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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

Distance Learning

Given the coronavirus pandemic, I am continually putting together resources to help teachers and parents with distance learning. During this time, social emotional learning activities are even more critical than normal. The resources below all contain links to digital activities on Google Drive (as well as printable materials). Below are some of my favorites, but I am constantly adding to the collection. You can view more digital resources here.

Integrate writing and social emotional learning with this complete yearlong SEL journal. Cover one section per day to learn about skills like growth mindset, self-control, coping strategies, and more.

A year’s worth of social emotional learning choice boards for kids and teens. Digital prompts allow kids to respond to SEL questions every day.

Engaging and interactive lessons to teach and practice mindfulness with kids and teens. Activities include positive affirmations, creating mindful crafts, mindful coloring, mindful listening, and more.

A complete yearlong journal that targets mindfulness. Other skills are also integrated, such as growth mindset, self-awareness, positive self-talk, emotional awareness, and more.

Introductory executive functioning lessons to target planning, organization, time management, and more. The lessons include self-assessments, activities, and posters.

Cards to teach and practice mindful breathing in a fun and memorable way. Breathing exercises can be practiced at the beginning of the day or anytime learners need them.

A complete unit to teach young adults how to effectively manage emotions. These lessons cover understanding emotions, expressing yourself, adapting to change, coping strategies, and more.

A comprehensive no-prep workbook targeting all executive functioning skills from planning to perseverance. This workbook provides strategies and supports for older learners.

A complete and comprehensive set of yearlong lessons and activities to target executive functioning skill for young adults. This set includes a year and semester pacing guide.

A set of indoor and outdoor scavenger hunts to practice mindfulness in an interactive way. Learners will use their senses to find objects around them.

A yearlong journal focused on social emotional learning skills for elementary students. Each week includes 5 prompts to target SEL skills.

A workbook focused on teaching kids and teens strategies for managing worries in healthy ways.

Social skills task cards focused on teaching empathy, conversation, conflict resolution, and more. These include digital prompts for learners.

10+ Social Emotional Activities for Home

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Social emotional learning isn’t just something that should be practiced and taught at school. SEL skills are life skills, of course! These include skills like empathy, self-control, and decision-making.

Before I even get started, while I was writing this post, I decided to also create a set of SEL printables you can send home with parents and families right away. Of course, if you’re a parent looking for extra activities, I would encourage you to use them on your own, too! They include four choice boards covering skills like responsibility, friendships, strengths, and managing emotions. You can download your free printable SEL activities here.

It’s important to mention that you don’t have to be an expert with social emotional skills to teach and practice them with kids. Even small activities, like reading books and playing games, can strengthen social skills and teach kids important skills along the way. This matters.

Whenever you are doing a new activity, it’s important to let kids know what skills they are working on. This makes every SEL activity more purposeful and targeted. For example, if you are playing board games, just briefly remind kids that they are working on important social skills like taking turns and showing fairness. This can lead to a good conversation about what those skills mean and why they matter.

Here are some SEL activities you can encourage parents to try, or do with your own children!

Empathy in Action

Skills targeted: Empathy, Perspective-Taking

How to try it: Spend some time watching a show or movie. At any given time, pause and discuss how the characters are feeling. You might ask: “How are they feeling?” and “How would you feel if that happened to you?” Use this conversation to build on considering how others feel, discussing social cues, and caring about their emotions.

Acts of Kindness Challenge

Skills targeted: Kindness, Empathy

How to try it: Use this free printable random acts of kindness challenge to encourage kids to be kind to others. For each kind act they do, have them color in the picture. Another option is to have them give an example of each kind act before they color it in.

Just Chat!

Skills targeted: Self-Awareness, Conversation Skills, Relationships

How to try it: Start by asking kids questions about anything from their favorite foods and activities to what three items they might bring on a deserted island with them. Many questions can help work on conversation skills, turn-taking, and self-awareness. You can start with this free printable list of conversation questions or consider these social emotional learning task cards to chat and focus on the skills more explicitly.

10+ free social emotional learning ideas to use at home for parents. #pathway2success

Mindful Breathing

Skills targeted: Mindfulness, Coping Skills, Managing Emotions

How to try it: Let kids know that they will be practicing mindful breathing. Explain that mindful breathing is just focusing on breathing in and out to help calm our minds and bodies. There are many different mindful breathing exercises to try out. One of my favorites is “Cool off the pizza.” In this activity, have kids pretend they have a hot slice of pizza in front of them. Slowly breathe in to smell the pizza and breathe out to cool it down. Another one of my favorites is bubble breathing. If you have bubbles on hand it is even better, but you can also pretend! Practice breathing in and out as you blow bubbles. Learn more about other ideas to practice mindful breathing.

Mindful Scavenger Hunt

Skill targeted: Mindfulness, Attention

How to try it: Explain that mindfulness is learning to focus on the present. This can help our minds and bodies feel calm and in control. On your own, create a list of 10 or 12 items you want kids to find. Note that this can be done inside or outside. For example, if outside, you might want them to find a plant, a pine cone, something blue, and something bumpy. If inside, you might want them to find something yellow, something in the shape of a square, and something that makes noise. You can create your own scavenger hunts (or skip the prep with the ones I’ve made), so it’s entirely up to you and what you have! Give kids time to find these items and have them write them down on a piece of paper to document them.

Kindness Share

Skills targeted: Kindness, Confidence

How to try it: Discuss what it means to be kind and give compliments. come up with some examples together. Then, have each person (kids and adults) write their name on a piece of paper. Pass that paper to your right. When you get someone else’s paper, write something kind and thoughtful about that person.

Organize It

Skills targeted: Planning, Organization

How to try it: Discuss what it means to be organized and how we know when something is organized and tidy. Gather a set of supplies for each child or team. Set the timer to a certain amount (five minutes, for example) and see if the child can return those items to the correct spot.

Mindfulness 5-4-3-2-1

Skills targeted: Mindfulness, Coping Skills, Self-Regulation

How to try it: Explain that kids will be practicing mindfulness, which is a skill that helps us stay calm and in control. Have kids look around their room to find 5 things they can see, 4 things they can touch, 3 things they can hear, 2 things they can smell, and 1 thing they can taste. This is a grounding exercise that can help manage tough emotions and provide a mental reset when needed. After giving it a try, you can move to another room and try the same. More free mindfulness activities and ideas can be found here.

Optical Illusions

Skills targeted: Perspective-Taking

How to try it: Find any optical illusions online or use this free printable worksheet. Have kids review the optical illusions. First, have them think about what they see and write it down. Then, share. Kids should quickly notice that what they see isn’t always what others might see. Explain how optical illusions are like situations; sometimes you and someone else can see the same situation in different ways. As a follow-up, kids can find their own optical illusions online.

SEL Read Alouds

Skills targeted: All SEL skills (varies depending on book)

How to try it: Choose any read aloud. As you read through the book, stop and discuss the social emotional skills embedded in the book. One skill that carries across all picture books, for example, is empathy. You can talk about how the character might feel, what they might be thinking, and how you can tell. Depending on which book you choose, many different social emotional skills can be discussed from confidence to decision-making and beyond. Grab this free printable SEL Read Aloud List to help you get started.

Board Games

Skills targeted: Turn-Taking, Sportsmanship

How to try it: Use any board games you have on hand, such as Monopoly or Candy Land. These games can help support a number of skills, including taking turns, having conversations, and showing good sportsmanship. Check here for some other ideas for social emotional games you can use.

Mindful Coloring

Skills targeted: Mindfulness, Coping Skills

How to try it: Set the tone with some calming music. Have kids color or doodle quietly as they breathe in and out. Note that you can use any coloring pages or books on hand, or grab these free printable mindful coloring pages to start.

Charades

Skills targeted: Social Cues, Emotions

How to try it: Discuss that our body language and facial expressions can often hint at what we’re doing and how we’re feeling. Have each person or child come up with an activity, such as making a sandwich, and then act it out. See if others can guess the activity. Note that you can also do this with emotions, by having kids act out different emotions and seeing if others can correctly guess.

Journal Writing

Skills targeted: Emotions, Self-Regulation, Self-Awareness

How to try it: Explain that writing in a journal can help express our feelings and thoughts. Set the timer for 5 or 10 minutes, and have each person just write what is on their mind. Give time for kids to share their thoughts afterward if they want. Another option is to use open-ended prompts for kids to write about. You can learn more about mindful journaling here as well.

Inspirational Quotes

Skills targeted: Kindness, Perseverance, and many more

How to try it: Find a couple examples of your favorite inspirational quotes. This will vary depending on the age level of the children. For example, you might read, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Discuss the quote and what it means. Then, give a topic and have kids find or create their own quotes on that topic. Have them write them down and share them. You can even have kids design their own posters for the quote.

Practice Positive Affirmations

Skills targeted: Positive Thinking, Confidence, Self-Love

How to try it: Explain that positive affirmations are kind and supportive words we say to ourselves to lift us up. For example, before a big test, we might say, “I can do this!” Ask kids to think of their own positive words they might say. Use this free printable positive affirmations list to have kids find their favorite positive self-talk statements. Practice saying them, writing them down, and creating cards for each of their favorites.

I-Spy

Skills targeted: Attention, Mindfulness

How to try it: This is probably a game you’ve played before, but it’s important to mention because SEL skills can be easily integrated! Start by saying, “I spy with my little eye….”. For example, you might spy something green. Have kids stay just where they are and look around for the item. Instead of just guessing, it’s helpful to have them ask questions that really cause them to think. For example, they might say, “is it something you can play with?” and “is it something you can write on?” After giving some time for questions, allow the child to guess what it is. Whoever guesses it right can by the next to spy something.

Need more ideas? I’ve put together a massive list of 100+ FREE social emotional learning activities, printables, ideas, and more. Use it for yourself or share it to help someone else in need.

Coping Strategies

Coping strategies are the skill and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

Coping strategies are the tools we use to manage tough emotions and cope with stress. While it is often an expected behavior to know how to handle emotions, it is not a skill we are born with. This is why coping strategies need to be taught and practiced on a regular basis.

Strong coping strategies can make a big difference in helping kid and teens be successful in and outside of school. For example, one student might need to practice deep breathing to feel calm before a big test. Another learner might want to listen to music to help them de-stress during a busy week with lots of homework. These strategies are actually life skills that we all need, which is why it is so important to help kids and teens develop them at an early age.

BENEFITS OF COPING STRATEGIES

Coping strategies are the skill and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

Teaching coping strategies is important! These are one of the most foundational social emotional skills that all kids and teens need to learn. Here are just a few of the benefits that teaching coping strategies can bring:

  • Teaches emotional management.
  • Encourages a positive way to express emotions.
  • Empowers kids and teens to make better choices.
  • Improves self-regulation and self-control.
  • Creates feelings of happiness and calm.
  • Serves as a tool to manage stress.
  • Improves confidence and independence.
  • Helps learners work through risks and challenges.
  • Improves behaviors and choices overall.

PRACTICING COPING STRATEGIES

It’s critical to spend time practicing coping strategies together with kids and teens. This is an important step because it normalizes healthy coping strategies. It also provides kids and teens with adequate practice with coping skills. Simply put, kids and teens need to practice coping strategies when they are calm so that they can effectively use the skills when they are overwhelmed.

Here are some of the most simple and important strategies you can practice with your learners:

Coping strategies are the skill and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

Practice mindful breathing. By actually thinking about our breathing as we inhale and exhale, we can help control our bodies and our minds. In essence, deep breathing is a form of mindfulness. This is one of the best coping skills to teach because it is something kids can take with them wherever they go. Practice with fun and memorable breathing exercises such as “cookie breathing.” In this breathing exercise, have students imagine that there is a tray of freshly baked cookies in front of them. Slowly breathe in to smell the cookies. Then, breathe out! Other fun mindful breathing exercises include “dragon breath,” and “cool off the pizza.” There are as many as you can think up!

Exercise and incorporate movement. Getting the body moving is a great way to combat stress and tough emotions. In fact, some kids and teens need movement as opposed to other coping strategies that involve sitting still. Try taking a 5 minute brain break by doing jumping jacks, running in place, stretching, or even practicing yoga. This can even become a simple daily warm-up routine in the morning to start the day.

Coping strategies are the skill and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

Read together. The practice of reading and listening to reading can be extremely calming. Choose a class read aloud that your students will enjoy and let them sit in a comfortable position, whether that is at their seats or on a rug. Rather than focusing on the literary devices or theme of the story (something you might do in language arts time), just spend the time reading and talking. Let it be a calming and enjoyable time together. Of course, this is a technique that you can practice again and again throughout the entire year.

Listen to music. Music is soothing, whether it is classical, jazz, or anything else instrumental. While students are working independently, play music to set a calm and positive tone. Another strategy is to listen to nature sounds. Once you have tried a few, you can give the responsibility over to the students for them to choose what to listen to for that day.

Coping strategies are the skill and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

Mindful coloring. Grab some coloring books from the dollar store or use these free printable mindful coloring pages to start. Set the mood with calming music and let kids color quietly by themselves. The biggest key to mindful coloring is learning how to just color and not focus on thoughts that may pop into the mind. Encourage students to not judge while they are coloring. If they feel like they’ve made a “mistake,” just breathe and let it go. This can be a soothing activity to try out after recess or before a big test.

Use positive self-talk. The way we talk to ourselves sets the tone for our success. Teach learners to use uplifting and encouraging positive self-talk with phrases like, “I can do this,” and “I am strong.” Practice positive self-talk together, and you can even make it a daily routine to read positive self-talk statements together.

Practice gratitude. Gratitude is being thankful for what we have. Have students take a few minutes to list out 5 things they are grateful for. These can be big things, like important family members and pets. They can also be much smaller things, like the sound of birds singing or the feeling of the sun.

Coping strategies are the skill and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

Write in a journal. Writing can be a healthy outlet to express emotions. Give time throughout the week for students to free write in a journal or notebook. Encourage them to write about how they’re feeling and what is on their minds. This can be something that they turn in to you or something that no one ever sees at all. You can also use writing for more mindful journal activities, such as a guided visualization or mindful focus.

Write a choices list. When challenges come up, it’s important to teach kids and teens that they have the power to tackle it themselves often. Come up with a problem and practice listing choices for it together. For example, you might say, “Imagine that you left your homework at home. What choices do you have?” List them out together to help focus on solving the problem.

Talk about favorite things. Distraction can be a powerful tool in times of stress. Teach kids and teens how to refocus on the good by talking about favorite things, like sports, a favorite pet, a family vacation, or just something they are looking forward to soon.

Coping strategies are the skills and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

GETTING STARTED

Create a coping strategies notebook. Help your students get acquainted with coping strategies by having them put together their own coping strategies notebooks. Start by choosing some strategies that you think will work best for them, such as deep breathing, using positive self-talk, and practicing yoga. For each coping strategy, add a page to your students’ binders explaining that skill. Practice the strategy and allow kids to reflect on it right in their notebooks. With time, kids will end up with a coping strategies notebook filled with meaningful techniques they can use during stressful times.

Start a coping strategies challenge. Make it a point to teach and practice coping strategies on a regular basis! One simple way to accomplish this is to start a 30-day Coping Strategies Challenge. For each day, take 5-10 minutes and practice a different coping strategy with your learners. For example, on day one, you might have your students listen to music. Then, on day two, you can have your learners color or draw. After practicing each strategy, have students discuss how it worked for them and when they might use it in the future.

If this is a topic you could use more support with, consider signing up to be a Pathway 2 Success member! As a Pathway 2 Success member, you will get updates on blog posts and access to exclusive free resources in the member library, like the free coping strategies challenge activity.

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MORE INFORMATION & RESOURCES

Looking for more information and resources to help you get started right away? Check out some of the links below.

Coping strategies are the skills and tools to help kids and teens manage stress and tough emotions. Practice strategies like deep breathing, journal writing, practicing gratitude, mindful coloring, and more. #pathway2success

Managing Challenging Behaviors

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

Challenging behaviors are any behaviors that impact the learning process. They might include refusing to work, arguing, calling out, refusing to put the phone away, or not following instructions. These situations can become extremely difficult for educators in the classroom, so it is critical to have strategies and interventions along the way.

UNDERSTANDING CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS

It’s important to note that there is always a reason for challenging behaviors. Sometimes, as adults, we don’t see or understand the reasons. This can feel frustrating, of course. Regardless, it’s important to take a step back and have empathy. It would almost always be easier for a child or teen to follow the rules and meet expectations. Challenging behaviors are ways that kids communicate their feelings and needs. Perhaps a child didn’t eat breakfast. Maybe a student is struggling with a family divorce. It’s even possible that the child is having difficulty coping with past trauma that no one knows about. There are numerous possible reasons.

Having empathy and understanding for what a child or teen is going through can be the first step in making progress in the right direction.

PROACTIVE STRATEGIES

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

While it’s critical to have strategies prepared for behavioral challenges in the moment, sometimes this can serve as just a “band-aid.” Alongside those strategies, it’s important to develop proactive approaches as well. Being proactive is all about considering ideas and strategies to put in place when all is calm, long before a behavioral episode happens. In fact, these strategies lay the foundation for growth, change, and progress.

Of course, there are several proactive strategies that can be put into place. Rather than trying to use all the strategies, focus on just a few and practice them with fidelity. Be consistent and make them meaningful.

Be clear with expectations. Kids and teens can only do well when they know how. Explain the classroom expectations, discuss them, and revisit them often. For example, prior to a schoolwide assembly, take a few minutes and talk about what students should do, how they can pay attention, and when they should clap. You can review expectations before group work, walking down the hallway, going to the book fair, during morning work, and many other times. All kids benefit from the reminder, but some truly need it.

Be consistent. Kids and teens thrive on structure and consistency. Be consistent with your expectations, whether it is the first day of school or the day before a break. Students might misunderstand or feel confused when expectations are changed. It’s always best to be consistent.

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

Build strong relationships. Strong connections are paramount to helping kids and teens do their best. If we want kids to do well, we need to make sure they feel connected, respected, and loved. Spend time chatting with learners about their favorite sports, current events, and dreams for the future. Get to know them on a personal level. There are numerous strategies for connecting and building relationships with kids. Use this printable list with relationship-building questions to get started or read up more ideas to build relationships with learners. Simply put, relationships are the foundation for everything.

Teach social skills. When a student is struggling, stop and think about what social skills they might be lacking. Do they struggle with group work because they don’t know how to work well on a team? Do they continually interrupt the class because they lack strong self-control skills? Many of these social skills can be explicitly taught and practiced in small groups. You can set up a lunch group to teach to a small group of students or you can spend morning meeting time teaching the entire class.

Consider accommodations. Sometimes, kids struggle because they can’t see the board from where they are sitting or because the work is too challenging. If the student has an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or 504, refer back to it to ensure the student has access to their modifications and accommodations. If the student is not on any plan, consider what simple classroom accommodations might help that child. Perhaps move them to the front of the room or give them the choice of two different worksheets during morning work time. There are many different accommodations that you can try and many don’t take much effort or time.

Consider health and wellness needs. Take time to consider if the student might be struggling because they are not getting enough sleep, are skipping breakfast, or are getting headaches on a regular basis. While all of these issues aren’t easily fixed, understanding them can help pinpoint what your next steps should be.

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

Teach and practice coping strategies. Coping strategies, or coping skills, are the activities we do to help manage stress and tough emotions. Coping strategies are life skills that are incredibly important to teach and practice with kids and teens. Spend time practicing deep breathing techniques, practice yoga, do some mindful journal writing activities, and practice positive self-talk. All of these activities are coping strategies that kids and teens can use when feeling overwhelmed or upset.

Incorporate interests. Find ways to add student interests into the lessons and activities in the classroom. When working on writing skills, you might model paragraph writing by talking about a student’s favorite video game or sport. Know your students first, then add what they love into the day. Not only will this help build relationships, but it helps keep kids motivated, focused, and involved.

Create a calm down area. Every classroom should have a spot where kids and teens can go to calm down and get themselves back on track. This can reduce the amount of time kids are out of your class missing critical instruction. Having a calm down area also helps teach kids that it’s okay to feel upset, as long as you manage your feelings in a socially appropriate way.

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

Start with morning meeting. A morning meeting is a positive check-in time where students greet each other and talk about topics. This can serve as a healthy morning routine while teaching skills that kids need. Learn more about morning meetings, why they matter, and how you can get started with them.

Create a behavior plan. Sit 1:1 with your struggling learner and develop a behavior plan that works for them. Review expectations, goals, and come up with incentives the student wants to work for. Aim for non-tangible incentives, such as listening to music during morning work time, extra gym time, or class reader. Not only are these rewards that don’t cost anything, but they also build relationships.

Give student choice. Choice is a powerful tool, especially when dealing with challenging behaviors. It’s important to note that giving choice isn’t giving the easy way out or letting kids get away with behaviors. Instead, it is allowing kids some wiggle room while helping them achieve the end goal. It’s a win-win. For example, when working on reading skills, let your students choose between two stories with different topics. When practicing spelling words, let kids choose between writing with a pencil or with a gel pen. Small choice options reduce power struggles and allow kids to feel successful in their own way.

Plan for triggers. Consider the situations that cause your student to struggle the most and plan for them. For example, if the student regularly has difficulty working in a larger group, consider putting the student with one or two peer role models instead of choosing friends.

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

Teach mindful breathing techniques. Mindful breathing is a technique to help kids and teens focus on their breathing in the moment. This can help kids feel calm, focused, and in control. This is one of the best strategies to teach and practice because it can be done easily anywhere when needed. Read more about mindful breathing techniques to try with your learners.

Conference privately. Meet with students privately on a regular basis to talk about what’s going well and what could be improved. It’s important to not wait until a behavior challenge occurs to do this. Kids need to know that you are their mentor and advocate. You can even set up a weekly review binder and meet with students once a week to talk about their goals, progress, and what’s on their mind. This is a great way to build relationships, but also a strategy that can help you have those tough conversations about behavior expectations when they need to happen.

MANAGING CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

In the moment, it can help to use the word ADAPT to de-escalate and restore calm to the situation. Here are the simple steps:

Act calm. Keeping yourself calm in the moment is critical to help kids and teens regain their calm. Even in moments when you don’t feel calm, practice deep breathing and use positive self-talk to help yourself stay grounded. This will help kids and teens get back on track quicker.

De-escalate. De-escalating the situation means helping to restore the calm. This is an important step because kids and teens are overwhelmed when upset and not thinking clearly. You can de-escalate by using a calming voice, giving the student space, using planned ignoring, or changing the subject to something positive. Find what works for your learner.

Acknowledge feelings. It’s important to let kids know that you acknowledge their feelings. You might say, “I can tell you’re angry about that. I would feel angry, too.” Then, just listen. Hear kids out.

Problem-solve. When the student is calm, problem-solve together. You might say, “I noticed group work was really tough for you earlier today. What was going on? How could we work on that together?” Remember to stay open-minded and flexible. Again, most importantly, listen to the student. Come up with a plan for next time together.

Think reflectively. Spend time being reflective. Think about what went wrong and what you, as the adult, could have done differently. Could you have asked in a different way? Could you have provided choice instead of expecting one specific assignment done? Being reflective is a critical and healthy process.

Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

If this is a topic you could use more support with, consider signing up to be a Pathway 2 Success member! As a Pathway 2 Success member, you will get updates on blog posts and access to exclusive free resources in the member library, like the Managing Behaviors Cheat Sheet and De-escalation List. Just enter your email address below to join as a Pathway 2 Success member!

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Supporting kids and teens with challenging behaviors in the classroom. Teachers and parents can use this guide to come up with strategies and techniques to help when kids don't follow directions or act out in challenging ways. It also includes a link to a free cheat sheet! #pathway2success #behavior

SEL Curriculum

The Pathway 2 Success SEL Curriculum is a complete social emotional learning curriculum to teach critical SEL skills for the entire year. It is filled with over 180 lessons and activities targeting social awareness, confidence, SMART goals, social skills, study skills, managing emotions, understanding relationships, decision-making skills, and much more.

What is Social Emotional Learning?

Social emotional learning, also known as SEL, is the process for acquiring social and emotional skills for everyday success. These skills include understanding ourselves and our abilities, practicing self-control, developing goals, maintaining positive relationships, developing empathy for others, making positive choices, and much more. Essentially, social emotional learning skills are life skills. These are abilities learners need in the classroom, at home, with friends, in future relationships, and beyond.

Why is teaching SEL important?

Social and emotional learning helps teach skills that kids and teens need to be successful. Having a foundation focused on social emotional learning supports a safe and positive learning environment where all students feel free to share their voices, accept challenges, take risks, and work towards finding their individual path to success.

Why Pathway 2 Success?

The lessons and activities in this curriculum are designed specifically for learners of all levels and abilities to learn, use, discuss, and generalize the social and emotional skills they need.

The idea is simple: We want our students to find their individual pathway to success! They need to be able to understand themselves, recognize their strengths, work through their challenges, enjoy the benefits of positive relationships, and be the best they can be.

We also want our students to be strong! Learners need strategies to manage their emotions, advocate for themselves, and make positive decisions throughout their lives. Through learning these skills, kids and young adults can work towards their individual potentials.

What Skills Are Included?

This complete curriculum targets the five core areas of social emotional learning: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and decision-making. Each unit breaks apart the skills in a meaningful, fun, and memorable way for learners.

Unit 1: Self-Awareness

  • Understanding strengths and challenges
  • Building confidence
  • Emotional awareness
  • Developing good character
  • Embracing a growth mindset
  • Practicing mindfulness
  • Considering aspirations for the future

Unit 2: Self-Management

  • Learning to plan
  • Developing positive study skills
  • Using self-control
  • Managing emotions
  • Developing healthy coping strategies
  • Understanding perseverance
  • Becoming resilient

Unit 3: Social Awareness

  • Understanding social expectations and norms
  • Reading social cues
  • Respect
  • Learning to perspective-take
  • Developing empathy
  • Kindness and compassion
  • Celebrating diversity

Unit 4: Relationship Skills

  • Friendship skills
  • Understanding healthy relationships
  • Using effective communication skills
  • Working well with others
  • Negotiation and compromise
  • Conflict resolution skills
  • Apologizing and repairing relationships

Unit 5: Decision-Making

  • Understanding responsibility
  • Values and morals
  • Owning choices
  • Developing problem-solving skills
  • Making ethical decisions
  • Navigating peer influence
  • Embracing healthy habits

SEL Researched-Based Best Practices

This curriculum utilizes best practices for SEL instruction, including:

  • Sequenced and connected activities to foster skill development.
  • Active and varied forms of learning, including class discussions, journal writing, games, partner/group activities, and projects.
  • Focused approach to emphasize the development of personal and social skills.
  • Explicit instruction to target social emotional skills in an organized and specific way using the five core domains of SEL.

Other Questions

How much prep is required? Some activities include hands-on crafts and/or tasks cards, which require gathering of materials or cutting the cards out ahead of time. If this is a challenge for you, you can always elect to skip those specific activities. Another option is to have students do the cutting of materials like task cards right during your lesson time.

Can I use this in a homeschool environment? Yes! Some lessons and activities are designed for larger groups, but the vast majority of activities can be used 1:1 or in small groups. Further, some lessons discuss “school” and other school-related activities, but the main target for every lesson is the SEL skills.

Can I start midyear? Absolutely. It’s always most important to get started teaching SEL skills right away, rather than waiting for the “perfect” time. Start with unit 1 and build on those skills for as long as you work with your students. Even if you do not finish the curriculum with your students this year, it will be providing kids with meaningful skills while giving you extra practice in teaching them.

How To Get Started

Head over to my store and find the Social Emotional Curriculum to get started right away. Use the SEL Curriculum Planning and Pacing Guides to answer all of your questions and plan out the year filled with meaningful activities for your learners.

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

15+ Executive Functioning Strategies Every Teacher Can Use

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Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

Many kids and young adults struggle with executive functioning challenges. Some are easy to spot, such as when a student can’t focus on a lesson or comes to class without their entire binder. Other EF challenges are less obvious, though. A learner might take two times as long on homework because they don’t understand strategies to help them complete it quicker. Another student might look like they are paying attention, but may not be absorbing the content. For more of an in-depth explanation on these skills, be sure to check out my post on executive functioning skills explained.

Kids and young adults only have so much mental energy they can use at one time (we all do, right?). For kids who struggle with basic EF skills, like organization, planning, and time management, we want to reduce any wasted mental energy. This can help our learners focus on the more important things, including learning the content and practicing the skills.

Here are some simple steps that every educator can take to help all learners develop executive functioning success in the classroom:

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#1 Develop, teach, and practice routines. Consistency is a huge key to student success. That’s true for all learners, but especially kids and young adults with EF deficits. Make everything a routine. Turning in homework each morning? Routine. Writing homework down at the end of class? Routine. Cleaning out notebooks for a new unit? Routine! It’s important to note that just coming up with a routine for these tasks isn’t really enough. The routines need to be practice and re-practiced throughout the year.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#2 Keep a daily schedule posted. Not only does a daily plan for the day keep educators on track, but it keeps students organized, too. A daily schedule or plan doesn’t need to be “perfect.” It’s okay if it is a rough outline of what you plan to do during the class. A daily schedule or plan keeps students more organized and gives a sneak peak of what is to come. This can help everyone mentally prepare for class and preview expectations.

#3 Write homework in the same spot. Having a designated homework spot means kids and young adults use less mental energy figuring out where their assignment is listed each day. It’s a small step that can make a big difference.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#4 Embed executive functioning instruction in your content. One of the easiest ways to teach EF skills is by discussing them through your content and curriculum. For example, when working on a long-term project, you might talk about organization and time management. Before working on a challenging test, you might highlight strategies to help all learners use flexibility and perseverance. There are so many opportunities. Every teacher can and should be a teacher of executive functioning skills.

#5 Give organization time at the end of class. Kids and young adults with executive functioning challenges are notoriously disorganized. They can certainly learn skills to improve, but they need the time to get there. Dedicate the last few minutes of each class to tidying up, putting papers in the right spots, and making sure homework is written down. While not all kids will need this time, many really do.

#6 Teach skills explicitly. When kids struggle with math or reading, we teach them. The same should be true for skills like organization, self-control, and time management. You don’t need to be an executive function expert to talk about and teach these skills. I have developed a number of EF materials for educators, including executive functioning task cards and an executive functioning workbook. If you’re looking for even more, grab the whole yearlong executive functioning set to get started right away. Even if you are just discussing one skill each week or so, you are moving kids in the right direction.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#7 Give mini-deadlines on long-term projects. Any educator knows that long-term projects can be a major challenge for some students. Mini-deadlines are a simple solution to the problem. If a report is due in two weeks, work to break up the project into sections. Make a date for students to find their sources, create an outline, and write a first draft. Over time, you can train students to create their own mini-deadlines to build independence.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#8 Reduce distractions. It’s important to note that reducing distractions will look different in every classroom. Still, it’s important to be reflective. Art projects hanging from the ceiling might look beautiful, but they may actually be doing more harm than good if they are distracting your learners. Take time to re-assess the visuals and materials in your classroom and reduce any distractions that might be about.

#9 Give time checks. Kids and young adults who struggle with time management often don’t have a strong understanding of time itself. During working sessions, use a chime or just your voice to give time checks for how much longer is left. For example, you might say, “This is a time check. You have about 10 more minutes before we need to clean up the lab stations.” This simple no-prep support is helpful to all kids, but especially to kids with EF challenges.

#10 Keep extra papers stored in a bin. Of course, we want all students to stay organized and keep all of their papers where they need to be. However, kids with EF challenges are likely to lose papers. Give them a way to find an extra paper without having to ask an adult every single time by setting up a bin with extra pages.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#11 Explicitly state when important information is being shared. It would be great if every student perfectly paid attention during all lectures and lessons, but we all know that’s not exactly the case. With this, it’s critical to be very explicit when sharing information that matters the most. You might say, “I’m about to say something really important. Pencils down and eyes on me,” as a cue.

#12 Give breaks. No one can be 100% all of the time. This is especially true for our learners with executive functioning challenges. Their brains are working extra hard to pay attention, stay organized, manage their time, problem-solve, and work through challenges. It’s important to give brain breaks during class, when needed. Individual students may also benefit from breaks, such as getting a drink at the water fountain or having them deliver something to another classroom for you.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#13 Preview changes. For kids and young adults who struggle with flexibility, change can be a huge obstacle. If there is a change of schedule coming up, give students a heads up. Explain what the change is and how the day will proceed. This doesn’t need to take much time, but can help take some of the stress away from the changes coming up.

#14 Stock a classroom office. For some kids, organization comes easy! For others, it is a lifelong struggle. While working on these skills, give the kids the tools they need to be successful in the classroom. Stock a classroom office with pencils, pens, extra paper, and other supplies for kids who need them. It’s important to see this as an intervention and a support, not a way to enable kids. Of course, the goal is to have learners bring their own pencils and come prepared each day. However, an executive functioning deficit shouldn’t impact a child’s ability to learn the math or reading content for the day. While working on EF skills, stock a classroom office so all kids have the tools they need.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#15 Let kids work through challenges. Kids and young adults need the experiences of doing tasks on their own, whether it is struggling through a math problem or learning how to cut out a craft. It’s okay if things aren’t perfect. It’s much more important that kids and young adults develop the confidence that they can do things independently. This also allows for problem-solving, flexibility, and perseverance. Sometimes, they will need help, and it’s important to give that support! But it’s also okay to let them learn through their struggles so they can persevere and succeed.

#16 Play executive functioning skills games during downtime. Sometimes, it is difficult to integrate EF skills into the day with all the content and curriculum that needs to be covered. This is when downtime can be extremely valuable. Use the last few minutes of class to play fun games that actually strengthen EF skills, like Simon Says and Freeze. Some games, like Guard Duty, can even be played while your students are in line on the way to another class. The idea is to have them act like a guard to the palace and use self-control to not react to anything. Read up on more ways you can use play activities to practice executive functioning skills.

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

#17 Allow for movement in the classroom. Many kids and young adults learn best when they are moving. This can be especially true for kids who struggle with attention and focus. Use center work, stations, and even movement games to allow for extra movement throughout the day while kids are learning the content you need them to.

#18 Be concise. Say what matters the most and keep it short! Kids and young adults who struggle with attention and focus will get lost when directions or information is too wordy. It may also help to have both visual and verbal reminds for the directions for those who need.

If you are interested in teaching executive functioning skills explicitly, I have developed an entire yearlong set of activities for executive functioning skills. It includes everything from workbooks to lessons and crafts to task cards. It is ideal for advisory or the resource room, but I’ve even had general education teachers use it in the first few minutes of class to help teach the skills kids need most.

Also, here are a few more blog posts you might be interested in:

Over 15 strategies for executive functioning that all educators and teachers can use to help struggling students. Whether kids are having difficulty with attention, organization, self-control, or flexibility, these ideas and printable resources will help kids and teens find success in the classroom! #executivefunctioning #pathway2success

Strategies for Oppositional Kids

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The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd

Working with kids and young adults who are oppositional can be challenging. Being oppositional might mean refusing to do work, breaking rules, and engaging in other challenging behaviors. The truth is, many kids can be oppositional from time to time, so many of these strategies work with all learners. With that said, these strategies are truly aimed at learners who are more significantly oppositional and defiant. These are the students who demonstrate challenging behaviors on a regular basis, purposefully do the opposite of what is told, engage in arguments, and might even show aggression.

Whether or not your student is diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder, it can be helpful to understand the disorder. Many of the strategies and techniques can be helpful for all kids who are displaying defiant or disruptive behaviors on a regular basis. If you think a child or young adult might have oppositional defiant disorder, it is important to talk it over with a professional in your area.

Simply put, kids and young adults who demonstrate oppositional behaviors are often in need of significant interventions and supports, not punishments. The list below highlights several strategies for before, during, and after challenging behaviors.

Oppositional kids need support! The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd

PROACTIVE STRATEGIES

  • Build a relationship. Spend time getting to know your student. Look far beyond their challenges and see who they are as an individual. Find ways to build a positive relationship over time.
  • Start fresh every day. This one is important. Treat every day as a new start. Not only does this help educators move past yesterday’s challenges, but it also teaches the student that it is okay to have a bad day sometimes. Make this one your mantra.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Consider underlying needs. So often, oppositional behaviors are the result of underlying emotional challenges and needs. Take time to consider if a learner is struggling with feelings of anger, anxiety, or anything else. When it comes to challenging behavior, there is always a reason why, even if sometimes we don’t see it right away.
  • Explicitly discuss expectations. Teach about social expectations using simple words and visuals. Note that just discussing them once isn’t enough. They need to be openly talked about on a regular basis.
  • Explain your why. When you have a rule or expectation, explain the why behind it. For example, if you want student to turn their work into a specific bin, explain that this is so you don’t end up misplacing their work. It might seem silly, but sometimes just a valid reason is enough to help a student understand and follow along.
  • Watch your tone. Tone of voice can mean a lot to kids, and especially to kids with oppositional defiant disorder. Notice the way that you say things. “Please take out your homework for today,” is much nicer and calmer than, “Take out your homework right now.” Sometimes, it’s the small things that make a big difference.
  • Explicitly discuss consequences. Before challenging behaviors happen, make sure to openly discuss what the consequences will be. Together, come up with a list of what some consequences might be in your setting and discuss why they might happen.
  • Make sure consequences make sense. Logical consequences are always more beneficial than punishments. In the simplest terms, logical consequence are consequences that make sense and aim to repair the problem, rather than simply punish. For example, if a student makes a mess, the consequence might be to clean up. If a student says something mean to someone else, maybe they should do a kind deed or write a letter.
  • Give choices often. Rather than giving one direction or instruction, give a choice between two or three things. Choice can make a BIG difference! For example, if you want your student to spend time reading, ask them, “Would you rather pick out a novel, read a magazine, or listen to an audiobook?” As an educator, you are still making sure your student is working towards their goals, but you are also giving the student a say in how they get there.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Develop small goals together. Spend time 1:1 with your student and come up with small and manageable SMART goals that the child can work on. It’s important to make the goals short-term and attainable so that they can reach them and feel successful. Keep in mind that sometimes kids with oppositional challenges don’t see that success often. Getting a taste of it can really change their life. Use that momentum to keep pushing the student forward in the right direction.
  • Be consistent. Kids and young adults thrive on consistency. Make an effort to have the same routines, expectations, and consequences each day. This makes it much easier for learners to understand and follow along with the expectations you set.
  • Teach strategies for mindfulness. Many kids and young adults don’t know how to put the brakes on when they are upset. Practice mindfulness once or twice a week together to encourage students to develop these skills over time. It is not a skill that develops right away, so lots of practice is necessary. One big positive is that practicing mindfulness in the right way can be fun for kids and young adults.
Mindfulness activities are a great strategy! The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Develop routines. The more routines you have for students, the easier it is for everyone. Develop routines for starting group work, turning in homework, writing homework down, lining up, and switching from one subject to another. The more concrete and consistent these routines are, the less behavioral challenges will come up along the way.
  • Get all adults on the same page. Consistency from adult to adult is critical. If a student is allowed to run in the hall with one adult but not the other, this can be confusing and even frustrating for the learner. Talk with other professionals, including paraeducators and parents, to try and set similar expectations for the student.
  • Practice deep breathing techniques. Teaching kids and young adults to control their breathing can help give them tools to calm down in the moment. It’s important that we teach these strategies ahead of time, so kids can use them when they really need them. Use these free mindful breathing boards to give mindful breathing a try.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Identify triggers. It’s critical to spend time to think about our students’ emotional triggers. Knowing that group work, doing work in front of the class, or independent work are triggers can help you structure your class in a way to minimize those challenges. Sometimes, it takes structured observations to figure out the triggers. If you struggle with this, consider having another staff member take time to observe the student and notice what situations immediately precede the behaviors.
  • Develop a calm down area. Not all kids will need a calm down area, but the ones who need it, really need it. A calm down area is just a special spot for students to go and regulate themselves when they are angry or upset. It is a helpful strategy to keep kids in the room, have them practice coping strategies, and get them back to learning quicker.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Give genuine praise. When a learner is doing something positive, privately let them know. Remember to be specific and genuine in your approach. You might say, “I noticed you worked really hard through that test even though it was a little bit frustrating. That was awesome of you and it showed you’re really doing your best. Thank you.”
  • Provide breaks. Kids with social-emotional needs can’t be at their best all of the time. They need down time. Schedule structured breaks and activities to give some down-time in their day.
  • Teach coping strategies. So often, kids don’t know how to calm down on their own. They need to be explicitly taught skills that can help them feel calm, safe, and regulated. Most importantly, kids need to learn and practice these skills when they are calm (not when they are upset). That means spending time actually practicing listening to music, writing in a journal, and coloring. Teaching coping strategies is not a waste of time; it’s a life skill. Learn about unique ways to teach coping strategies or grab this free list of coping strategies to get your students started.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Stay organized. Keeping the classroom and schedule organized will keep your learners organized, too. A lack of organization can frequently be a trigger for oppositional kids who need extra structure in their lives.
  • Give special responsibilities. Help your most oppositional learning develop a greater connection to the school and classroom by allowing them to give back in some way. Assign the student to water the plants each morning, pass papers back, or be in charge of technology. Try to align the classroom responsibilities with their interests, if possible.
  • Teach social skills. Simply put, if kids aren’t behaving in a socially appropriate way, we need to teach and re-teach those social skills until they can. To support this need, I have developed social skills lessons for elementary kids and social skills lessons for middle and high school students.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Use student interests. One effective way to keep learners engaged is using their personal interests in lessons and activities. Choose read alouds with trains or bikes, if that is what your student loves. Use math problems about dogs, if that is a particular interest.
  • Avoid power struggles. A power struggle with a student is always a losing battle. Your best defense is using techniques to avoid power struggles in the first place.
  • Let the little things go. If a student wants to use a pink gel pen to complete their work, let them! If a learner wants to work standing up, why not? Ask yourself if the behavior is interfering with their learning or not. If it isn’t, try to let the little things go!
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Learn ways to calm yourself. Dealing with a student’s challenging behaviors can be difficult in the moment, especially if those outbursts are directed specifically at you. Find ways to calm yourself down, such as deep breathing or positive self-talk). The calmer you can be, the better it will be for all your learners.
  • Integrate strategies for social emotional learning. Kids and young adult who are oppositional often need supports with social and emotional skills. Learn how to you can integrate social emotional learning or start with these free strategies for SEL.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Brainstorm with other professionals. When you are looking for new strategies and solutions, it’s often helpful to talk with other specialists in your school who know the child. Brainstorm with the school counselor, social worker, psychologist, and any other professionals who work with him or her. Brainstorming with a paraeducator who works with the student can also often be very helpful.
  • Consider incentives and rewards. While intrinsic rewards are always better, it’s true that sometimes kids and young adults need some extra encouragement along the way. Use this free list of rewards and incentives to get ideas to help motivate your learners.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Talk with the child’s counselor. If possible, get permission from guardians to talk with the child’s outside counselor. It can help to try and work on some of the same strategies together.
  • Focus on your own self-care. Working with a student who is oppositional can be extremely stressful for the adults involved. Remember to focus on your own self-care so that you can be the best you for all of your learners. Grab this free educator self-care poster as a reminder.

IN THE MOMENT STRATEGIES

  • Stay calm. Kids and young adults feed off others’ energy. Make it your mantra to stay calm. Sometimes this might mean acting like you are calm, even when you are not! Having a calm attitude is essential to helping kids and young adults feel safe and protected. Not only does a calm demeanor help students regain calm themselves, but it also models appropriate behaviors for them at the same time.
  • Be clear and concise with expectations. Give specific and simple directions as to what the student is expected to do. It’s important to watch your tone of voice and say these expectations in a non-emotional way. If a student is refusing to start their work, calmly tell them, “Please complete up to number 10. Thank you.”
  • Give space. When kids are upset, the last thing they need is an adult talking at them and telling them what to do over and over. So often, they already know but need time to get there. Talking to them can sometimes just create more of an argument. Tell them what you need to tell them, but then walk away. Give them space to get themselves started.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Avoid taking materials away. While this is a critical de-escalation strategy, I think it’s important enough to mention separately. If a child or young adult is using their phone when they shouldn’t be, never take it out of their hands. If they hand it over to you, that’s one thing. It is never advisable to forcefully take something from a child or young adult, though. This just creates a power struggle and will only incite more anger from the child or young adult. Give the instruction, walk away, or ignore, but never take something physically from a learner.
  • Use planned ignoring. Behaviors can happen for many different reasons. When the function is to gain attention, planned ignoring goes a long way. Planned ignoring is when you purposefully ignore problematic behaviors in order to stop and extinguish them. For example, if a student is making silly noises to get your attention during independent work time, try ignoring and pretending you don’t hear. The idea is simple: if the purpose is to gain attention, don’t give them attention. It’s important to note that planned ignoring can be difficult. Sometimes, behaviors even get worse before they get better. However, if adults are consistent in ignoring the behaviors, it can be an extremely useful strategy.
  • Help the child regulate their emotions. When a student is upset, it’s always most important to help them get back on track. Give the student time to regulate their emotions by going to a calm down area, spending a few minutes to themselves, or getting a drink at the water fountain.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Don’t take it personally. This is easier said than done, but it’s important to remind yourself not to take behaviors personally. Kids and young adults with behavioral challenges are struggling. They are acting out in the best way they know how to get the support they need in the moment. Take a deep breath and walk away when you need to.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd

POST-PROBLEM STRATEGIES

  • Make sure the child is calm. Before reflecting on an issue, it is critical that the child or young adult is calm first. If a learner is still upset, give them extra time to calm down and chill out before moving forward. Remember that the ultimate goal is helping that student learn from their ups and downs. That is only meaningful when they are truly calm and ready to learn.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Give time for reflection and problem-solving. While challenging behaviors are happening is not the time to learn. Kid and young adults are emotionally overwhelmed at this stage, meaning no learning is taking place. However, after a child is calm is the perfect time to reflect and problem-solve for the future. This is when the new learning is happening. Spend time talking with the student. Be inquisitive about what happened and not accusatory. For example, you might say, “I noticed you had a problem today with ____________. What happened?” and “What could we do moving forward?” Spend some time brainstorming ideas, strategies, and solutions.
  • Be creative. It is critical to stay open-minded during the problem-solving phase. If a child or young adult gives you an idea, consider it. Not everything will work, and that’s okay. It’s important to allow the child or young adult to be part of the problem-solving process, though. For example, if a student says they think they would do better working while listening to music, consider it. Try it. It’s okay to consider strategies even just a trial. Even if it doesn’t work out, it helps give responsibility to the learner themselves. It also shows that you are fair and willing to try things to help them be successful.
  • Make a plan together. Sometimes, it’s helpful to write out a specific plan with strategies moving forward. When you do this, it’s important to list strategies that the student will do and strategies that the adults will do. While you don’t always need to write out a plan, having these strategies listed and documented helps in a couple of ways. First, it holds all parties responsible for the strategies. Second, it documents that you are trying new strategies. This can be important in the future, so that if it works, you can continue (and if it doesn’t, you can just try something else!). If necessary, you might also consider developing an entire behavior intervention plan.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Give strategies time to work. Not every strategy is going to work perfectly right away. Give them a few times and days before determining if they are effective or not.
  • Help makeup for mistakes. Teaching kids and young adults how to make up for their mistakes is important. It’s also important that they don’t feel they are thrown into this alone. Help them through it. For example, if a student said something mean to someone else, help them write an apology note to their friend. If a student made a mess in another teacher’s classroom, help them find a time to go in and tidy or clean the room to give back. Not only will this help fix the damage, but it teaches a critical life skill.
  • Apologize when you mess up. Sometimes, in the moment, we all make mistakes. After some reflection time, if you think you’ve made a mistake, own up to it and privately apologize to the student. This often goes a long way with kids who are oppositional. A genuine apology can help mend relationships and help the student see that the world can sometimes be a fair place.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
  • Forgive and move on. Remember that every day is a fresh start. Once an incident is over, do your best to forgive the student and move on. Kids (even big kids) are still kids who are learning and growing.
  • Don’t give up. No matter what, never give up on your learners. Even the kids who are oppositional and challenging need all of your support, encouragement, and love. Tell them you won’t give up with your words and show them with your unconditional support.
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd
The ultimate list for strategies for oppositional defiant kids and young adults! Use these strategies, printables, and ideas to help students who struggle with behavioral challenges in the classroom. These are the students breaking rules, refusing to work, engaging in arguments, and struggling with social skills. Some might be diagnosed with ODD (oppositional defiant disorder) and others are not! #pathway2success #oppositionaldefiant #odd

20+ Strategies for Teaching Empathy

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Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Teaching empathy is important. In the simplest of terms, empathy is the ability to notice, understand, and share the emotions of others. It is a critical social skill for all people to have. In many ways, empathy is the social skill that paves the way for all other social skills. It helps us to take someone else’s perspective, understand each others’ emotions, connect with one another, show compassion, make good social choices, and ultimately develop lasting relationships.

What does a lack of empathy look like? Learners who lack empathy can end up with many social challenges. These kids and young adults may struggle to build friendships, have difficulty working with others, and make poor social decisions overall. Most importantly, kids and young adults who lack empathy are often unaware their behaviors can negatively impact others. These learners might do or say something that makes sense to them in the moment, without giving consideration to those around them.

Learners who lack strong empathy skills might:

  • Do or say something that appears rude or inappropriate, such as loudly commenting on someone else’s pimple.
  • Engage in socially unexpected behaviors, such as cutting to the front of the line when they want to be first.
  • Make comments that hurt others’ feelings, such as telling someone their shirt is ugly.
  • Fail to recognize times to be sensitive to others, such as mentioning how much they love their dog right after a friend’s dog passes away.

How can educators build empathy? It is critical for educators to recognize that having a lack of empathy is a skill deficit and not a behavior problem. In the words of Ross Greene, “Kids do well if they can.” There are many ways to teach, highlight, and practice skills for empathy, so these abilities can be learned over time. If you want to get started right away, I have created a whole unit targeting perspective-taking and empathy. It’s important to note that some learners are going to struggle with these skills more than others. What’s important is that you work on them slowly and watch the skills grow. Quite often, these strategies can be integrated into the classroom to help support a positive learning community for all. It’s a win-win!

Here are some strategies for building empathy:

Use literature. Using short stories and novels, you can help learners to think about the emotions and motives of characters. You might ask: How do you think they feel right now? Why do they feel that way? What might they be thinking? How would you feel if you were in their shoes? What might they do next? Best of all, using literature is an easy way to integrate social-emotional learning since it’s something that teachers teach every day!

Teach “being in someone else’s shoes.” Use situations to encourage students to think about how they might feel. Then, go the extra step and have students think about how someone else might feel. This is a critical component of empathy because how we feel might not be how someone else might feel. It’s a skill that can sometimes require lots of practice and discussion with others.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Watch videos and movie clips. Similar to literature, videos and movie clips can be a strategy to think about the emotions of characters. This may be a helpful tactic for learners who struggle with reading or just a fun activity for the end of the week. Just play a quick video clip (or watch a whole movie) and discuss the characters’ feelings, thoughts, motivations, and reactions.

Talk about emotions. Talking about feelings should be normal and expected in the classroom! Model using I-statements and teach about different emotions as they come up.

Use optical illusions to teach perspective-taking. Optical illusions are a fantastic way to teach perspective-taking because they show students that we all think differently and that’s okay! Simply show an optical illusion and have students independently write down what they see. Then, have them discuss. Soon, students will realize that they don’t all see the same thing. It’s a great way to start the discussion on perspective-taking and empathy. You can use this free perspective-taking lesson to try right away!

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Keep an emotion vocabulary board. Improve each student’s emotional vocabulary by keeping a board posted with all different emotion words. Students should recognize that there are multiple shades to every emotion, from irritated to irate and content to elated. Make these words part of the norm so that students can learn to use them effectively.

Identify emotions in photos. Get random old magazines or use your own photos. Have students look through magazines or photos to find images of people. Encourage them to identify how each person might be feeling or thinking. This is such a fun activity that can be done again and again.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Teach social cues. Learners who struggle with skills for empathy can greatly benefit from learning about facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. These can be critical cues for them to start recognizing the thoughts and feelings of others. This can be fun to teach as “social detective work.”

Role-play social scenarios. Discuss a variety of social situations and have students act out what they might do. For example, “Imagine you see someone fall down in the hall. What would you do?” This social situation encourages students to think about how someone else might feel as well as how they should respond. Come up with your own scenarios to discuss or use task cards. I have created social scenarios for elementary students and social scenarios for middle and high schoolers. Start off with this free social problem-solving task cards set to see how your students do!

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Play empathy games. For learners who struggle with empathy, it is a difficult skill to learn. Games can be a highly motivating way to learn these skills. I developed a fun empathy game with many different scenarios to help learners think about how others feel and how they might show empathy to others. Best of all, there are so many scenarios that kids can play again and again.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Watch animal live cams. Who doesn’t love animals? I’ve found that kids who really struggle to show empathy with other kids are still very likely to empathize and care about animals. With that, there are many free animal live cams you can stream. In my classroom, we loved watching an owl cam, a bald eagle nest, and even a giraffe who was about to have a baby. Of course, there are many ways to integrate science, reading, and writing to any of these animal live cams. This can be a great way to help kids learn to care about and for something else.

Have a daily morning meeting. It’s important to give every student a daily check-in time. Every child and young adult needs to know they are valued, loved, and supported. Use a 10-minute morning meeting time to check-in with students and let every voice be heard.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Teach coping strategies. Kids and young adults need effective strategies for managing their tough emotions. Spend time teaching, discussing, and practicing a variety of strategies that might work for them. Practice mindful coloring, listening to music, exercising, and even yoga. It’s important to practice these activities when students are calm so that they can use them when they really need them the most. Use these coping strategies visuals or grab this free coping strategies list to give you some ideas on how to start! Also, read up on some fun and unique ways to teach coping strategies to kids and young adults.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Start an emotion journal. Help students connect with their own emotions by journaling and writing about how they are feeling. This is something that can be done first thing in the morning to help students start the day off in a positive way. Give time for students to share their feelings if they are comfortable. Not only will students benefit from expressing themselves, but others will build empathy by hearing the thoughts and feelings of those around them.

Teach how to see the other side. Learners need to understand that we all have different opinions and thoughts. Use topics such as “favorite pizza” and “best sport” to drive conversations about differences of opinions. Help all students see that we all think differently and that’s perfectly okay.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Give responsibilities. Use student strengths and abilities to give every student a responsibility in the classroom. If a student does well with technology, have him or her be the computer troubleshooter. If a student loves nature, have them water the plants on a regular schedule. Responsibilities are a great way to have each student caring and thinking beyond themselves.

Teach how our words matter. Have each student draw a heart on paper and cut it out. Talk about different things we can say to each other that can be kind or hurtful. For each statement, have students make a fold in their heart. At the end of the activity, open the heart back up and discuss that the marks are still there long after the words have been said. Remind students that our words leave a lasting impact so it’s important to stop and think about what we say to each other.

Build confidence. Sometimes kids and young adults who lack empathy appear to be over-confident because they don’t seem to care how others feel in the moment. However, this can actually be superficial. These learners may actually struggle with feelings of rejection from their peers, leading to lower self-confidence. Make sure to spend time on building every child up and helping them share their strengths, passions, and dreams. When kids feel better, they usually do better, too. Use these confidence-building activities to get started.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Collaborate with school specialists. If you have a student who is struggling with showing empathy, talk with the school counselor or social worker for additional input and ideas. It might even be beneficial to have them come into your class for a quick lesson or activity.

Practice mindfulness. Kids and young adults can greatly benefit from learning to be in touch with their own emotions first and foremost. Spend 5 or 10 minutes practicing mindfulness after lunch, before a big test, or just to start the morning out in a more positive way. Read up on ways you can practice mindfulness and some free resources to help you practice mindfulness with students.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Encourage random acts of kindness. Kindness is about being thoughtful without expecting anything in return. Teaching and encouraging kind acts can help learners start to think about the feelings of others. You can start a random acts of kindness jar or bulletin board in the classroom. When a student witnesses a kind act, have them write it on a slip and post it. At the end of the month, you can choose to pick one randomly to win a special reward.

Engage in community service. Empathy and compassion go hand-in-hand. Encourage learners to think about the community and world by doing community service acts. Spend time cleaning up the courtyard, visit another class to read books to younger students, or even come up with a plan to donate supplies to a local animal rescue organization.

Start a kindness share. Give each student a piece of paper (have them cut it into a heart if you want!). Have students write their names on the paper and pass it to their right. When they get a piece of paper, they should write something kind about that person right on the paper. Continue the share until all students have written something kind about someone else. At the end, every child will have given back AND gotten kind words in return.

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

Teach students to respectfully disagree. Part of building empathy means recognizing that others can think differently from you. Help students learn the skills to accept and respect the opinions of others when they disagree. Encourage students to use phrases like, “I see your point,” and “I have a different point of view, but I see where you are coming from.”

Teach social-emotional learning explicitly. Give social and emotional learning the time it needs by dedicating time each day or week to these skills. One of my favorite strategies for this is using a daily ssocial-emotional learning journal to teach and discuss the skills every day of the year. I have also developed a complete social emotional learning curriculum for elementary learners to help students learn the skills they need in an explicit way. I also have a complete social-emotional learning curriculum for older kids.

Do you have other strategies for building empathy? I’d love to hear them! Share your thoughts in the comments!

Use these strategies and ideas to teach and build empathy with kids and young adults! Learners who have a lack of empathy can struggle with other social skills. Help elementary, middle, and high school kids build these skills by using literature, teaching lessons, practicing with games, and more. Also includes a free printable lesson for kids and teens. Helpful for kids with ADHD, autism, and other needs. #socialskills #empathy #pathway2success

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⭐ Kristina Scully
👩‍🏫 Curriculum Specialist
🏫 10 Year Special Ed Teacher
💻 Blogger at www.thepathway2success.com
💖 SEL & Executive Functioning

Pathway 2 Success