It is often said by educators that students must “Maslow before they Bloom.” This phrase is about two very well-known people- Abraham Maslow; who was a psychologist that studied human motivation, and Benjamin Bloom; a researcher who figured out the process of learning mastery. Maslow focused on the social, emotional, and physical needs of kids and suggested that in order for students to learn, all of their other needs must first be met. This list of activities will help you do just that!
Mind Yeti is a wonderful resource that you can use in the classroom on a regular basis with kids of all ages, especially elementary learners. These research-based mindfulness breathing practices will help students focus, get oxygen flowing, and create a sense of calm in your group.
Daily check-ins are very helpful when you are working with kids, especially those who come from difficult backgrounds. It builds emotional learning skills because kids can identify their feelings and then teachers can address them as needed and get a sense of how everyone is feeling prior to beginning the day.
Not everyone is comfortable with physical contact, but others thrive on regular hugs and friendly touch! Help students rid themselves of anxious feelings by giving them the option of how they can say hello to you each morning!
Teaching kids positive conversation skills are incredibly important, especially after they’ve had an experience where unkind words were shared. Books like this contribute to that culture of kindness within the classroom setting.
Many kids are not taught that it is okay to have anxious feelings, strong feelings, or bad feelings. Because of this, they do not learn those helpful skills to cope with these feelings which can force them to find their own coping mechanisms that aren’t necessarily effective.
Make positive affirmations a regular routine in your classroom. The phrase “speaking it into existence” holds true when you can create a positive classroom experience for children where they know they can do or be anything.
One of the best experiences for children in elementary school is the morning meeting. You can guide the meeting with premade discussion questions, lead with books about kindness, chat about family issues, or simply just check in to say hello.
Show and tell is a great way to build positive relationship skills among your students. It does more than just allow kids to show off their favorite things, it gives them communication skills, helps create a place for them in the classroom, and more.
Have your kids leave little notes of kindness with this creative tool that will give them the opportunity to share and spread positivity. Your children at elementary school level are sure to enjoy the positive feedback and random heartwarming messages that will fill their Shout Out Board.
Encourage elementary school students to have meaningful conversations at lunch and practice healthy friendship skills by offering conversation starters for them to utilize. This will help them learn how to practice accountable conversation.
This is a useful craftivity to use as a counseling tool. It doesn’t require any fancy materials, just some construction paper and a simple sentence frame that will get kids talking about their feelings. It works well for even the most challenging situations that require addressing.
This visual demonstration is a brilliant idea to really help kids understand the effect that can actually have on others and serves as a perfect class lesson for elementary students.
Empathy doesn’t necessarily come easily for everyone. This classroom guidance lesson will help students who have no experience with empathy practice this skill and both see and hear what it would look like in practice.
This is a fun activity for kids to play any time of the year to practice gratitude. Using the classic game of pickup sticks in a multitude of colors, students draw colors and then answer a question about the corresponding color. Can’t find any pickup sticks? There are plenty of other creative ways to modify this game!
Many times when a child is frustrated and their behavior escalates, it is because they are encountering a feeling or situation they can’t control. Have a conversation prior to meltdowns around this poster that shows what a person can and cannot control.
Help students find out what makes their hearts happy and then let them share! Sometimes, all a kid wants is to feel is understood. By giving them this cute worksheet, you provide a useful strategy for building relationships and getting kids to share their stories.
Help kids learn how to be kind and how good it feels to be kind with this extensive list of random acts of kindness. Let kids learn how to build positive relationship skills by helping others feel good!
This tool is perfect for helping kids identify what triggers their bad feelings or recognize things that frustrate them. With some guidance and practice, kids will begin to recognize anger prior to its onset and be better prepared to cope with those strong feelings.
Just in time for Halloween, this adorable printable will help kids recognize positive and negative thoughts so that they can be prepared to recognize and banish those self-negating ideas and build a better mindset.
Help kids learn to identify feelings, triggers, coping mechanisms, and more with this complete printable set that helps them practice zones of regulation so they can be emotionally successful.
When kids are having a meltdown or struggling with their emotions, offer them one of these worksheets as a strategy to help them de-escalate their feelings. Laminate them for more durability.
Having a safe space in your classroom can be an incredible resource for students who need some time away from activities to help them refocus, de-escalate, and get back to learning. Offer breathing exercises, fidgets, and some other easy activities to help take little minds off of big problems.
Breathing is one of the number one ways to get hormones regulated and back down to a normal state when kids are experiencing strong emotions. This trace and breathe activity is perfect for kids of all ages but works especially well with younger kids because it’s simple.
What better way to learn about emotions than with a fun game? The movie Inside Out created by Disney forms the basis for this game as it is all about emotions.
