25 Fun problem-solving activities and games for kids + 10 Tips to teach kids problem-solving skills + 10 problem-solving strategies

Social-emotional activities have never been more important for younger kids.

Despite the joys of our profession (and there are so many!), there are also so many things which can drain our energies and motivations in the classroom. One

These Do Unto Otters read aloud activities are a great way of teaching the importance of respecting others.

As a school based counselor, I have to admit that I’ve always been a little jealous of classroom teachers. While I have absolutely LOVED my role, I’ve always wished that things were a little more… clear . My husband taught math for 10 years, and like many other classroom teachers, he had a

Teaching self control to kids can often times become a tricky topic. When a child hears, “Use self control”, do they even know what that means? So often we expect kids to know exactly what we mean or how to behave, but we fall short in our teaching and explanation. We cannot expect a child ... Read More about Self Control: What it Really Means to Kids

Running a self control group counseling program? Your students will love these 10 games to teach kids self control skills!

It's hard to talk to students without making it a lecture. Empower students while you teach them about respect using hands on activities

In this blog post, I'm going to give you 5 Social Emotional Learning Art Ideas that you can use in your Art Classroom! As well, I'll tell you about what Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is, how to instruct it, and how to encourage students to engage in the lessons. I'll give you lesson ideas that you can use right away with your students, and I will also give you links to Art Projects that are ready-to-use! Before we begin, let’s understand what Social Emotional Learning, or SEL is and what it can look like in the art classroom or through art!

Ensuring students know the value and power of their courage is crucial for upper elementary students’ social-emotional learning and growth. Get easy-to-implement ideas, courage activities, suggested titles for books on bravery, and courage lesson plans to help you create a classroom community where

Simple, yet effective social responsibility strategies you can try today to teach kids to be more responsible, make good choices and set attainable goals.

These 20 Activities and Lessons that Teach Obedience to Kids will help equip you to teach kids to obey. This is part of my character building series, a great resource for parents and teachers everywhere. The word “obey” has gotten a bad wrap over the years. Before you jump into this post and all it...Read More

Plan and deliver meaningful Social-Emotional Learning lessons for kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students with this guide. Tailored for teachers juggling time constraints and looking for effective classroom management techniques. Learn how to intentionally plan your SEL lessons, and create the ideal schedule and lesson. Find a weekly schedule example and free templates for planning, observations and assessments, and lesson ideas to enrich morning meetings and SEL curriculum!

Are you on the lookout for engaging and fun ways to foster social-emotional learning (SEL) skills in your students? Well, you're in the right place! Whether you're a seasoned teacher or a fresh-faced educator, I've included a treasure trove of games that will transform your classroom into a hub of self-awareness, self-management, relationship building, social awareness, and responsible decision-making. These games are not only a breeze to implement, but are sure to have your students begging for more. These activities aren't just about learning; they're about making SEL skills an integral part of your classroom culture. So, let the games begin! Self-Awareness: Game 1: Empathy Chairs This game is similar to musical chairs, but it has a social-emotional learning twist. Start the music as students rotate around a circle of chairs with emotion cards on the seats. When the music stops, they'll need to grab a seat. Based on the card at their seats, students will share experiences that they have had related to that emotion. For ready-made cards and detailed directions, click here. Game 2: Feelings Charades Get ready to break the ice with a classic game of charades, but with a twist! Instead of acting out movie titles or animals, students will express various emotions using only their facial expressions and body language. This not only hones their emotional awareness but also creates a safe space for open communication about feelings. Game 3: Emotion Journaling Equip your students with journals and encourage them to express their daily emotions through words, drawings, or a combination of both. This simple yet effective exercise fosters self-awareness by helping students identify and reflect on their emotions. Bonus: It's a fantastic tool for tracking emotional trends over time. Find my favorite journal prompts for building self-awareness here. Self-Management: Game 4: Mindful Minute Challenge Kick off each class or session with a mindful minute challenge. Set a timer for 60 seconds and guide students through a brief mindfulness exercise, such as deep breathing or visualization. This routine cultivates self-management skills by teaching students to center themselves, promoting focus and emotional regulation. You can also practice mindfulness with these FREE finger labyrinths. Game 5: Goal-Setting Bingo Turn goal-setting into a game! Create bingo cards with various self-management goals (e.g., completing homework on time, staying organized, managing time effectively). As students achieve each goal, they mark it off their bingo card. The first to get a bingo enjoys a small reward. It's a playful way to instill discipline and responsibility. Or turn goal-setting into a group bulletin board. Grab the FREE goal-setting materials here. Game 6: Popcorn Game Play a game called "Popcorn." Have students get into a circle. Explain that the goal is for them to each take a turn popping into the air and clapping at the same time. The only catch is that they must go in a random order. If they "pop" up at the same time as a classmate, they should all start again. This is great way to promote impulse control. Grab detailed directions to play this game and four others here. Relationship Skills: Game 7: Collaborative Storytelling Fuel creativity and teamwork by having students work together to create a story. Each student contributes a sentence, building on the narrative created by their peers. This not only strengthens relationships but also enhances communication and cooperation skills. Plus, it's a blast to see where the story takes unexpected twists and turns! (These reading passages based on SEL learning skills are fun, too!) Game 8: Group Challenges Help students develop their relationship skills as they complete a series of fun challenges as a team. Have teams of students work together to solve 5 different challenges that focus on teamwork, collaboration, and leveraging individual strengths to emphasize the power of working together. Make planning these challenges easy with these ready-made stations. Game 9: Peer Appreciation Circle Form a circle and have students take turns expressing appreciation for the person on their right. This simple yet powerful exercise builds positive relationships within the class and reinforces the importance of acknowledging each other's strengths and contributions. Social Awareness: Game 10: Perspective Puzzles Print or draw pictures of various situations and scenarios. Have students work in pairs to discuss and understand the emotions and perspectives of the people in the pictures. This game sharpens social awareness by encouraging students to consider different viewpoints and practice empathy. I've created a set of cards for this game here. Game 11: Community Connections Scavenger Hunt Create a list of community-related items or tasks that students can complete outside of the classroom, fostering a sense of connection to the broader community. This activity enhances social awareness by encouraging students to explore and appreciate the world beyond their immediate surroundings. Responsible Decision-Making: Game 12: Decision Dilemmas Present students with real-life scenarios that require responsible decision-making. Engage them in thoughtful discussions about the potential outcomes of each choice. This game equips students with the skills to analyze situations, consider consequences, and make informed decisions—a crucial aspect of responsible decision-making. Need some scenario cards to share with students? Grab them here. Game 13: Consequence Connect Four Create a Connect Four game board with spaces featuring different consequences of actions. As students play, discuss the potential outcomes associated with each move. This visually engaging activity reinforces the concept that every decision has consequences and helps students develop a sense of responsibility. Game 14: Decision Making Prompts Get students thinking about how they might respond to situations with targeted writing prompts. Share prompts that challenges students to make a decision. Then, give them opportunity to write how they might respond. Let students share their responses with peers or small groups. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- And there you have it, a bunch of games designed to infuse your classroom with social-emotional learning! These activities are not just about learning; they're about creating an environment where students flourish emotionally, socially, and academically. So, why wait? Dive into the world of SEL games and watch your students grow into self-aware, emotionally intelligent, and socially adept individuals. Your classroom is about to become the epicenter of SEL success—game on! Wishing you lots of fun in your classroom, Mary Beth P.S. Find 15 MORE social-emotional learning activities HERE.

Hi friends!! I’m super excited to be linking up with Doodle Bugs for Five for Friday. I haven’t done one in a long time!! But I’m not feeling too well […]

Quick, fun, no-prep SEL lesson activities that are perfect for before and after breaks or any time you need an extra fun guidance lesson

These children’s books about perseverance show how grit and determination help us push through challenges and try again after setbacks.

This is a wonderful book about liking who you are and what you look like no matter what everyone else might think of you. This book offers so many great character lessons, it is definitely a must have for any library. I have created an "I Like Myself" writing activity to go along with the book, but there is so much more you can do. Listed below are the reading skills, strategies and ideas you can use to create a great lesson. Reading level: 1.8 Theme/subject: self-esteem Genre: general fiction Suggested Vocabulary/phrases: protruding, knobby knees, warts, snout, tame Reading skills and strategies: Asking questions - {possible questions before} I wonder what the story is about. I wonder what she is like. {possible questions during} I wonder why she likes herself so much. {possible questions after} I wonder if she will feel that way when she gets bigger/older. **Remember to have your students answer/reflect their questions. Author's point of view – Third. Be sure to find 3 pieces of evidence to support this. Author's purpose – entertain {evidence} The main character looks very silly. The illustrator drew some crazy pictures. The story is written in rhyme. All of this makes a very entertaining story. Classify & categorize – you: things you like, how you look Compare & contrast – you and someone else. Connections - {possible text-to-self connections} all the different things you like about yourself. Drawing conclusions & inferencing – The girl likes the way she looks now but do you think she will like the way she looks when she gets a little bit older. {text clues} She looks very young. She likes everything about herself {what I know} I know that most teenagers usually don’t like the way they look. I know that teenagers can be mean sometimes to other kids that look a little different. {my conclusion} I think she will always like the way she looks even if others start to tease her. Main idea & details - {main idea} The story is mainly about a girl who likes who she is. {details} She doesn’t care if anyone calls her a silly nut or a crazy cuckoo bird. She would still like herself with knobby knees and polka-dot lips. Theme – there is only one of you and you should like who you are. It doesn’t matter what people think about you, you should like who you are. IT'S FREE!! Happy Reading!

Learn how to teach children self-control the right way with this collection of fun yet powerful self-regulation strategies and activities for kids!

Are you looking for a lesson that teaches empathy, compassion and kindness? Check out this amazing activity to instill these traits.

Use these ten kindness games to teach kindness and kindness concepts in a fun, silly, hands-on way that kids will love to play.

Teaching growth mindset can be done with read-alouds! Rosie's Glasses is a great book for this. Get ideas for using this book to teach being positive.

Cooperation is easy to talk about, but it's tough to actually SHOW kids why it's important. I can read countless amazing books about cooperation, but it just doesn't seem to stick the way I want it to. Have you guys ever experienced that? Now, I still recommend reading those books... but I also recommend having the kids participate in an activity that makes them apply that knowledge in a meaningful way. So here's what I love to do... it's really simple. I'll break down the lesson plan for you in bullet-form. 1. Start by reading a quality text that covers cooperation. Here are some good ones: As a class, discuss what cooperation means and how one might show it. 2. Introduce the picture challenge. Break students into groups for 4 to 6. Tell the kids that their job is to draw a picture. They must first plan what they will draw and then draw it. Here's the catch: each child can only use one crayon! If I start with purple, I can only color with purple. Make sure the kids understand they need to draw a picture of something and not simply a design. For that reason, I suggest giving the kids 1 or 2 minutes to plan what they'll draw first. 3. Give kids 10-15 minutes of work time. You won't need more than this to get the point across. If kids start to disagree and ask for your help, try to stay out of it. You might say something like, "How can you use cooperation to solve this problem?" or "How can you follow our rule 'Take care of everyone' and solve your problem?" The most important thing is that kids need to get through the struggle on their own. Some might not, and that's OK. 4. Reflect. Gather the class together. Display the pictures where they can all be seen, and reflect on what happened. What was successful? What was challenging? What did the kids learn? How might they use teamwork more effectively next time? What types of compromises does one need to make to be on a team? I find this to be a really powerful lesson for my kids, and I do it every year. Sometimes I do it at the beginning of the year, but it's also a great way to close off the year. It's easy to forget about the classroom communities we've worked so hard to build in those last few weeks, but it's more important than ever to peacefully transition to the next year! What are your favorite books that help you teach cooperation? Comment below!

Today I'm excited to have Corrina from From Mrs. Allen's Teaching Files here to share a really fun and exciting activity to use when talking about self control. Self control is such a hard

Playing emotion games and completing fun social-emotional learning activities will help kids learn about how they are feeling, all while they are having fun. Use these simple and engaging Color by Emo

Games, songs, and more!

Listening and following verbal or oral directions is an important skill that many students lack. You may relate to Charlie Brown's teacher after going over step-by-step directions. Students often hear the sound the teacher's voice is making, but fail to tune into the meaning of the words. When students aren't actively listening, they miss important information that can impact their academic AND behavior in the classroom. One way you can help your students practice active listening so they will follow directions is with a fun activity called Listen and Draw. Listen and Draw is a great activity to do with your class at the beginning of the year when you are teaching class procedures. Include these with your plans after breaks as a warmup plus a good reminder about practicing listening and following directions. Grab a free copy of FREE Listen & Draw - Following Directions Activity. Sources to make my blog post graphics can be found HERE. Click HERE to read my blog's disclosure statement.

Hey friends! I am so excited to share this new book with you! The Little Linebacker by Steven Tulloch and Maria Dismondy is such an adorable book of determination! It has a great message of never giving up on your dreams and goals, even when things set you back or you fail! This is […]

Teach your family about dishonesty in a way that will STICK with them for a long time! Get all the lesson info about the effect of lies on the blog today.

Have you ever had a class with so many difficult, disruptive students that you felt that you could barely even teach? What can you do to get past it? In this post, I am going to address this problem with my best advice, and some advice from others as well.

Help students learn that making mistakes is okay with The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes. Perfect for whole class or small groups!

Resilience is one of my favorite topics to teach and one of my favorite small groups to run. I always include goal setting, identifying problems, coping skills, healthy habits, and positive relationships as components to being resilient. Here are 6 tools for teaching resilience that help bring those components and your resiliency lessons to life.

Over the past few years, I’ve heard the same question come up over and over – “how do we help our middle and high school students self-regulate?” This blog helps to answer that question with several strategies.

Teaching children how to play nicely with others is a common social skill that needs to be frequently addressed. As educators we will say things like, “be kind” or “treat others the way you want to be treated”, however we need to explicitly teach these skills. We cannot expect for children to know these social ... Read More about Social Story: Playing Nicely