emotional ABCs
  • Smiling Mind
  • GoNoodle
  • Calm

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Daily Journal

More than ever, now is a great time to get kids journaling on a daily basis. Not only is writing in a journal a calming and mindful activity, but it’s also a great way to help kids share thoughts and feelings. Even more, you can use journaling as a specific way to target social emotional skills.

Each day, assign a journal topic for kids to write about. For example, you might have them list out some positive thoughts and then writing in a journal about how positive thoughts can be helpful.

Another simple strategy is to encourage kids to journal about their thoughts and feelings each day. Not only will this help them in the moment, but we are living through historic times, so it will be meaningful to them later on.

If you are looking for a simple solution, there are many pre-made digital journals to choose from. You might have students fill out a daily mindfulness journal, for example.

Use a daily journal to target social emotional skills.

My favorite journal, though, is a daily SEL Journal, with every week targeting a different social emotional skill. I created this SEL Journal for elementary students and this SEL Journal for older learners.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Family Check-Ins

With all that is going on, it’s also important to check in with families. If we want kids and teens to do well, we need to also support the families they live with. Provide a weekly check-in with families just to briefly ask how things are going and if they need any support.

With a weekly check-in, educators can also suggest a couple of simple activities for families to help build SEL skills at home, such as reading literature, playing board games, having conversations, or even watching a movie together and talking about how characters feel. It’s important to note that there are numerous strategies to work on SEL at home, but we have to give families the tools to get there.

SEL Distance Learning Strategy: Assign Mindful Activities

Whether learners have technology or not, educators can always encourage mindful activities at home. Assign 10 minutes of mindful time each day. You can ask students to complete a specific activity or have them choose from some ideas below:

  • Drawing or coloring
  • Free journal writing
  • Spending time outside
  • Reading
  • Go on a mindful scavenger hunt
  • Practicing deep breathing
  • Listening to music

Use digital mindful breathing cards to help focus on self-regulation skills.

One of my favorite mindful activities is mindful breathing because it’s a strategy kids can use anytime. I recently added a digital version to these mindful breathing cards, making it easy for kids and teens to carry them along with them wherever they go.

If you’re still looking for ideas, know that I have several free digital resources you can download and send home to students and families right away.

Side note: I’ve recently gotten some questions about how to properly send materials to students/families, so I’ll share here, too. All of my resources, free and paid, can be sent to families and students through e-mail or any other password-protected means, like Google Classroom or an app. Just please don’t post openly on a website, since these can be found from a Google search.

As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please reach out. Thank you for all you do.

9+ strategies and ideas to focus on social emotional learning during distance learning. This post includes free ideas, printables, and even digital resources to help teachers and support staff get started. #pathway2success

Managing Disrespectful & Rude Behaviors in the Classroom

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Strategies for managing disrespectful, rude, and other challenging behaviors in the classroom. This post is targeted to teachers and principals who need support with challenging behaviors in elementary, middle, and high school. #pathway2success #behaviormanagement

Let’s talk about disrespectful behaviors in the classroom. The child who talks back. The student using their cell phone, even after being told to put it away. The kid who refuses to do their work, and even loudly tells you, “no!” when you try to politely give some encouragement. The student who jokes about your class being dumb, causing an eruption of laughter in the room.

As educators, we’ve all encountered some (or probably all) of these situations from time to time. Here are some strategies to help you manage these challenging behaviors and get back to what you do best – teaching your students.

Change your mindset. First, the most effective strategy is actually a mindset shift. Kids aren’t being rude to be rude or disrespectful. Kids and young adults are coping with challenging feelings the very best way they know how to in the moment. Let’s think about it: Wouldn’t it actually be easier for a student to follow the rules and just fly under the radar? In most cases, it would. So, it’s important to remember that disrespectful, rude, or challenging behaviors are not really directed at you. They are just a way to communicate needs.

Challenging behaviors are the way a child is communicating. Use these strategies, tools, and ideas to help support kids and teens in school. #pathway2success

Have empathy. Remember that we don’t know what goes on in the lives of our learners. Take a trauma-informed approach. Rather than blaming and accusing the student for their behavior, take a step back and consider that they are struggling in some way. Even if we don’t know the reasons for the struggles, it’s helpful to have empathy always.

Be consistent with expectations. Kids and teens need boundaries. Spend time teaching, discussing, and practicing the expectations. Adults can be fun and still have rules. The key, though, is that kids need to know and truly understand them. Prior to group work, talk about what the expectations for being a good ground member are. Act them out and highlight them while kids are working. Before independent work, model what a good independent worker looks like. Give reasons and explanations for these expectations. It’s also important to note that this isn’t just something for the beginning of the year. Reviewing expectations should be a year-round and continuous process. All kids benefit from a refresh and some kids truly need it.

Train yourself to not take offense. This takes real work. Remember, though, that these are kids and young adults. They are still learning and growing. It’s critical to stress that these behaviors are not often meant to be directed at you. Also, think about it: Are you really offended that a 10-year-old made fun of your hair? Do you actually feel upset that a teen said your class was stupid? When we phrase these “rude” situations like this, it seems even a little silly to take offense, really. With that said, there are times when kids and young adults can use their words as weapons. When this happens, it’s important to view those behaviors as needs and skill deficits. Train yourself to not take offense so that you can stay calm and collected.

Consider skill deficits. When a student says something mean or rude, consider how it could be the result of a lack of social skills. For example, if a student keeps blurting out in class, are they really purposefully being rude or are they struggling with self-regulation? If a child tells you that your shirt is ugly, are they trying to be mean or do they lack a strong social filter? While not all “rude” behavior fits into this category, it’s worth taking the time to consider first.

Focus on the relationship. Continually focusing on the relationship with your students demonstrating rude behaviors is extremely important – for you and for them. First, so often, a child or young adult with challenging behaviors needs connection. Spend time talking about non-school related topics, find out their interests, hear about family, and listen to their favorite music. No relationship-building topic is too small. There needs to be connection before there can be correction. There really is no other way. Use this free printable relationship-building questions list or read up on more strategies for building relationships with your learners.

Relationships are a key element to supporting kids with behavioral challenges in the classroom. Help kids and teens while improving the entire atmosphere of the classroom. #pathway2success

Ignore what you can ignore. Sometimes, kids and young adults act out as a way to express their feelings. Of course, they aren’t going about it the right way, but in the moment is not the right time to address it. Other times, kids might be acting out for attention. In both cases, ignoring what you can ignore is often the best action in the moment. Walk away or pretend you didn’t see that eye roll. If you have to address some behaviors in the moment, say, “We’ll talk about it later.” This gives the adult the opportunity to let others know they are handling it, but also reduces any chance for power struggles along the way.

Be prepared for behavioral episodes. Using the word “ADAPT,” you can remember to act calm, de-escalate, acknowledge feelings, problem-solve, and think reflectively.

Avoid the impulse to punish. Now, I’m all for logical consequences. Punishments, though, are a whole different ball game. Sometimes, when a kid or young adult acts out, our first impulse is to punish them by giving them a detention or assigning extra homework. Almost all of the time, these on-the-fly punishments will do more damage to the relationship than they will help the problem. Problem-solving over punishing will always win.

Keep them in the room. As long as students are in your room, they can keep learning. This is especially important for those kids who refuse to do their work. Even if the student is not starting the classwork, leave them be. They will get much more out of the class conversations and discussions than they would in the office or in a desk outside your room. There are exceptions to this, of course, including when students are disruptive to the learning to others or if there are any acts of violence. It’s safe to say that those are times when additional support outside of the classroom is necessary. When possible, though, keep them in the room.

Use de-escalation strategies. Strategies to defuse a bad situation are worth their weight in gold to an educator. I strongly feel these strategies should be emphasized, discussed, and practiced during educator training every single year. Grab this free list of de-escalation strategies to print as a reminder and read up on more de-escalation strategies.

Use de-escalation strategies to reduce behavioral challenges in the classroom. Grab your free copy and learn how to manage challenges behaviors in this blog post. #pathway2success

Consider the why. There is always a reason behind the behavior. If a student is acting out when they have to do math problems at the board, maybe they are really embarrassed to do work in front of others. If a learner disrespects you when you ask for the homework, maybe they didn’t understand it and they don’t want to look dumb. Don’t focus on the what. Focus on the why. These will lead you into the right direction of problem-solving, rather than blaming.

Be self-reflective. Take some time to reflect on the situations that led up to the problem situations in your classroom. Of course, this isn’t a blame game. Being self-reflective means just considering what went wrong and what could have gone better. Could you have asked a question in a different way? Did you put the student in a situation that was maybe extremely uncomfortable for them? Was the classroom too noisy, causing the child some distress? Be open-minded and ask yourself some questions to figure out what you could do better next time.

Strategies for managing challenging behaviors in the classroom: Be reflective! Think about what might have gone wrong and how you can fix it in the future. #pathway2success

Meet privately with the student. Not punitively, meet with the student and talk with them. Rather than blaming them personally, highlight that you noticed there was a problem and you want to help solve it. For example, you might say, “Jane, I noticed there was a problem when you were working in a group yesterday. What’s going on with that?”

Listen. As educators, sometimes we have the habit of talking more than we listen. In this case, rather than talking at the student, give them time to speak. Sometimes, you will be amazed at what you learn. Maybe that student didn’t realize they were calling out. Maybe the student felt disrespected by something you said first. Regardless of what you think about their behavior, give kids a chance to speak. They deserve that. It can become the foundation for repairing relationships and moving on.

Brainstorm solutions. After listening to a student, brainstorm some strategies that might solve the issues together. Again, stay open-minded about suggestions from the student. Offer some of your own ideas as well. Actually brainstorming solutions goes a long way. The best solutions are almost always developed together.

Make a plan together. After brainstorming, set up a specific plan of action with your student. Come up with at least one thing the student can do and one thing you can do to do better next time. For example, if a student was acting out when in a difficult group setting, perhaps they can come up with a list of group ground rules, and you can agree to ask their input about their groups in the future. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to show that you care and you both are working in the right direction.

Make time for social and emotional supports. All kids and young adults deserve a supportive check-in with an adult. This can be done during morning meeting advisory, homeroom, or even study halls. Talk to kids about how their feeling and what’s going on in their world. You can even teach SEL skills with this morning meeting set for the year that I developed. While this intervention won’t fix disruptive or challenging behaviors in the moment, it is a proactive approach that will help learners throughout the year, even halting problems before they start.

Use morning meeting time to practice social emotional skills and reduce behavioral challenges in the classroom. Learn more strategies about challenging behaviors and social emotional needs in this blog post. #pathway2success

Teach the skills. If a student is lacking some social skills, teach them. If they need to work on managing their emotions, teach emotional management and coping strategies. If they need to work on self-control, discuss and practice strategies for self-regulation. While not all educators have time for this set up in their schedules, there are many ways you can integrate social skills into your instruction. Another option is talking with support staff about setting up a small lunch group to teach the skills kids need explicitly.

Focus on your own self-care. Working with challenging behaviors can be stressful. Schedule time for yourself to unwind and relax. Whether you take time reading at home, head to the gym, or schedule time with friends, find what works for you. Use this printable self-care poster for educators to remind you throughout the week.

Challenging behaviors can be stressful to deal with! Use strategies to focus on your own self-care. #sel #pathway2success

Throughout these strategies, there is a solid theme. Educators can learn to ADAPT. This is a acronym I created to stand for: Act calm, De-escalate, Acknowledge feelings, Problem-solve, and Think reflectively. These are the essential elements of handling challenging behaviors in the classroom, including behaviors we see as disrespectful and rude. If you are a subscriber, head over to the free resource library to grab your very own ADAPT poster as a reminder. If you aren’t a subscriber yet but are curious, head over here to learn more and join.

Have you been successfully managing disrespectful or rude behaviors in the classroom? Feel free to share what is working for you!

Strategies for managing disrespectful, rude, and other challenging behaviors in the classroom. This post is targeted to teachers and principals who need support with challenging behaviors in elementary, middle, and high school. #pathway2success #behaviormanagement



Executive Functioning Activities to Start the Morning

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Use engaging and fun executive functioning activities to help jump start kids and teens in the morning. Simple activities like mindful breathing, brain games, journaling, and exercising, can help activate students' brains in the classroom. #pathway2success #executivefunctioning

We all want kids and young adults to start their days off calm, confident, and ready for success. Helping learners nurture their executive functioning skills can be a strategy for getting there. EF skills are the brain abilities we use to plan, organize, and start tasks. Ultimately, our executive functions impact everything from smaller activities like putting the right binder in the backpack to head out to school, to much more complex tasks such as planning for an essay to start and finish before the end of a class.

While some learners struggle with executive functions more than others, all students can build and improve them along the way. Here are eight executive functioning activities you can try to help start students off on the right foot.

Materials Checklist

It’s helpful to have a materials checklist listed just as they enter the door. My favorite spot to post this is actually right outside the classroom. For example, if students need their textbook today, post it and let them know. This gives kids a chance to ask themselves, “Do I have everything I need?” before even walking through the door.

For many classrooms, the list will be the same every day and that’s okay! It serves as a reminder for all students to have a pencil, their notebook, homework, and any other materials they need to succeed.

Preview of the Day

Start the morning by listing your daily schedule on the board. Review it by quickly highlighting your plan for the day. For example, you might say, “This morning, we’re going to review our homework, learn about how to visualize as we read, practice the skill, and start the homework for tonight.” This only has to take a minute, but it can have a positive impact on mindset because it prepares learners for what’s coming.

Morning Meeting

Holding a daily morning meeting helps build community. While at first, it might not seem like this practice is directly related to executive functioning skills, it is. By starting the day with a specific and predictable routine, this can help learners organize their thoughts.

Additionally, morning meeting can be the perfect time to talk about skills like organization, self-control, and perseverance.

Another thing to consider is that the classroom can be a scary place for kids with executive functioning challenges. We ask these learners to take risks every day by working on skills that don’t come easy to them. With that, it’s critical that classroom space is welcoming, encouraging, supportive, and accepting of mistakes. One way to gain that sense of positive classroom community is by leading a daily morning meeting. When students feel safe and loved, they will be better ready to pay attention, initiate tasks, and persevere through challenges.

Use engaging and fun executive functioning activities to help jump start kids and teens in the morning. Simple activities like mindful breathing, brain games, journaling, and exercising, can help activate students' brains in the classroom. #pathway2success #executivefunctioning

Morning Exercise Routine

Exercise activates the brain. Help give kids a jump start every morning with a quick daily exercise routine. Spend a few minutes with a daily workout video. You could also lead students through simple stretches, jog in place or practice yoga postures.

If you’re looking to make things more interesting, try a timed scavenger hunt around the room, or outside if the weather is nice. Kids can do this in partners or on their own.

Not only is exercise encouraging a healthy habit, but it will also help students improve focus and be ready to learn.

Use engaging and fun executive functioning activities to help jump start kids and teens in the morning. Simple activities like mindful breathing, brain games, journaling, and exercising, can help activate students' brains in the classroom. #pathway2success #executivefunctioning

Organize and Prepare Time

Explicitly schedule time first thing in the morning for students to organize and prepare for the day. During this time, students can sharpen pencils, gather belongings, tidy desk or backpack, write in homework log, and turn homework in.

Question of the Day

Writing can be used as a predictable routine to help students start off the day focused, organized, and calm. Choose a daily prompt to write on the board or projector. As students come in, have them respond independently in their journals. You can even touch other social-emotional bases using questions that target critical SEL skills, like empathy, organization, and problem-solving.

Grab a free week of daily social emotional learning journal prompts to start the morning.

Free-write Journaling

Similar to a question of the day, a free write also helps provide a predictable routine. The difference is that students are choosing what to write about entirely on their own. This can serve as a safe space for students to free their minds before starting the day. It can also help them ask any questions or share feedback with you in a private way.

Class Read Aloud

Choose a read aloud or have your students pick one for the morning. In particular, short picture books are a simple and quick way to increase attention for the day. Also, this can be an easy way to integrate other executive functioning skills like flexibility, self-control, and perseverance. As you read, stop and talk about the characters as they use each of those skills.

Brain Games

Brainteasers, riddles, and other puzzles are simple activities to help students activate their brains in an engaging way. Whether you use a crossword, word search, memory game, or play on words, these activities will help start the day off strong. As an added bonus, they can also help practice skills like organization, planning, working memory, attention, and perseverance.

Use engaging and fun executive functioning activities to help jump start kids and teens in the morning. Simple activities like mindful breathing, brain games, journaling, and exercising, can help activate students' brains in the classroom. #pathway2success #executivefunctioning

Classroom Jobs

Classroom jobs are a healthy way to start each morning, as they give every child a purpose in the room. This can be a positive strategy in just setting a predictable routine, helping your students feel valued, helpful, and organized for the day. It’s helpful to assign specific classroom jobs to best suit your learners. For example, if a student has a strength with using technology, have them turn on the laptops first thing in the morning. If another student is especially artistic, give them the role of drawing a positive welcome message to others. A classroom job can help all students start the morning with a positive frame of mind and allow them to feel mentally prepared for the rest of the day.

Practice Mindful Breathing

Think of mindful breathing as a brain break. They are a quick activity to help students reset and refresh before moving on. Not only can they be an effective morning strategy, but really can be used between any tasks. Learn more about mindful breathing, why it’s important, and a few simple mindful breathing exercises you can use with your learners.

Use engaging and fun executive functioning activities to help jump start kids and teens in the morning. Simple activities like mindful breathing, brain games, journaling, and exercising, can help activate students' brains in the classroom. #pathway2success #executivefunctioning

Positive Affirmations

All kids and young adults could use more positivity in their days. This is especially true for kids who struggle with executive functioning skills. These are the students who are more likely to struggle with basic tasks like following directions, starting work right away, and paying attention. Over time, these challenges can lead to reduced self-esteem. To counteract this, use positive affirmations to help build kids up and feel good about themselves before starting their day. More confident learners are more likely to task risks, stay motivated, and work to their individual potentials even in the face of difficulties. Grab a free positive affirmations list and let your students create their own individualized lists to start.

Download a free printable list of positive affirmations for kids & young adults.

If you want to help build learners’ executive functioning skills, just give one or two strategies a try! Even small steps are steps in the right direction to helping kids and young adults strengthen their executive functioning skills.

Interested in more executive functioning posts? Check out the following articles:

Use engaging and fun executive functioning activities to help jump start kids and teens in the morning. Simple activities like mindful breathing, brain games, journaling, and exercising, can help activate students' brains in the classroom. #pathway2success #executivefunctioning

Using Positive Affirmations as a Morning Routine

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Use morning positive affirmations as a positive and motivating way to start each day with your students! Learn how you can follow a few steps to promote a more positive classroom climate with a free printable download right away. A great way to integrate social emotional learning into every teacher's classroom. #sel #positiveaffirmations #pathway2success

Positive self-talk is a powerful social-emotional tool that can help kids and young adults in many ways, from managing tough emotions to persevering through challenges. Reading positive affirmations, or sayings, in the morning is a healthy strategy to create a routine that builds our positive self-talk voice.

The power of positive self-talk is real. When used on a regular basis, positive self-talk can help build confidence, reduce stress, encourage risk-taking, improve mood, and promote a sense of happiness overall. By taking just a few minutes each day, we can teach kids and young adults skills they can use throughout their whole life.

So often, kids and young adults speak with a negative self-talk voice. Here are a few examples you might have heard:

  • “This class is dumb.”
  • “I can’t do this.”
  • “I’m not good at math.”
  • “I can’t believe I’m so stupid. How did I make that mistake?”

By explicitly teaching and practicing positive self-talk, we can help those students instead say things like:

  • “Today will be a great day.”
  • “If I work hard, I can do tough things.”
  • “I am strong and beautiful.”
  • “I make mistakes sometimes, and that’s okay.”

One of the most important ways to change negative self-talk to positive self-talk is to create an ongoing routine. It is truly a practice; one that requires effort, consistency, and encouragement. To create a positive morning routine, just use this free printable affirmations list and follow the simple steps to get started right away.

Use morning positive affirmations as a positive and motivating way to start each day with your students! Learn how you can follow a few steps to promote a more positive classroom climate with a free printable download right away. A great way to integrate social emotional learning into every teacher's classroom. #sel #positiveaffirmations #pathway2success

Grab your free printable positive affirmations activity to start right away.

Discuss the Importance of Positive Self-Talk

Explain to students that positive self-talk are the words we say to ourselves to provide encouragement. We might use positive self-talk before a tough test, when we feel overwhelmed with homework, or after something doesn’t go our way.

Read and Choose Affirmations

Have students highlight or circle their top affirmations. Encourage students to internalize the words and think about what they mean to them. It is helpful for every student to have their own individualized list of positive affirmations, so that it is personalized and special to them. Students can even come up with their very own positive affirmation statements.

Use morning positive affirmations as a positive and motivating way to start each day with your students! Learn how you can follow a few steps to promote a more positive classroom climate with a free printable download right away. A great way to integrate social emotional learning into every teacher's classroom. #sel #positiveaffirmations #pathway2success

Write a Positive Affirmation List

Have students list out their top ten affirmations on a piece of paper. After writing them out, students can color or design their affirmation list. This will be the set of affirmations kids and young adults will refer to day after day. While it’s true that they can go back and add or change statements, it’s helpful to have one static list to start.

Use morning positive affirmations as a positive and motivating way to start each day with your students! Learn how you can follow a few steps to promote a more positive classroom climate with a free printable download right away. A great way to integrate social emotional learning into every teacher's classroom. #sel #positiveaffirmations #pathway2success

Read Affirmations Each Morning

Students can keep this list in their folders, binders, or anywhere else that they will have access to it each morning. Start a morning ritual by giving 2-5 minutes each morning to read through their positive affirmations out loud to themselves (or silently, if you prefer).

Using Affirmations as a Coping Skill

Of course, morning isn’t the only time kids and teens can use their positive affirmations. Positive self-talk is a healthy coping skill. Teach them to pull them out and use them whenever they need them, such as before a challenging assessment or feeling let down by a friend.

Use these simple steps and this printable positive affirmations list to get your learners started. It will make a difference for now and in the future!

Use morning positive affirmations as a positive and motivating way to start each day with your students! Learn how you can follow a few steps to promote a more positive classroom climate with a free printable download right away. A great way to integrate social emotional learning into every teacher's classroom. #sel #positiveaffirmations #pathway2success

Mindfulness Journal Ideas You Can Try Today

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Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

Mindfulness is a critical self-regulation strategy that can help kids and young adults feel calm and focused. Pairing mindfulness with journal writing just makes sense. Journal writing is personal and allows learners to connect with themselves. Additionally, it’s something kids can stop and do every day.

Mindfulness is an ideal practice in the morning to help kids and teens start their day off in a positive place. Practicing mindfulness can also be helpful before a big test, after a break, or when kids need strategies for self-regulation. Read up more on the 10 best times to practice mindfulness in the classroom.

There are several simple strategies to help learners practice mindfulness with journal writing. While you can read on and try any of the activities right away on your own, I also understand that it’s easy to be busy and struggle with fitting them all in. If you are needing all these and more no-prep ideas, I have put together an entire yearlong mindfulness journal that you can use right away.

Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

Here are three simple strategies you can use right away with your learners to help them practice mindfulness:

MINDFUL FOCUS

What it is: Mindful focus is an activity where learners mindfully focus on one object for a period of time.

How to try it: Have kids choose one object in the room. Encourage them to hyperfocus on the object. Look at it and think about it for a few minutes. What does it look like? What colors does it have? Is it bumpy or smooth? How does it move? What is it used for? What makes it special? After the mindful focus activity, have students write about their object and sketch a picture.

Why it works: By focusing all of your attention on something, you are focusing only on the present moment. This can be a healthy strategy to help kids ground themselves in times of stress.

Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

GUIDED VISUALIZATION

What it is: A guided visualization is an activity that involves picturing a calming scene, such as a beach or quiet meadow.

How to try it: Use a picture or describe a calming scene. It can be anything from a peaceful walk in the park to a calming waterfall in a forest. Have learners picture themselves in the scene. Then, allow them to write about what they see, feel, hear, smell, and taste.

Why it works: By picturing a peaceful scene, kids and young adults can clear their minds and regain a sense of calm. Visualization can be a healthy tool to use when feeling angry, sad, worried, or overwhelmed.

Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

EMOTION CHECK-IN

What it is: An emotions check-in is a free write about how someone is feeling and thinking in the moment.

How to try it: Encourage kids to just close their eyes and think about how they feel. Consider every sensation in your body and thought that pops into your mind. Rather than judging those feelings, let them be. Notice them and recognize them. Then, have learners write about how they are feeling and thinking. As a simple alternative, you can have learners give colors to their emotions as they draw.

Why it works: Checking in with ourselves is an important strategy for improved self-awareness and mindfulness. By thinking about how we are feeling and thinking, we can make better choices about what we need in the moment.

Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

SHAPE BREATHING

What it is: Students will draw a shape on their journal page and trace it as they breathe in and out.

How to try it: Have students draw a shape on their journal page. It can be any shape, such as a shape or a triangle. Students can even draw lines that wave up and down. Then, have students trace the lines of the shape with their finger or pencil as they breathe in and out. Afterward, students can write about the activity and describe how it made them feel. Use these free printable mindfulness breathe boards to get started.

Why it works: By focusing all of their attention on something as they breathe in and out, learners are practicing mindfulness while practicing deep breathing. This can be a helpful strategy to teach because it can be done almost anywhere.

Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

MINDFUL COLORING

What it is: Students will color a coloring page on their own.

How to try it: Explain to students that they will be practicing mindfulness by coloring. Discuss that they will be coloring, breathing, and just letting thoughts pass through their minds. Note that you can play soothing music while students color to support a calming atmosphere. Need a head start? Use these free printable mindfulness coloring pages!

Why it works: Coloring is an active way to calm the mind. Additionally, this strategy can help learners practice just doing something in a mindful way without focusing on what is “right” or “wrong.” This is particularly beneficial for learners with perfectionistic behaviors. It is a perfect way to practice just coloring and being in the moment.

Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

Just a reminder that you don’t need to be an expert to start a mindful practice in the classroom! Just use any of these ideas to give mindfulness a try! You might also want to read up on 5 free mindfulness activities or just grab the yearlong mindfulness journal to get started right away!

Mindfulness journal activities for kids and teens to help feel calm, focused, and happy. Mindful activities teach self-control, emotional management, growth mindset, self-love, and so much more. Use this as a daily morning practice or in your calm down area. Perfect for home or school. This post has printable and ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success


5 Steps for Leading a Morning Meeting Focused on SEL

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Five simple steps for leading a morning meeting or circle time focused on social emotional learning in the classroom. Morning meeting is the ideal time to build relationships with students while also teaching critical SEL skills like empathy, self-awareness, and decision-making! #socialemotionallearning #pathway2success

Morning meeting is a positive, engaging, and meaningful way to start the day with students. In short, it’s a time to greet each other, talk about important topics, and make a positive intention for the day.

Even more, though, morning meeting can also be the ideal time to work on social emotional skills like empathy, decision-making, responsibility, and many more. It really makes sense to integrate these skills into morning meeting time; these are skills that all kids need. Providing this social-emotional foundation can help kids and young adults succeed in the classroom and beyond.

Integrating SEL skills into your morning meeting time doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, this post is intended to be a quick guide to help you get started right away. Of course, if you need a more detailed overview of morning meetings, why they are important, and strategies for implementing them, check out this ultimate guide morning meetings.

You can start by following the five-step process:

Five simple steps for leading a morning meeting or circle time focused on social emotional learning in the classroom. Morning meeting is the ideal time to build relationships with students while also teaching critical SEL skills like empathy, self-awareness, and decision-making! #socialemotionallearning #pathway2success

#1 Start with greetings.

The best way to start each morning meeting session is with greetings. Take just a minute and have students say “good morning” or fist bump one another. You can have students choose their daily greeting or change it up throughout the week to keep it fun and interesting.

#2 Introduce a topic.

Morning meeting truly is an ideal time to highlight critical skills like empathy, using healthy coping skills, appreciating diversity, responsibility, and so many more. Each day (or week), choose a skill to work on. Introduce that skill by discussing what it means and why it is important.

For example, you might say, “Today, let’s talk about respect. Showing respect means being kind and treating others the way they want to be treated.”

Ultimately, the skills you choose are entirely up to you. You can come up with a set plan for each like I’ve done with these morning meeting cards, or you can highlight the skills your students need in the moment.

#3 Start a discussion.

Get kids talking about that skill or topic by asking questions. For example, you might ask, “What does respect mean to you? What are some ways you show respect? Have you ever felt disrespected? How did that make you feel?” and so on.

Avoid the urge to answer for your students. Of course, guiding them is good, but it’s important to give them time to discuss together as a group. We all know that kids often learn best from other kids. This can be a great time to witness that.

#4 Practice the skill.

Have students spend a few minutes practicing the skill in some way. This provides opportunities for students to further understand and generalize the skill. There are many different activities you can try, such as the few listed below.

Role-play: If working on respect, have students work in partners to role-play a scenario that shows respect. After a few minutes, ask for volunteers to show their role play to the class.

Making connections: When learning about perseverance, encourage students to think of a character from a book or movie who had to persevere through challenges. Give time to talk about that character and how they overcame their struggles.

Giving advice: If focusing on problem-solving skills, come up with some simple problem-solving scenarios and have students give advice to each person. For example, “Martha got on the bus and realized she forgot her homework at home. What advice would you give to her?”

There are many more options for practicing each skill. It’s helpful to change up the activities from day-to-day to keep it fun, fresh, and interesting for your learners.

#5 Reflect.

Give time to students to share something about what they have learned. Encourage them to summarize the topic in 10 words or less. Another favorite reflection activity is to have students share how they will use that skill today or this week. Not only does this serve as a quick assessment for educators to see who has grasped the concept, but it also gives extra learning opportunities for students.

After reflecting on the skill, it’s also helpful to give time for students to talk about any other concerns, thoughts, or needs they have before moving on with the day.

Getting Started

If you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, you can use these morning meeting cards for social emotional learning to make your mornings fun, engaging, and no-prep.

Five simple steps for leading a morning meeting or circle time focused on social emotional learning in the classroom. Morning meeting is the ideal time to build relationships with students while also teaching critical SEL skills like empathy, self-awareness, and decision-making! #socialemotionallearning #pathway2success

Whether you work with older students or younger learners, you can always tailor morning meeting to fit the kids and young adults you are working with. It’s a great way to help kids start their days off strong while also helping them learn critical SEL skills.

Five simple steps for leading a morning meeting or circle time focused on social emotional learning in the classroom. Morning meeting is the ideal time to build relationships with students while also teaching critical SEL skills like empathy, self-awareness, and decision-making! #socialemotionallearning #pathway2success

10 Reasons Why It’s Okay to Take a Sick Day

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Educators need to be able to take sick days when they need them for physical and mental health needs. Instead of worrying about everyone else, teachers and support staff need to stop and focus on themselves! Here are 10 reasons why. #selfcare #pathway2success

Teacher guilt is so real. Unless you’ve taught, it’s actually hard to describe. There are a million reasons to head into school when you’re not feeling well, from having to write sub plans to feeling worried about leaving your students with someone else for the day. What is worst is that teachers will go to extreme lengths to report to their duties, crawling into the school with a fever or the flu.

I think part of the teacher guilt comes into play because teachers LOVE what they do every day. As teachers, we want to be there. We want to show up. We want to greet our kids with a smile. We want to be there to know our students are working on the skills we know they need.

It’s okay to love what you do and still need a day off here and there. Actually, it’s not just okay; it’s healthy.

If you agree with these or think another teacher friend needs to hear it, please pass this message along. It’s important and it matters.

Educators need to be able to take sick days when they need them for physical and mental health needs. Instead of worrying about everyone else, teachers and support staff need to stop and focus on themselves! Here are 10 reasons why. #selfcare #pathway2success

Even though you do not need any of these, here are ten reasons why it’s truly OKAY to take a sick day.

Your Mental Health Matters

I think it’s important to highlight mental health first and foremost. Whether you need a day to tend to your fever, or time just to time to clear your mind after a stressful couple of weeks, that’s okay. Both are 100% valid reasons. Sometimes, it’s easy to ignore mental health needs, but that shouldn’t be the way. Take care of yourself. And as always, if you need more support, find a therapist or counselor to help. You matter.

Spreading Germs Isn’t Cool

Even if you think you can handle coming to school with a fever or hacking cough, recognize that sharing your germs isn’t going to help anyone. It can, though, get other colleagues and kids infected, which isn’t fun. If you are that sick, keep those germs at home until you are better, please.

Rest Helps You Get Better Quicker

Rest is a strange thing. We all know we need it, but we don’t want to make the time for it. You might be able to drag yourself into school day after day feeling horrible for two weeks, when if you had just taken a sick day earlier on, you could have rested and recovered much quicker.

Your Role as a Parent Come First

If you are a parent, please know you have all of my admiration. Teacher-parents go above and beyond taking care of their classroom children through the day and their real children in the afternoon and night. With that said, your role as a parent in taking care of your children is so important. When your kids need you, they need you. And that’s okay.

Your Family Deserves the Best You

It’s true that many times you can make it through the day feeling horrible. However, by the time you get home, you’re beat. Your family is important and they deserve the best you. YOU deserve the best you. Taking a sick day can help you get there so you can get back on track to spending the time with them that you love.

Educators need to be able to take sick days when they need them for physical and mental health needs. Instead of worrying about everyone else, teachers and support staff need to stop and focus on themselves! Here are 10 reasons why. #selfcare #pathway2success

Your Students Deserve the Best You

Let’s face it; A sick teacher isn’t on their game. I’ve experienced it myself many times. I had less tolerance for the small stuff. Your students deserve the best you. Taking a day when you need one truly does help you be the best you.

It Builds Flexibility In Your Students

I remember in my first year of teaching I was terrified to be out sick. I didn’t want to leave my students. They relied on me. It was then that a good colleague and friend taught me that kids can’t have everything perfect for them all the time. They have to learn how to cope with change, including when their teacher is out. You being out sick and taking time for yourself actually builds flexibility in your students, and that’s a good thing.

Your Colleagues Will Survive

If it’s not bad enough that as teachers we worry about our students, I know from experience that we also worry about our colleagues, too. The truth is that life goes on at school without you. Your substitute will find their way. To be honest, many subs are some of the most amazing educators doing a great job in a tough situation (let’s give them all the credit they deserve). Your other colleagues will be fine, too. School life goes on without you. It really does.

You Are Modeling Self-Care

Sometimes, in our society, self-care isn’t valued as much as it should be. We want our learners to value taking care of themselves, listening to their bodies, and focusing on their own mental and physical health needs. So, with that, we have to model it. Be up front with students and tell them that you were sick and needed a day to take care of yourself. It’s healthy. If you need another reminder of self-care, grab this free educator self-care poster to hang up!

Educators need to be able to take sick days when they need them for physical and mental health needs. Instead of worrying about everyone else, teachers and support staff need to stop and focus on themselves! Here are 10 reasons why. #selfcare #pathway2success

You’re Not Indebted To Your Job

I saved this reason for last because I think we have all felt this way. As teachers, we LOVE our schools and classrooms dearly. We want to be there (even on the tough days!) And if we aren’t there, there’s a huge sense of guilt. Let’s be clear, though. You are not indebted to your job, classroom, school, or district. You are a valuable educator. One who matters. And your physical health and mental health matter.

If you love this message or feel a colleague needs to hear, please remember to pass it along. You matter. Your mental and physical health matters. You are an amazing educator. Take care of yourself because you deserve it.

Educators need to be able to take sick days when they need them for physical and mental health needs. Instead of worrying about everyone else, teachers and support staff need to stop and focus on themselves! Here are 10 reasons why. #selfcare #pathway2success

Mindful Breathing Activities for Kids & Teens

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Mindful breathing is a technique that can help improve focus and restore calm into the classroom. Best of all, it’s a strategy that helps develop self-regulation skills, something that kids and teens need throughout their lives.

What is Mindful Breathing?

The idea behind mindful breathing is that if we can control our breathing, we can also calm our body and mind. With that said, it’s not just a nice theory; there is actually scientific evidence behind it. When upset or overwhelmed, our bodies invoke a stress response known as “fight or flight.” It’s an important response that helps us avoid serious danger. The trouble is that we can also have this same response during arguments, worries, or when something doesn’t go our way.

Practicing deep breathing helps to slow the heartbeat and lower blood pressure, allowing us to feel calmer, focused, and more in control.

Practicing Deep Breathing

It’s important to note that practicing deep breathing really is a practice. For many kids and young adults (and even adults), it feels silly and unnatural to breathe in a deep and controlled way. By making it a habit to practice deep breathing, though, it can become a healthy routine in our lives.

Use these mindful breathing exercises to integrate mindfulness and social emotional learning into the classroom. Mindful breathing can help kids and teens manage emotions, improve focus, and feel calm. Check out these free ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

To practice deep breathing with kids and young adults, first explain mindfulness and why it is important. Discuss the benefits with them so that they can understand why they are adding this practice into their lives.

Then, choose any deep breathing strategy and give it a try together! Remember that this might feel silly to kids and young adults. That’s okay! The goal is to give it a try and keep up the practice.

Mindful Breathing Exercises to Try

By making mindful breathing fun, easy, and memorable, students are more likely to be able to use it when they really need it in the future. Below I’ve listed some breathing strategies kids and young adults can practice. If you love them, check out the Mindful Breathing Cards that you can print and use today.

Bubble breathing. Most kids know what it feels like to blow bubbles. If they don’t, you can certainly even use actual bubbles for this breathing activity. Have kids close their eyes and imagine they are blowing bubbles as they breathe in and out.

Use these mindful breathing exercises to integrate mindfulness and social emotional learning into the classroom. Mindful breathing can help kids and teens manage emotions, improve focus, and feel calm. Check out these free ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

Shape breathing. Have kids draw any shape or design on a piece of paper (or on the board). Then, have them slowly breathe in and out as they trace their finger along the shape. With this breathing technique, kids are focused just on the shape, allowing them to really calm their minds in the moment.

Use these mindful breathing exercises to integrate mindfulness and social emotional learning into the classroom. Mindful breathing can help kids and teens manage emotions, improve focus, and feel calm. Check out these free ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

Apple pie breathing. Have kids imagine there is a warm slice of apple pie in front of them. Have them slowly breathe in to smell the pie and then breathe out. Note that this breathing exercise really can be done with any type of food. I also like to do this with pizza or a warm cup of cocoa.

Use these mindful breathing exercises to integrate mindfulness and social emotional learning into the classroom. Mindful breathing can help kids and teens manage emotions, improve focus, and feel calm. Check out these free ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

Marching band breathing. One of my favorite strategies involves kids imagining that their breath is a marching band. Students should count to the beat of four as they breathe in and out. You can incorporate movement with tapping or clapping as well.

Use these mindful breathing exercises to integrate mindfulness and social emotional learning into the classroom. Mindful breathing can help kids and teens manage emotions, improve focus, and feel calm. Check out these free ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

When Should Kids Practice Deep Breathing?

There are many times when kids and young adults might want to practice deep breathing on a more regular basis. Here are a few:

  • In the morning to start of the day on a positive note
  • Before a big test or quiz
  • After a transition
  • Right before a morning meeting
  • At the beginning of a class
  • After lunch or recess
  • As an intervention for students struggling with tough emotions

Whether you practice mindful breathing with a whole class, small group, or with individual learners, this practice can help give kids and young adults the tools they need to be successful. Use some of these mindful breathing exercises or grab the full set to get started today.

Use these mindful breathing exercises to integrate mindfulness and social emotional learning into the classroom. Mindful breathing can help kids and teens manage emotions, improve focus, and feel calm. Check out these free ideas you can use right away! #mindfulness #pathway2success

Self-Care for Teachers

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Strategies for self-care for teachers and other educational support staff. Teaching is tough! It's important to put mental, physical, and emotional health first. Use these strategies to help focus on yourself. It comes with a free printable poster as a self-care reminder.

The Case for Educator Self-Care

Saying that teaching is tough is a bit of an understatement. Between teaching, creating lesson plans, answering parent emails, grading, and everything else educators work through, teachers are under a substantial amount of stress. While some of these challenges are less under our control, one thing that is under our control is how we address self-care.

Self-care is any deliberate activity aimed to support mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Although it seems like a simple concept, taking care of ourselves is something that can be easily forgotten. This is especially true during the holiday season, during parent conferences, and the back to school rush, just to name a few specific times.

As educators and as humans, taking care of ourselves is critical. It helps reduce stress, improves mood, and promotes a sense of calm. More self-care can even help you be a better teacher. It’s worth taking the time to incorporate more self-care into your life. And most importantly, you deserve it for yourself.

Making Self-Care a Practice

Self-care is best when it’s planned proactively. That means taking the time to schedule important things for yourself and not overcommitting so that you do have time for you.

It’s important to note that self-care isn’t always spa appointments and bubble baths. More often than not, healthy long-term self-care is about setting limits, making positive time for yourself, and encouraging yourself to make good choices. It might mean waking up earlier to go to the gym, spending time reading your favorite book, or saying “no” when asked to lead an extra after school club.

To add more self-care into your life, choose a few activities that you think will help you. Don’t try to do them all. Stick to a few that you know you can commit to. Make a plan for yourself and reassess as you go.

Strategies for Self-Care

Strategies for self-care for teachers and other educational support staff. Teaching is tough! It's important to put mental, physical, and emotional health first. Use these strategies to help focus on yourself. It comes with a free printable poster as a self-care reminder.

Here are 15+ ways you can add self-care into your life:

Treat yourself when you need it. Whether it’s a coffee, a massage, or a shopping trip, treat yourself when you need it. It’s important to find what works for you.

Remember to start fresh every day. As an educator, some days are hard. It’s so important to start every day with a fresh mindset. Not only does it help the students, but it will help you, too.

Connect with uplifting colleagues. Find the teacher friends who will listen to you, encourage you, and lift you up.

Do physical activities you enjoy. Whether it’s a daily workout, a yoga class, or jogging with your dog, find the physical activities you love to do most. Then, make them a routine in your life. Sometimes, this can be hard! Make a schedule and try to stick with it. Even in the times when you don’t feel like doing it in the moment, you will always be thankful later on.

Take a break when you need one. We all need breaks sometimes, in the classroom and outside of the classroom. Whether you need a mental health day or just a few minutes to yourself, take a break when you need it most.

Spend time journaling. If you love writing, journaling can be an excellent strategy to improve self-awareness and help you become more in touch with your everyday emotions. Spend just a few minutes a day writing down how you’re feeling, what happened, and what thoughts are going through your mind. Sometimes, just writing them down can help you think things through.

Use positive self-talk. Positive thinking can have a huge impact on our mental health and well-being. Work to recognize your more negative thoughts. Then, reframe them into more positive ones. Saying phrases like, “Today is going to be a great day,” and “This might be tough, but I can do it,” can help you through tough times.

Go for a walk or spend time outside. Spending time outside can be extremely healing and mindful. On the nice days, make an effort to spend a few extra minutes outside, whether that means reading on the porch or taking a walk around the block. You can even consider spending some time outside with your students when weather allows.

Read a good book (just for you). As educators, many of us are often reading to help choose books for our learners or improve our teaching craft. Instead of focusing on reading for teaching, spend time finding and reading a book just for you.

Plan an activity to look forward to. It’s always nice to have something positive to look forward to. Schedule a special dinner with friends, grab tickets for a concert, or plan your family vacation ahead of time.

Spend time with friends and family. It’s true that spending extra time with family and friends can help you feel happier and more fulfilled. Your time with family and friends matters.

Leave work at school for the night or weekend. As an educator, the work is really never done. There is always more than can be planned or graded. Practice leaving work at school over the night. Even more, leave it for the entire weekend to give you the extra family time you deserve.

Spend less time on social media. While there are many benefits to social media, there are a lot of drawbacks, too. Consider taking a peek in your phone’s setting to see how much time each day you’re really spending on social media. Now, just imagine what else you could be doing with that time for yourself! Make a goal to spend a little less time on social media each day.

Bring healthy snacks and meals. Good nutrition can go a long way in helping you to feel your best. Spend some time over the weekend planning what you could bring during the work week. Try planning to bring in one healthy snack each day, like carrots, nuts, or yogurt. Again, it’s important to find what works for you!

Delete your work email from your phone. Sometimes, self-care is about setting limits. If you notice that your work emails are interfering without life outside of school hours, it’s worth considering deleting it from your home. Your you-time matters and the work can wait.

Be comfortable saying “no” to more obligations. You can’t do it all, and you shouldn’t expect yourself to. The next time someone asks you to commit to an extra obligation, really ask yourself if you want to do it or not. Be comfortable saying “no” when you don’t want more added onto your plate.

Give yourself grace. Be kind to yourself! Recognize that you won’t always be perfect and that’s perfectly okay.

If you need some extra reminders, grab this self-care poster for your classroom or the teacher’s room!

Strategies for self-care for teachers and other educational support staff. Teaching is tough! It's important to put mental, physical, and emotional health first. Use these strategies to help focus on yourself. It comes with a free printable poster as a self-care reminder.

What other self-care activities are the most meaningful for you? Share yours!

Strategies for self-care for teachers and other educational support staff. Teaching is tough! It's important to put mental, physical, and emotional health first. Use these strategies to help focus on yourself. It comes with a free printable poster as a self-care reminder.

12 Games to Practice Self-Control

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Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

Self-control is our ability to stop and think before making decisions. This involves taking a pause when our emotions want to take over so we can think through the situation, consider solutions, assess the consequences, and move forward with the best choice in that scenario. Self-control is particularly difficult executive functioning skill for kids and young adults, and there is actually a scientific reason for that! The limbic system in our brains, which is responsible for managing emotions, develops ahead of the prefrontal cortex, which is the area responsible for planning, suppressing urges, and using self-control. Simply put, that means kids and young adults are going to need lots of practice with using skills for self-control.

Using Games to Teach Self-Control

Games are a great technique for practicing self-control skills because they are instantly fun and interactive. Kids and young adults are far more likely to learn and practice the skills if it’s something interesting to them. Whenever you play any of these games, it’s important to be purposeful about the skills you are teaching. First, explain what self-control is and why it’s so important.

I love to give examples about situations involving self-control that all kids can relate to. One example is: Imagine you are going over to your friend’s house. You see a delicious chocolate cake just sitting there on the counter. You really WANT to just eat a piece or taste the frosting with your finger. What should you do? How could you use self-control? What could happen if you don’t use self-control? These questions are an important foundation to help students understand self-control and why it matters. Let students know they are playing the game in order to practice and strengthen their skills for self-control. Then, let the games begin!

Since games are a great tool to teach skills, you might also want to read up on games to teach social emotional skills and games to strengthen executive functioning skills, too!

Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

Games To Try

Jenga. I love this game because it’s the perfect blend of structure and chaos (perfect for your kids who really need self-control practice!). As students play, remind them to have self-control every time they remove a block from the tower. The more cautious and careful you are, the more likely you are to win. Not only is this a really fun and interactive way to practice self-control, but the entire game becomes a metaphor for self-control in life. If you aren’t careful, things can fall apart. Take your time, stop and think, breathe, and carefully move forward. This is a game you can practice again and again. It never gets old!

Self-Control Speedway. I developed this self-control board game as a fun but direct way to target self-control skills. Students will move along the racetrack game board answering critical questions about self-control. I truly love the idea of comparing self-control to driving because I always it is teaching kids that they are in the driver’s seat!

Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

Blurt. This is by far one of my favorite ways to practice self-control. If you’re not familiar with it, Blurt is a set of cards with definitions for vocabulary words. A leader will read the card and students “blurt” out the answer. My favorite way to play is “around the world” style. Have two students stand next to each other for a duel. Read the card and allow only those two students to shout out the answer. All other students in the room have to use self-control and not shout out, even if they know the answer when no one else does! This can be a big challenge (and GREAT practice) for those students who struggle with shouting out when it is not their turn. Note that if you don’t have blurt, you can always make up your very own cards with content area questions!

Guard Duty. Use this as a secret weapon when you want students to use self-control in the hallways. The idea is simple: Tell students that they are guards for the palace. They have a mission to be as serious and guard-like as possible. That means using self-control and ignoring anyone who tries to distract you! Anyone who fails the challenge has to go to the back of the line. It can be added fun if you have another teacher do something to try and distract your students.

Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

Freeze. This game incorporates movement, play, and self-control all in one. Just play some music and let kids dance, wiggle, and walk around. Have one person be the leader (a teacher to start) and yell “Freeze!” at any time. As soon as someone shouts it, everyone should freeze in place, with the music still playing. This can be challenging with the music still going, because you might have the urge to keep dancing. This is a great game to practice at the end of the week for some added fun.

Simon Says. This game focuses on attention skills, but self-control, too! Kids have to be focused to listen for what Simon says to do, while using self-control to stop themselves if “Simon” doesn’t say it! Stand in front of the class and shout out commands like “Simon says put your hands on your head” and “Simon says stand on one foot.” Then, throw one in there that doesn’t say “Simon says” and see who can follow along. Afterwards, you can switch it up and have students be the leader as well.

Social Problem Solving Board Game. This social problem-solving board game is one of my favorite games I created because it targets so many different social areas all in one. Students move through the game board answering a variety of social problem-solving questions about school, home, activities, and friends. This is a great way to practice self-control because students need to stop and think about how they will solve each problem.

Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

Wait Five. I love this game because it can be played with any trivia, vocabulary, or academic content. This makes it a great review game, too. Ask one question at a time but students must wait a full five seconds before shouting out the answer. This can be especially helpful for those students who love to shout out the answer without being called on. Of course, you can play around with the rules, making the wait time longer or shorter, and even allowing only certain students to shout out at certain times. The whole idea is to build self-control by waiting just a little bit longer than we really want to!

Role Play. Kids and young adults love acting scenarios out, but it can also be a great way to practice skills for self-control. Come up with your own scenarios or use these social scenario task cards. Have students act out the situation in partners or small groups, considering what they would do and why. You can even invite students to act out the situation at the front of the class. It is most important to highlight the socially appropriate choices and why they matter. This can be a fun addition to any morning meeting or social group time.

Self-Control Task Cards. I added these in because you can use these self-control task cards along with any turn-taking game. Just have students answer one card before they can take their turn. It’s a win-win because kids and playing a game they love while learning about self-control at the same time.

Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

Orchestra. Anything that incorporates music and skill practice is a win! For this game, you can choose to pass out instruments to your students if you have them (such as triangles or drum sticks). If you don’t have them, that’s okay, since students can use their hands, pencils, or imaginary instruments to go with the beat. Play a sample of music and have students play to the beat. Continue with many different samples, both slower and faster. The whole idea is that students are able to use self-control to stay with the beat, even if they want to go faster or slower in the moment.

Stoplight. This game is another quick activity that can be done any time with no props. Start by shouting out, “Green Light”. Let students walk around the classroom, talk, and mingle. You can even let them dance if you want to! Then, after a few seconds or minutes, say, “Yellow Light.” At this time, students have to slow down and go at a snail’s pace. They can still move, but it has to be slow! Finally, end with “Red Light,” and have students completely stop in their tracks. You can continue over and over with as much time as you have.

Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

Games can be the perfect way to integrate social skills and self-control practice into your classroom! Do you have other games that work in your classroom? Share them below!

Use these games and play activities to strengthen self-control and self-regulation skills for kids and young adults. Teachers can use these games during break times or even as rewards! Games can be one of the best ways to help boost self control for teens and children. #selfcontrol #pathway2success

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