Search Results for: social skills

Interventions for Executive Functioning Challenges: Planning

December 2, 2018 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Planning is a critical executive functioning skill that helps kids and young adults achieve success in and outside of the classroom. Executive functioning skills are the complex mental processes that work together to help us accomplish tasks and goals. When learners struggle with these skills, daily life activities can become particularly challenging. While all executive functioning skills are important in their own way, this post targets interventions specifically for kids who struggle with the ability to plan.

What is planning? Planning is the ability to think about an end-goal and create a roadmap to help you get there. Someone who plans well is more likely to achieve their goals effectively and efficiently, since making a plan allows us to think through what we want to ultimate accomplish. I like to think of planning as one of the more foundational executive functioning skills, as it sets the stage for success. It’s always best to figure out a thorough plan before starting a task.

• Examples of Planning •

It’s important to note that planning can impact all areas of someone’s life, including academically, socially, and personally. Here are several examples of planning in real life:

Filling out a graphic organizer before writing an essay.
Taking a few extra minutes to think about what needs to be done today.
Writing down homework in an agenda before class is over.
Planning out times for events so activities do not overlap.
Figuring out which college to attend to enter into a specific career.

• Possible Signs of Challenges with Planning •

Identifying possible challenging with executive functioning skills can make the difference between success and struggle for a student. All kids have bad days once in a while, but if some of these behaviors occur on a regular basis, it should be an indicator to provide interventions and supports.

Possible signs of challenges with planning include:

Having difficulty starting or completing long-term assignments.
Forgetting to bring home necessary books, binders, or materials.
Writing papers, essays, or stories that are difficult to follow.
Just start tasks without considering the best strategies to completing the task.
Make impulsive decisions without considering consequences.
Have to frequently re-do assignments because they didn’t follow the guidelines.

• Interventions, Supports, and Strategies for Planning •

Work can always be done to help kids and young adults strengthen their executive functioning skills. Here are some activities, tasks, and ideas to help with planning needs:

Teach planning explicitly by explaining the skill, real life examples, and why it matters.
Discuss the plans of the day during morning meeting.
Use graphic organizers for writing assignments.
Set students up with a homework binder and daily homework agenda (use this free homework binder to get started).
Have students make a to-do list before starting longer assignments.
Provide a rubric for larger assignments.
Show models and visuals of what finished assignments should look like.
Use apps for planning, like Trello and Evernote.
Use a calendar regularly.
Have students place their daily schedules on their binders.
Post the daily objectives and schedule in view.
Keep important dates listed in sight on a regular basis.
Practice developing SMART goals and steps to follow through with them.
Use behavior reflection pages to help consider possible choices.
Use an end-of-the-day reminder sheet to help students think about what materials they need (try this free checklist).
Highlight positive examples of planning in the classroom.

• Strategies for Parents to Support Planning at Home •

Parents can play a huge role in supporting and encouraging executive functioning skills in the home environment. Since EF skills impact all areas on a person’s life, it’s extremely helpful for learners to practice these skills in different environments. Here are some activities parents and families can do to strengthen skills for planning:

Practice making to-do lists together for various tasks.
Create a structured homework time and space at home.
Choose a recipe together and plan out how to cook the meal.
Make a household grocery list together.
Help list out materials, steps, and due dates for long-term projects together.
Use a calendar to plan weekly and monthly family events.
Discuss the day’s plans at morning breakfast or on the ride to school.
Plan a vacation or short weekend trip together.
Develop and write down weekly goals for school work, cleaning, or other tasks.
Have kids list three steps for an activity before they can start it (i.e. going out to the movies or having a friend over the house).
Encourage kids and young adults to gather school materials and clothes for the next day the night before.
Discuss examples of planning at jobs in real life.

If you notice this is an area your learners struggle with, get started by teaching executive functioning skills explicitly today. I have created units to target executive functioning skills for middle and high school learners and for younger learners. Targeting these skills will take a little bit extra time, but will be worth the effort!

This post is part of a blog series focused just on interventions for executive functioning skills! You can also read up on interventions to help with organization.

What To Do When a Student Refuses to Work

October 15, 2018 by pathway2success 37 Comments

Throughout my years teaching middle school, I have had the experience of seeing many “work refusals”. These are the situations when kids, for a variety of reasons, just refuse to start the work you give them. They might shut down and rest their head on their desk or lash out in anger, shouting about how they just will not complete your assignment. This can be extremely frustrating for educators, especially when teaching a well-designed lesson that you thought would go so well! Let me say that sometimes our lessons themselves can have little or no impact on whether or not a student refuses to work. There are quite often bigger challenges at play that we’ll delve into. Quite honestly, even with a special education background, my college and training did not really prepare me for what to do when students refuse to work. These are skills and strategies I had to develop on the ground running while working with young adults. It’s an area I’m especially passionate about because all kids deserve to learn and feel good about themselves. It’s always important to remember that kids who are refusing are reaching out for help in some way, and you CAN be the one to help them.

Let me say that we ALL have bad days here and there! If a student puts their head down during a lesson and won’t finish an assignment because of a headache, it doesn’t mean you need to sound the alarm. This article specifically focuses on the students who repeatedly refuse to complete work and need specific targeted strategies to help them overcome these challenges.

What does work refusal look like? Really, it can be different for every student. Some students put their heads down and don’t pick them up, despite encouragement and prompting. Other students will look you straight in the eyes and say, “I’m NOT doing it!” while they are clearly expecting a response from you! Other kids might just ignore your directions completely and continue doing what they want to do, whether that is coloring, reading, or any other activity they are engaged in. All of these behaviors are work refusals because they are avoiding doing the tasks that the adult is expecting.

What are the reasons for work refusal? If a student is outwardly refusing to do work in the classroom, there is always a reason. Quite often, we don’t know the individual reasons. Some students have had a history of trauma. Again, we may or may not know about the potential trauma. Other students might be dealing with social or emotional challenges at home or in their personal life. Some examples might include a family divorce, a new baby at home, the death of a family member, and feelings of loneliness with a parent working increased hours. Those truly are just a few small examples. Sometimes, when the challenges in a child’s life become so difficult for them, they can have a need to control parts of their life that they can control (like doing work in school or not). Some learners might be diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder, while others aren’t. Regardless of the actual reason, it’s important to take a step back and recognize that the child or young adult is struggling with SOMETHING, whether or not we can see it. Thinking in this way encourages educators to be solution-focused, which is what really matters anyway.

Here are some simple do’s and don’ts for kids who refuse to do work:

DON’T:

Don’t just punish. If a child or young adult is struggling with some social or emotional challenges at the moment, a punishment is only going to push them away further. Your punishment will appear as harsh, mean, and uncaring. I know that educators do not intend for punishments to feel that way, but for many students, they do, including those with trauma in their past. This isn’t to say you should “let the student get away” with any behavior. Instead, you can use logical consequences, which I explain below.
Don’t send the student out of the room. I can’t stress this enough! As an educator, I know this is sometimes a preferred option because it deals with the situation swiftly. It does not fix the problem, though. In fact, it will most likely make it worse in the long-term. The student might feel anger and resentment towards you. The message you are sending is that you can’t deal with the situation and you need to send the student out to another teacher or the principal. If a student is just sitting at their desk and refusing to work, it should not be a reason to send them out of class. Kids and young adults are getting much more education being in your room and hearing the discussions than being in the principal’s office.
Don’t get in a power struggle. No one ever wins in a power struggle! So much energy is wasted is wasted and even if the student eventually complies, it will be filled with resentment. Read up on more ways to avoid power struggles.

Don’t just assume the child is lazy. So many times, it is often actually easier for the child to comply and do their work and refuse. So, it’s clear that there is something else in play. Reframe your thinking to remember that the child is struggling and needs your support.
Don’t act out of frustration or anger. When you start to feel frustrated due to a child’s behavior, remember this phrase: “He’s not giving me a hard time, he’s having a hard time.” There is no shame in taking a deep breath and walking away from a situation. As adults, it’s important we are calm and collected so we can make the best choices in each situation. It’s okay to feel frustrated with a situation, just don’t act on that frustration.
Don’t use threats. You might be tempted to say things like, “If you don’t do your work, I’m going to call your parents,” or “Finish this or you can’t go to gym.” Sometimes, these threats can only make a student dig their heels in deeper and you might regret what you’ve said later on. Instead, be mindful about what you say and make sure your consequences fit the crime.
Don’t embarrass the student. Again, publicly calling the student out might result in a power struggle or escalating the situation. Instead, consider ways to privately support the student to help both of you get what you need.

Do:

Keep teaching. Just because a student doesn’t lift their pencil up, doesn’t mean they’re not listening and learning. Continue teaching, talking, and even involving that student if they want to participate. Remember that the ultimate goal is to educate the student, not force them to work. If they are in the classroom, keep teaching them!

Give wait time. When a student refuses work at first, sometimes all they need is a little wait time. It’s okay to let them have their head down or keep their arms crossed. Use planned ignoring and wait to see if they come around within 5 minutes or so.
Ignore the small behaviors. If the student crumples up the paper, breaks their pencil, or scribbles all over it, avoid the impulse to tell the student they shouldn’t do that or give any further instructions. When things like this happen, the student is either agitated or attention-seeking. One intervention that will help in this instance is just giving space.
Be reflective. Consider what you could be doing that might be triggering the student to refuse to work. For example, are you using a harsh tone? Did you embarrass the student by calling them out for something right before? Sometimes, there isn’t anything apparent, but it’s always worth considering first!
Focus on the relationship. For many kids, relationship is everything. Put the work aside for a bit. Spend time with your student during lunch, talk with them after class, and really just get to know them. Teach them about you as a person, too! Once a relationship is built, many times your students will have a much easier time working for you because they know you care. This isn’t a quick process, but it’s always important and worth it. Read up on more ways to build relationships with kids and young adults.

Consider learning challenges. Sometimes students refuse work due to social and emotional challenges, but other times it might be because they think the work is just too hard for them. Consider if the student needs interventions with reading, writing, or math. Sometimes learners might even need direction instruction with executive functioning skills to help them get started and work through challenges. If you are a regular educator, consider discussing the student with the special education teacher or interventionist to get some ideas and strategies.
Meet with the student privately. It’s important that this is seen as supportive and not punitive. Talk to the student, ask them what’s going on, and problem-solve about how you could help. You might say, “I noticed your morning work isn’t being finished, what is going on with that?” When meeting with a student who is struggling to complete work, the most important thing is to just listen! Try to avoid interjecting your own thoughts about what’s happening or giving your point of view. Let the student talk and sometimes you might be amazed at what you learn. Perhaps the student shares that they hate where they sit because someone keeps talking to them, or that they haven’t been getting any sleep at night due to a crying baby. Be open-minded, listen, and be prepared to problem-solve with the student to help them.

Use logical consequences (and consider them ahead of time). Logical consequences are outcomes from behavior that make sense. For example, if a student is refusing to finish their morning work, a logical consequence would be using some break time later in the day to finish at least 5 problems or sending it home as homework to be done later.
Discuss those consequences with the student. Consequences shouldn’t be a surprise to your student. Let them know ahead of time in a positive way. For example, you might say to the whole class, “Everyone needs to finish their work so we can finish watching the rest of the movie.”
Use de-escalation strategies to help calm the situation. In the moment, it can quickly become a power struggle when a student outwardly tells you they are not doing the work. It is critical to know how to de-escalate a situation. My favorite strategy has always been saying, “Let’s talk about this later.” It gives you the perfect way out of a heated situation with a student while letting other students around know you’re not ignoring the behavior, you’re just dealing with it later. Read up on more de-escalation strategies and use this free printable de-escalation strategy worksheet.

Give choices. For students who struggle with work completion, consider giving limited choices for assignments. Limiting the number to two is usually best so that it’s not overwhelming, but it still gives control and choice. You might say, “Would you rather write about this prompt in your journal or draw a scene from the text and write a sentence about it?”
Consider reducing work. Another one of my favorite ways to give choice is to allow the student to choose which 10 problems they will finish. Similarly, you might ask the student to complete only 1 of the 3 essay questions. Sometimes educators have argued that this is making it too easy on the student. Of course, the ultimate goal is to get the student back to completing all the work, without a doubt. However, when a student is outright refusing to do work, completing just one item over none is a success. We all have to start somewhere.
Provide accommodations. Giving accommodations doesn’t necessarily make an assignment easier, it just gives more options for how the student approaches the task. Allow a student struggling with reading to listen to audio books. If a student isn’t writing, allow them access to a laptop. Give out a calculator to a student who gets fatigued with math problems (provided the math skill isn’t calculations themselves). Give a word bank, provide multiple choices, let the student use manipulatives, and so on.
Think about trends. Is the work refusal only happening during math? Or maybe during partner work? Maybe it’s only in the morning or in the afternoon? Think about these trends and really delving into the data can help inform your judgements about what’s really going on.
Consider interventions for task initiation. Our skills for task initiation are like the motor that starts us up. When kids and young adults lack these skills to get started, it can be extremely frustrating for everyone involved. Sometimes, kids don’t actually know HOW to start a challenging task or assignment. It’s important to consider if these skills are lacking when a child or young adult isn’t completing work, because they can be taught. Read up more on this blog post focused on interventions for task initiation skills.
Create an incentive plan, if needed. Sometimes educators are opposed to incentives plans, and I agree they shouldn’t always be a first strategy. However, there is a time when they can a struggling student work towards their goals. You might develop a contract that outlines what the student is responsible for and what incentives the student will get by completing work. A contract sets the tone that you will stick to your word so you expect that the student makes an effort to do the same. Find out what the student would like to work for, remembering that each individual student is motivated by different things (I’ve had some students who want silent drawing time and others who want to help the custodian, for example). My favorite way to find this out is by using a reward inventory. You can visit here to see more about my reward inventories, behavior plans, and contracts.

Collaborate with families. It’s important to note that the first time you call the family shouldn’t be to mention that the student isn’t working. I’m a huge believer in always calling to share something positive first. With that said, it is important to share concerns about students who are struggling to work in class. Be mindful of how you communicate this with families, too. Rather than saying the child is “refusing to work,” share that they are “struggling with getting started even on assignments that are at their level.” Collaborate to discuss if anything is going on outside of home with the child and if there are any other strategies you as the educator can try. Often, parents are more than willing to talk with their child and sometimes (definitely not always) this even fixes the issue from the start.
Focus on your own self-care. This is definitely not stressed enough in the world of education. Working with students who are refusing to work can be emotionally draining. Take time to focus on yourself when you can. You can’t pour from an empty cup.

Ways to Help Kids Boost Confidence

October 2, 2018 by pathway2success Leave a Comment

Helping kid and young adults build their own confidence can have significant and long-lasting effects. Confidence kids are better equipped to handle stress, more likely to take risks, feel more prideful in their work, and have increased determination to reach their goals. By helping kids build their self-esteem, we are giving kids the skills they need to achieve their own individual potentials.

Before reading, if you want a printable reminder of these 12 ways to help kids improve confidence, get the FREE confidence poster here. It is the perfect way to stay on top of giving kids and young adults what they need to be successful. As a bonus, it comes with a few other free social emotional learning posters you can hang on to as well!

Here are some simple ways to help kids build up their confidence levels:

Encourage a growth mindset. Kids and young adults need to see obstacles as challenges they can conquer with hard work and determination. They need to see failures as lessons that help them learn better for next time around. They need to believe that they can grow over time. This type of thinking, known as a growth mindset, is foundational to helping kids truly believe they can do anything they want if they work for it.

Encourage independence and risk-taking. Our classrooms really need to be a safe haven for all learners. Kids and young adults should feel comfortable in taking a risk and going outside of their comfort zone. Let kids complete tasks on their own, even if they don’t do them exactly how you envisioned. Sometimes this feels counter-intuitive but this will help give kids the confidence to see they are capable of things on their own.

Remind kids of their strengths. Take time to help kids actually identify their own unique strengths and abilities. Some kids really struggle with this activity. That’s when you know kids really need it! In those cases, I have asked kids to think about what a good friend would say about them. Have each student make a list of their strengths and keep it somewhere to help boost their confidence from time to time.

Give chances for every kid to shine. Take the extra time to recognize individual strengths with kids and put them to good use! If you have a student who is skilled with technology, use them to be your helper in setting up videos or computers. Ask a highly artistic student to help draw visuals for your bulletin board. If you know a learner who absolutely loves books, give them the role of being the class librarian and selecting new books for your collection. The list goes on and on! There are always ways to give all kids a chance to shine and feel good about themselves.

Give specific positive feedback. When a child or young adult is doing something well, let them know! It’s important to be extremely specific so he or she knows exactly what they are doing well. Dig deeper than “Nice job” and “You rock!”. Rather than saying, “Good job on your homework,” say, “I saw that you managed your time really well with your homework. Your started right away and worked completely on your own. Doesn’t that feel good to finish and do it well?” Yes, it’s a bit more work for the adult, but will help your learners see what they did well on specifically.

Teach positive self-talk. Our inner voice is so important when it comes to what we think about ourselves. If we think more positive thoughts, we can become those thoughts. Positive self-talk is increasingly more important today in our all-too-often negative digital world. Teach kids positive phrases and statements they can say to themselves to boost themselves up from time to time. Start with this free list of positive affirmations for kids to choose from.

Teach and discuss resilience. It’s so important to stress that we all experience challenges along the way. Teach and discuss resilience by talking about your own life experiences. Share what challenges you had to overcome to get to meet your goals. Use literature to highlight characters who show resilience by getting back up again when things don’t go their way. You can also highlight successful individuals who had to be resilient in order to meet success. Kids need to hear multiple times and in various ways that when you really want something, you should never give up.

Help kids set and meet individual goals. Spend time developing SMART goals with your learners on areas they really want to make improvements with. Some students might want to improve a grade in a class, while someone else might want to start attending an after school club to make more friends. Whatever the goal, it’s important for kids and young adults to see that if they set a goal and work hard, amazing things can happen.

Help kids celebrate their accomplishments. When kids meet a goal, it should be celebrated! Sometimes these goals are big like making the soccer team after working hard to try out, and other times they are smaller like bringing in homework every day for the week. If a student meets a specific goals they’ve been working on, let me know you notice and you care. It’s important for them to see that hard work pays off and that it’s worth it in the end!

Have kids reflect on growth. Kids and young adults need to see their progress over time. This could be charting grades, reviewing writing samples over several months, or noticing an improvement with behavior over a period of time. By looking at growth over time, kids and young adults can begin to be reflective and consider why they made the growth in the first place. This can help them to see that they are often in control of their own success. A few years ago, I implemented a weekly check-in with my learners. We would sit down and review their progress for the week and over time in general. The best part was that we could review whatever that individual student was working on.

Celebrate diversity and uniqueness. Every child and young adult should feel free to be themselves. In order to achieve this, we need to encourage acceptance and inclusion of others. Use this free tolerance and acceptance pledge to begin discussions with your learners about accepting and understanding those who are different than themselves.

Encourage kids to follow their passions. Spend time to help kids find what they’re interested in, whether it is dirt bikes, animals, painting, building, writing novels, music, or anything in between. Use that topic in your instruction, discuss it with them during morning meeting, or let them complete an independent project showing off their knowledge on the topic.

If you want resources ready to go, I have developed a self-esteem and confidence building activity set! The worksheets focus on building self-esteem while helping kids recognize their own individual talents. They include everything from writing activities and discussion starters to journals and hands-on materials. How do you help your learners build confidence? Let me know!

Unique Ways to Teach Coping Strategies

August 2, 2018 by pathway2success 2 Comments

Coping strategies are important skills for kids and young adults to learn. These are the activities and strategies we use to help us calm down when we’re emotionally overwhelmed. We can probably all think of a few kids and young adults who need extra practice managing their emotions effectively! That’s where coping strategies come into play. It just makes sense: kids need to learn HOW they can help themselves calm down and feel better before they can actually do it.

It’s extremely important to note that kids can’t learn new strategies when they are already upset. When we are emotionally overwhelmed, we don’t think straight. That’s why it’s critical to teach and practice coping strategies when kids are calm. You can incorporate these skills as a lesson, small group activities, during a morning meeting, or just woven into your daily instruction.

If you work with learners who need extra help with self-regulation, this list might give you a few extra ideas for teaching and practicing coping skills so that kids can use them effectively when they really need them:

Use task boxes. In short, task boxes are just boxes or crates with tasks for kids to do. All the materials and directions are placed inside the box so it’s easy for kids to just open it up and practice. These coping strategies task boxes focus on learning coping strategies in a fun and interactive way. Each specific task is different. In some, kids will match coping strategies while others have students choose a coping strategy for a specific situation. My favorite tasks even have students actually practicing skills like deep breathing, positive self-talk, and more.

Play a board game. Games are always a fun way for kids to practice skills. In this coping strategies board game, kids will roll a dice and move through a game board as they answer questions about coping strategies. Some of the cards have students practicing strategies, while others allow kids to decide which strategies would be best in different situations. Best of all, you can use this as a “break” activity or end of the week reward since it is a game! Kids will have fun learning coping strategies without considering it work at all.

Use read-alouds. There are many great books that you can use to target and discuss coping strategies. One of my recent favorites is Super George and the Invisible Shield by Laurie Mendoza. This book highlights how one boy uses strategies to help him manage his emotions and stay calm.

Make a wheel. Sometimes hands-on activities can go a long way in teaching skills like coping strategies. A coping strategies wheel is a tool that kids create to practice, discuss, and remember coping strategies. My favorite part of this activity is that kids make their own individualized wheels that strategies that work for them. Note that even after kids make theirs, they can use them again and again to remind them about their strategies.

Complete the 30-day challenge. If you’re looking for a fun and free way to try out a bunch of new coping strategies, this coping strategies challenge is it! Students use their own calendar and try out a new coping strategy every day for 30 days. They can choose their own or you can direct them as to which strategies to try. It’s a great low-prep way to introduce many strategies. Some educators have even told me they have sent this activity home with kids over the summer!

Use an escape room. An escape room activity is a set of puzzles that kids complete to “escape” the room and win the challenge in a certain amount of time. In this coping strategies escape room, kids learn about deep breathing, coloring, yoga, listening to music, and more. The best thing about escape rooms is that kids have to work together throughout the activity. They are a little bit of work to set up, but always extremely engaging for the kids!

Use flip cards. Put together a set of coping strategies cards and put them on a ring for students to flip through and practice. Again, this is an activity that can be used over and over again when students really need to use their strategies.

If you are finding yourself needing resources and ideas for teaching coping strategies, I have put together a huge bundle of Mindfulness and Coping Strategies to target the skills needs need. It includes crafts, interactive activities, lessons, and more, all focused on helping kids and young adults manage their emotions. Mindfulness and coping strategies work especially well together to calm emotions, increase self-control, and create a peaceful community of learners. Give coping strategies a try for your learners!

How to Make a Coping Strategies Wheel

April 2, 2018 by pathway2success 1 Comment

One of my favorite ways to sneak social emotional learning into the classroom is by doing crafts. These activities can be hands-on, engaging, fun, and creative. Meanwhile, kids are still learning the critical skills they need. In particular, a coping strategies wheel is a great tool to help teach coping strategies to help manage stress. So often, we just assume kids know how to calm themselves down when they really don’t! That’s why teaching calming activities explicitly can be so helpful.

A coping strategies wheel is a spinner craft that reveals several different coping strategies kids can choose from. Kids can even make their own individualized wheel with strategies specific to them. This helps kids to “buy in” to coping strategies, since they have control over which strategies they want to try and use. After making the craft, kids can spin and practice the strategies. Later on, when the child or young adult is upset, they can even use the wheel to remind them about which coping strategies to use to help them become calm again.

Use these directions to make your own coping strategies wheel with kids and young adults. Feel free to use this Coping Strategies Wheel activity if you want to skip the directions and get to making your own wheels right away with directions, templates, and over 30 coping strategies ready to go.

1. Draw a circle. This will be the base of the wheel. Divide the wheel into fractions. The number is up to you. I prefer to have around five coping strategies to give kids several different choices and ideas for managing emotions. Cut out the circle.

2. Add coping strategies to each fraction of the wheel. You can have students add their own individualized strategies. It might help to use this free list of coping strategies to brainstorm ideas for each student.

3. Create the top of the wheel by drawing another circle of the same size but leaving a fraction of the wheel out. This will allow the bottom piece to show one coping strategy at a time. Have students design the top of the wheel. Encourage them to color it and write “My Coping Strategies” on the top of it.

4. Cut out the top of the wheel.

5. Place the top of the wheel and the bottom of the wheel together. Make sure it aligns to show one coping strategy at a time.

6. Place a fastener through the middle so the wheel can freely spin.

7. Encourage kids to spin their wheel to practice and discuss strategies as they go. Remember that kids will need lots of time practicing their coping strategies when they are already calm to effectively use them when they are stressed. That means you will need to dedicate time to practicing those strategies. Know that it’s truly not a waste of time. Instead, it’s an investment in social emotional health and learning.

Best of all, kids can keep their coping strategies wheels in their binders, in their desks, or in a calm down area. Encourage them to use their wheel when they are upset to choose a strategy that will help calm them down.

Feel free to make your own coping strategies wheel or use this Coping Strategies Wheel activity to print and make with your students right away. It includes over 30 unique coping strategies to include in each wheel or you can add your own! I also have a Managing My Emotions Wheel activity if these are crafts your learners love!

Teaching Kids Self-Love in the Classroom

February 12, 2018 by pathway2success 5 Comments

Today’s kids and young adults have too much negative energy all around them. Whether it is negative comments on social media, means texts going back and forth, or just overhearing the daily news, kids are drowning in negativity. With all of that considered, it can’t be said enough how much kids NEED positivity in their lives. Having a more positive mindset increases our abilities to overcome adversity, deal with challenges, and ultimately meet our personal goals in life. The good news is that kids can be taught these skills for positivity and self-love.

After reading, make sure to scroll down and enter in the giveaway so I can share some LOVE with all of you! (edit: Giveaway ended! Thank you all for entering!)

Here are some ways you can teach kids and young adults self-love in the classroom:

1. Teach positive self-talk. Positive self-talk is the internal voice that encourages us, comforts us when we feel down, and pushes us to keep going. We can teach kids to use positive self-talk by practicing statements like, “I can do this,” and “I am enough just the way I am.” The more we say and practice these positive thoughts, the more we will truly believe them. It’s a healthy coping strategy that every child and young adult should have in their toolbox for managing emotions.

2. Model and teach gratitude. Practicing gratitude just means stopping and reflecting about what you are thankful for. Benefits of gratitude include improved happiness, improved relationships, developing stronger emotional skills, and much more. Take just a few minutes each morning to reflect about what you are grateful for. Teach kids to recognize when they are thankful for seeing the sunrise in the morning, having basketball practice after school, having a supportive family member, or just having a great lunch packed for the day. Whether big or small, each situation you are thankful for helps you develop your skills of gratitude overtime.

3. Encourage a growth mindset. A growth mindset teaches us that skills can be developed over time with hard work and practice. By encouraging kids to adopt a growth mindset, we help them learn they can accomplish their goals by working hard, learning from our mistakes, and pushing our way through challenges that pop up. Rather than feeling bad about themselves when they encounter a challenge or make a mistake, help kids learn that mistakes actually teach us valuable lessons. One of my favorite ways to do this is to study successful people who failed at fist but got back up. Some famous people include Michael Jordan, Walt Disney, Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, and Steve Jobs, to just name a few. I always want kids to realize they can do anything the want if they put their mind to it.

4. Promote kindness. I love teaching kids that when they are kind to others, it actually makes them feel good, too. Once kids begin to realize this, it helps create a positive learning environment all around. Still, it takes practice! Use Random Acts of Kindness slips to have kids record when someone else is kind to them. Post these up on a special kindness bulletin board so that the kindness-giver can be recognized.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it only makes sense to give back the LOVE to all of you as well! I’m celebrating TpT’s upcoming Sale on February 14th and 15th by giving away a $100 gift card. Just follow the directions to enter up to five times below!

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How to Build Escape Room Challenges

January 17, 2018 by pathway2success 6 Comments

Escape room activities are a fun and interactive way to work on the skills kids need. My favorite part about escape room activities is that they really encourage cooperation and critical thinking skills. Kids work together and use their collective brain power to solve a variety of puzzles and challenges. When an escape room is set up well, the educator can really just sit back and let the students do all the work!

If you want to skip these steps and get started with escape room challenges already created for you, consider this Escape Room Bundle for Social Emotional Learning filled with escape room challenges for critical social emotional skills. It includes over five separate escape room activities that cover skills such as conflict resolution, executive functioning, managing emotions, coping skills, and more. Note that anyone can use it! It would be perfect for resource rooms and advisory groups, too.

Here are seven easy steps for how to use escape room challenges with your learners:

1. Plan what skills you want kids to learn or practice. Kids can practice any skill when solving an escape room activity. Kids can work on math, reading, science, history, or any other topic. My favorites are learning to manage emotions and developing executive functioning skills. Really, the topic and skills are entirely up to you and the needs of your learners.

2. Plan and set up the challenges. Create puzzles and interactive challenges that align with the skills you want to teach. If you want kids to practice their reading skills, include a reading passage with questions to answer. If you want your learners building on their skills with fractions, add puzzles that ask students to match equivalent fractions or solve calculations. The options are endless! Once students solve each challenge, it should give them a special key, code, or lead them to a special destination in the room. Of course, the easiest option is to use escape room challenges that have already been created for you. Just print, sort the challenges into envelopes, hide around the room, and you are ready to go.

3. Hide the challenges in designated locations. This step is optional but adds a huge element of excitement to your escape rooms. Creating a scavenger hunt style escape room is especially fun for small groups. Kids absolutely love feeling like detectives and forget they are in a classroom! Just give a clue that asks students to look in the history book or encourages kids to check underneath a chair. This can be a bit harder for larger groups or whole classes, but can be done!

4. Set the stage. Give kids a fun (and maybe silly) reason for the challenge. Whether aliens are taking over or a zoo got loose, kids need a reason to work together and escape the room. Giving a great introduction can help kids really get into the escape room to start.

5. Add supports and accommodations. Incorporate “Clue Cards” to help groups who may need extra support or guidance along the way. Students can use these cards as a simple way to get extra help when they are stuck. Best of all, you can choose how many to give to each group or just pass one out when you see kids are in a bind. I also like to give students a worksheet that helps them keep track of their clues and key words as they solve the challenges.

6. Start the timer. The best escape room challenges are timed to help kids feel like they need to solve before the timer is up. This really motivates kids and young adults to work together since they have a deadline for their challenge. You can choose the time, depending on your learners and the activities given. For your first time, it’s best to give longer than you think the kids will need since you ultimately want them to succeed and escape the room in time.

7. Encourage teamwork. Take a step back and let students know they are in charge. Let them read each challenge and use the resources around them to figure out how to solve. Try to avoid giving too much help, unless your students are really stuck. The magic of escape rooms happen when kids work together and finally figure things out on their own!

If you aren’t sure how your students will do with escape room challenges, try this Free Executive Functioning Escape Room Activity. It is one activity that allows students to work on their working memory and attention skills to decode a special message. This can help you gauge how your students will do with other escape room activities.

If you’re curious, give it a try and see how your students do! You will be amazed at how well your students work together to escape the room and beat the challenge! Be sure to read up on 10 reasons why you should be using escape room activities with kids and young adults!

10 Reasons to Use Escape Room Activities

December 13, 2017 by pathway2success 4 Comments

Escape rooms are not only the latest craze, but a tool that can help kids work towards their learning goals. An escape room is a challenge that allows kids to work together solving a variety of puzzles in order to “break out” of a room. There are different “reasons” for why kids are locked it. Sometimes, zombies have taken over while other times, the teacher have shut the school down. After each puzzle is solved, they will get a clue that leads them to a new location. Each new location includes a keyword to win or “escape” the room and a new puzzle.

Here are ten reasons why you should be using escape room challenges with your learners:

1. Kids use teamwork skills. Kids work together to accomplish a common goal. Because there is limited adult interaction during an escape room challenge, kids are left to figure out how best to use each other their own skills to work as a team.

2. It helps to encourage critical thinking skills. Directions are given, but kids are on their own to figure out a variety of puzzles and challenges. Kids have to use their critical thinking skills to think outside the box and solve problems to get to the next round.

3. They are interactive. Each puzzle and challenge is different, interactive, and fun. Kids have to figure out secret codes, put puzzles together, and more. It’s really anything but boring.

4. They involve some fun role-play and imagination. In some escape rooms, kids pretend the school has been taken over by aliens or that the teachers have revolted. It’s a little bit silly but a lot of fun. The older kids gets, the more we veer away from the world of make-believe. It’s a great experience once in a while to pretend.

5. Kids work on actual skills. You can incorporate topics and curriculum right into the actual puzzles and challenges. For example, if you are learning about organization, one “puzzle” might include the steps of organizing your binder. When kids put those together, they find a “code” or “phrase” that brings them to the next level. Kids can work on many skills, from conflict resolution to executive functioning skills and more. It becomes a meaningful and memorable experience for kids while they are learning the skills they need.

6. The kids become the leaders. In a well-designed escape room activity, kids are the ones doing all the work. They are completely in charge. How often does that really happen in a classroom? They become the leaders instead of relying on an adult to help them when things get tough.

7. They build perseverance. Ultimately, it is up to the kids to figure out every single challenge. The teacher can choose to provide “Clue Cards” to help kids with their questions along the way, or encourage kids to figure things out entirely on their own. Sometimes that means they have to keep trying at a puzzle until they get the right answer.

8. They encourage time management skills. In an escape room challenge, you choose how long students have to complete the entire activity. That means kids have to use use their time well with each challenge to finish before the timer goes off.

9. You don’t need any special supplies. All you need are some challenges and puzzles put together that lead to more challenges along the way. While you’re welcome to include a locked box or invisible ink, you really don’t need any fancy supplies to put together you own challenges.

10. Accommodations can be made so that all students can participate. Whether you include “Clue Cards” to give away hints for some groups or a tracking sheet to help kids remember their clues along the way, there are simple adaptations that can be made to ensure that all students have fun while learning in an escape room challenge.

You can go ahead and make your own escape room challenges or find sets already put together. It might be helpful for you to read about how to set up your own escape room challenges. If you are curious about trying some Escape Room activities that are already put together, be sure to check out the following:

Give kids an escape room challenge for a memorable experience they won’t forget. Whatever you choose, you know you’ll have fun learning!

10 Ways to Involve Young Adults in their IEP Meetings

September 17, 2017 by pathway2success 2 Comments

A huge part of our job as special educators is empowering kids and young adults to make positive decisions in their own lives. One simple way to involve our students in some of those important decisions is getting them involved in their own IEP meetings. I always tell kids that they are the most important member of the IEP team, since the entire meeting is really all about them. So, it just makes sense to conference with them before the meeting, discuss their plan with them, invite them, encourage them to report on their own progress, and eventually even have them lead the whole meeting.

When kids and young adults are involved in their own IEP meetings, it helps them understand their own disability, strengths, areas to work on, goals, and modifications. Ultimately, this practice leads to greater confidence and increased self-advocacy skills for our students. Here are ten easy ways you can involve kids and young adults in their IEP meetings:

#1 Be transparent about the student’s disability and needs. Kids need to know and understand their disability in order to fully develop strategies to help them overcome their challenges. Contact families before and let them know you plan to discuss the student’s disability and needs with the child. Sometimes parents may want to address these topics at home first. Regardless of who discusses the topic first, it’s an important conversation to have. Remember to highlight the positive elements of their disability, too! For example, many kids with ADHD might struggle with focusing on a specific task at hand, but they are usually the best builders and hands-on workers of all. Similarly, kids with autism often struggle socially, but are the best to think of solutions outside of the box that no one else has thought of. Highlighting these elements can help kids come to terms with their disability in a positive way.

#2 Go over the student’s current IEP with them, explaining it as you go. Students need to understand their current plan and what it means. This will involve actually handing the student a copy of their own IEP to see the language and format of their plan. For a fun activity, kids can even learn about their IEP with an IEP Scavenger Hunt.

#3 Conference with students prior to their IEP meeting. Get feedback from the student to find out what is working for them and what could be improved. Use this time to talk with the student about how the IEP meeting will work and why their role is so important. So often, kids feel that adults make these plans for them. They sometimes feel that they have no control. This is now the time that they can have a voice! Many times, this can be very motivating for kids and young adults.

#4 Review the student’s goals and progress with them on a quarterly basis. The students should have a very clear understanding of the goals that are expected of them. So often we write goals for students and work on them in isolation. It makes so much more sense to involve our students in the process! A great way to do this is to add the student’s goals and objectives to an individual binder. Take time to check through the goals with the student and review progress on a regular basis. You can choose to review them quarterly or even more frequently is better. Discuss what’s working, what isn’t, and ways to make improvements. You can make your own binder with the student or use a Student Data Reflection Binder to start right away.

#5 Invite the student to the IEP meeting. Regardless of age, kids can always be part of their IEP meeting at least by attending. This gives them a greater understanding of what the meetings are all about. There may be topics and information the adults aren’t 100% comfortable sharing with the student, and that’s okay. Have the student wait in the office, a nearby classroom, or sitting in a chair right outside the room if sensitive information needs to be shared. Whenever possible, though, kids should be at the table listening and participating in their own meetings.

#6 Encourage students to complete a report or progress review to present at the IEP meeting. Have students themselves fill out this free self-assessment to help identify their growth, what went well, and what changes could be made for the future. If possible, have the student bring that form to the IEP meeting to report out on their own progress. This is a great way to get kids comfortable with attending and presenting at their IEP meetings. It also gives them a chance to have their voice heard. As an alternative to a written report, students can create their own PowerPoint presentation.

#7 Hold practice or mock IEP meetings in a resource room setting. Mock IEP meetings are a fun and interactive way to get kids comfortable with joining their IEP meetings. Sometimes we forget that a student joining a big meeting with several adults can be really scary! By practicing a meeting, kids can get a good idea of what will happen in the meeting and understand their role. Just run through what a meeting will be like. Best of all, you can do this in a resource room with other students who will need to participate in their IEP meetings at some point later on in the year.

#8 Use a script to help students read at the IEP meeting. Student-led IEP meetings are a practice that allows kids and young adults to actually lead their own meetings using a script that has been created with them. A script will help the student participate without feeling confused or anxious about what to say. The student can always go off script when they are feeling comfortable. You can write your own script for your students or you can use this Student-Led IEP Meetings guide that includes scripts for both fully and partially student-led meetings. The research is clear that student-led IEP meetings can be extremely beneficial for kids and young adults. When a student leads their own meeting, they learn more about their disability, rights, and accommodations. It also helps to build confidence, strengthens self-advocacy skills, and helps kids’ voices be heard.

#9 Listen to the student at the IEP meeting. Really give the student a chance to share their concerns and needs. Strongly consider their suggestions and input. Even if all of their requests can’t be met, the student needs to know that they do have a voice at the table. Consider ways to compromise or have a trial-period to give something a try. You can write these in the plan and can always change the IEP if those recommendations aren’t working. So often, young adults feel that they have no control over the plans that adults make for them. This is our chance to help those kids realize we are there to listen to them and hear them out.

#10 Reflect on the IEP meeting with the student. After the IEP meeting, discuss what went well and what could go better. Kids and young adults are going to need time to get comfortable with participating in their IEP meetings. Remember to celebrate the student’s success along the way as they learn how to be their own best advocate.

No matter how you choose to start, it’s important to give young adults an opportunity to be part of their own IEP team. If you’re not sure about it, just choose one students to do a “trial run” with! See how that one meeting goes with the student more involved and learn as you go. Whether it’s bringing a self-evaluation progress report or running the entire meeting, kids deserve to know and understand their IEPs and IEP meetings. After all, they truly are the most important member of the team!

50+ Free SEL Resources

September 1, 2017 by pathway2success 20 Comments

Use this list of free resources to use as social emotional learning activities to help you work with kids and young adults. As a special educator for 10 years, I can say without a doubt that we need more social emotional learning supports for kids and young adults. Some of my best days in the classroom involved collaborating with the school counselor, social worker, and school psychologist to create lessons and activities for our kids. Whether you are a school counselor, outside therapist, psychologist, social worker, or special educator, many of these resources might be able to help you as you work with kids. Free resources include printable materials, websites, Pinterest boards to follow, apps, and videos.

If you are looking for more information on what SEL is and why it is important, make sure to read up on the basics of social emotional learning.

– Free Printable Resources –

1. 100 Free Coping Strategies List – A 2-page printable with 100 coping strategies.

2. Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards – Task cards that highlight social scenarios and situations for kids to solve.

3. Growth Mindset Task Cards – Task cards that help teach hard work, persistence, grit, dedication, and a positive mindset.

4. 101 Free Positive Affirmations List – A 2-page printable list with 101 positive statements for kids to read.

5. Mindfulness Breathe Boards – Two free printable breathe boards to help focus on deep breathing techniques.

6. SEL Read Aloud List – Free printable read aloud list arranged by social emotional learning skill.

7. Power of Yet Posters – Three simple posters that encourage hard work and dedication.

8. Free Overcoming Adversity Activities – Worksheets and lessons to help kids and young adults overcome challenges and adversity.

9. Free Coping Strategies Notebook – Use this resource to help kids set up their own individualized coping strategies binders.

10. Mindfulness Coloring Pages – Free mindfulness coloring pages with positive sayings.

11. Relationship-Building Questions – Three printable pages filled with meaningful relationship-building questions.

12. Middle School Keys to Success – Worksheet and activity to help kids succeed at middle school.

13. Conversation Starter Cards – Mix of questions regarding self, home, friends, school, family, and more to get to know kids.

14. All About Me – Free 1-page worksheet for kids to share interesting facts about themselves.

15. Free Divorce Worksheets – Information explaining what divorce means for kids and families.

16. Executive Functioning Skills Poster – Fun printable list of executive functioning skills learners need for academic and social success.

17. Anger Management Worksheets – Printables including anger trigger worksheets and an anger log.

18. Free Positive Posters – Set of 8 simple posters to help encourage, calm, and soothe kids.

19. Break Cards – Three sets of break cards that encourage kids to take breaks in positive ways.

20. How Big Is My Problem? Task Cards – Task cards that help kids determine how “big” each problem is in a variety of scenarios.

21. Kindness Activity – Free kindness lesson and activity with a coloring page.

22. Free Executive Functioning Workbook – Guide and workbook to help teach kids executive functioning and study skills.

23. Self Esteem Bookmarks – Bookmarks for kids to color while helping them learn positive self-talk and a growth mindset.

24. Morning Meeting Rules Sign – Simple poster to go over rules for morning meeting.

25. Gratitude Activities – Worksheets and activities to help focus on gratitude and positive thinking.

– Free Apps –

26. Headspace: Guided Meditation & Mindfulness – This app provides meditation exercises with a coach that helps you learn as you go.

27. The Mindfulness App – A mindfulness app that helps you become more present in your daily life with guided and silent meditation sessions.

28. Aware – This app leads you through daily mindfulness meditation techniques, including energizing activities and breathing practice.

29. Stop Breathe & Think: Meditate – Tailored to your specific emotions, this app helps you take a break and reduce stress through meditation.

30. MyCalmBeat – This app provides training and practice in slow, deep breathing for stress reduction.

31. Breathe – An app that assists in controlling your breathing.

32. Gratitude Journal – This app helps you focus on the positive by identifying what you are thankful for each day.

33. Pacifica – Stress & Anxiety – Tools for mindfulness, meditation, relaxation, and health/mood tracking.

34. Affirmation Reminder – Select from a list of positive affirmations or make your own to add as reminders.

35. ColorMe – Free coloring app to help reduce stress.

36. Relax Melodies – Free app with white noise and calming sounds for sleeping and meditation.

Free Websites

37. The Calm Clinic – Website with articles specifically focused on anxiety.

38. National Institute on Drug Abuse for Teens – Lots of free resources and information for parents, educators, counselors, and teens themselves.

39. Love Is Respect – Website that teaches young adults about health relationships.

40. PsychCentral – Detailed information, resources, and articles on a number of mental health disorders and disabilities.

41. American Psychological Association – Large assortment of free information on topics and latest research.

42. College Board – Website to help young adults, parents, and counselors navigate through college decisions.

– Free Videos –

43. Creating a Coping Strategies Notebook

44. School Counselor Office Must Haves

45. Developing a School Counseling Program

46. Clipboard Progress Monitoring

– Pinterest Boards –

47. Counseling & Mental Health for Young Adults

48. Child Anxiety

49. Guidance, Counseling, & Social Work

50. Therapist Community Board

51. Coping Strategies

52. School Counseling

I hope these free resources and materials are helpful to you and the kids you are working with! If you are looking for even more resources, consider checking out all of my free and paid resources in my store here.

How to Build Escape Room Challenges

10 Reasons to Use Escape Room Activities

10 Ways to Involve Young Adults in their IEP Meetings

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