Take it further — integrate!

Have students identify common stressors, e.g., being told "No,” losing a game, being left out, being frustrated, being teased, or feeling embarrassment. Have students identify strategies to cope with those stressors, including deep breathing techniques such as lying on the floor with a stuffed animal on their tummies and watching the toy rise and slowly fall as the child breathes slowly in and out, or shaking and watching a “glitter bottle” until all the glitter settles.

Take it further — integrate!

When discussing stories, routinely ask students about a time they have felt the same way as a character in the story. How did the feelings of the character affect the character’s thoughts and behaviors? When something similar happened to students, how did their feelings affect their own thoughts and behaviors? Was it the same or different from the way the character acted?

Take it further — integrate!

• Read a story and discuss where the students would make different choices than a character and what the effects of those choices would have on the story.

• When handling discipline situations, ask students what choice they were making when deciding how to behave. How did their choice of how to behave affect what happened? Ask them how things might have worked out differently if they had chosen differently, e.g., if they had waited their turn instead of cutting in line.

Take it further — integrate!

• Routinely ask students to brainstorm ways to motivate themselves when they face difficult situations. For example, in math, check in with students as they encounter difficult tasks and give appropriate feedback when they eventually succeed.

• Read biographical stories about historical figures or leaders who didn’t give up. Talk about how their perseverance paid off, for themselves and for their communities.