Second Step GRADE 5 Lesson 14: Handling Put-Downs

What Is My Child Learning?

Your child is learning that calming down helps them handle put-downs and avoid escalating conflicts.

Why Is This Important?

Insults and mean comments are common causes of conflict among children. Putdowns can lead to serious problems and even fights if handled poorly. By applying the Calming-Down Steps, your child can keep their emotions under control. The ability to keep strong emotional reactions in check can be important if your child is bullied, since sometimes a strong emotional reaction serves as a reward for bullying and makes further mistreatment more likely.

Note

Popular media often portrays insults and put-downs as humorous. Children are given the message that insulting and putting down their peers will be rewarded with laughter and popularity. This particularly applies to upper-elementary students, who are developing their senses of humor. Help guide your child by having them think critically about what makes something funny or not and analyze whether comedy should really be at the expense of others. Have your child practice perspective-taking by imagining themselves in the shoes of someone being put down for others’ amusement. Before the Lesson

Review the How to Calm Down mini-poster with your child.

After the Lesson

Work with your child to complete the lesson Home Link.

Daily Practice

Try doing this activity with your child to help reinforce what they’ve learned:

• Have your child write an answer to this prompt: Why is it important to stay calm when someone has put you down? Describe a time that you were put down and how you handled it. Was there another way you could have handled it?