Best Solution
Eva was hoping her friend Sam would introduce her to the new girls at lunch because Sam already met them. Eva can’t find Sam anywhere so she introduces herself instead of waiting. Did Eva choose the best solution?
Yes- it's always okay to introduce yourself to people
While getting ready for school, you notice your favorite sweater is missing. You figure your younger sister borrowed it, so you ask her where it is. She reluctantly pulls it out from under her bed, with a big stain on the front of it. How should you respond?
*Calmly ask your sister what happened and then work together to clean the stain
*Tell your sister that she didn't have to hide it; she could have just told you that she stained it and you would have been less upset
Your family is going out for dinner. No one can decide on a restaurant. You have been waiting 10 minutes, and you are hungry. What can you do?
-Make a suggestion and be flexible with the solution
-Help your family decide on a place to go
-Eat a snack while your family chooses a restaurant
This social skill is used when you are considering what another person thinks or feels.
Perspective taking
Kendra was so overwhelmed getting ready for school that she left her lunch at home. She thought to herself, "Now I can't have any lunch today."
How could Kendra use flexible thinking?
-Go to the office and ask to call home to see if parent could drop lunch off
-Buy lunch from the cafeteria
-Ask school nurse for some snacks
Mindy saw that her friend was solving the math problems in the wrong way. She didn’t want to tell her friend she was wrong so she didn’t say anything. Did Mindy choose the best solution? If not, what should she have done instead?
Mindy did not chose the best solution.
Instead, she could have:
-Offered to help her friend solve the problem
-Explained how to correctly answer the math problems in a polite way
-Ask her friend to work on the problems together
When you come home from school, your mom is upset because she thinks you broke her favorite mug without telling her about it. She automatically grounds you, but you know it was actually your brother who did it. What should you do?
*Tell your brother that you got grounded for it and encourage him to tell your mother first, otherwise you will
*Ask your mother to meet with you and your brother first to discuss it before any consequences are delivered
Your mom was carrying cupcakes to the car for a party at work and she dropped the box. She is very anxious and angry at herself. What should you do?
-Offer to help her
-Say it will be okay
-Offer to help bake new cupcakes
-Suggest that you both go to the store and buy new cupcakes for the party
These social skills are used when you're trying to express what you think or feel WITHOUT using language
Nonverbal communication OR body language
For a group project, Jerry was placed with students he doesn't think he will work well with. What could he do to be flexible? How could he change his mindset?
Jerry could express his feelings to his teacher and ask to be placed in a different group.
Jerry could try his best to work with his group and ask for help from his teacher if the group can't agree or cooperate.
Jerry could change his mindset by telling himself that this group project is temporary and that he can use a strategy to control his emotions if he becomes upset.
Hector was mad at his friend so he blocked him from all social media accounts. Did Hector choose the best solution? If not, what could he do instead?
Hector did not choose the best solution.
Instead, Hector could have:
-Told his friend how he felt
-Temporarily ignored his friend until he was longer upset
-Talk to someone about his emotions or ask if an adult can help solve the conflict between them
A classmate has asked you for the twentieth time to borrow a pen. Every time you lend her one, you don’t get it back, so this time you say no. She gets angry and starts to yell at you. What should you say?
*Tell your classmate that you understand why she's upset, but that you don't deserve to be yelled at for it, and calmly explain why you can't lend her any more pens
Your teacher was late arriving to school and looks very upset and distracted. What should you do?
-Wait for her to start the lesson
-Ask her if she is okay
This social skill is necessary when you have a disagreement with someone else and need to find a way to problem-solve
Conflict resolution OR Negotiation OR Compromise
In your class, spelling tests always happen on Fridays. This week, there is no school on Friday. Your teacher asks you how you can be flexible in this situation. What would you propose as a solution?
-You could offer to take the test a bit late (Monday).
-You could ask to combine this week's spelling test with next week's.
Clay got a bad grade on his last science test so he made sure to stay after to get extra help. He saw the test’s answer sheet on his teacher’s desk and looked at it. What would be the short-term and long-term consequences of this decision?
Short-term: He could get caught, He could get in trouble, His teacher could give him an F on the test
Long-term: His teacher may trust him less next time, other students may not to work with him in groups if they think he's going to cheat and affect their grade
Maria joined the ski club on Wednesday nights because her friends Michelle and Alice did. Twice now, Michelle and Alice have left Maria out of the chairlift and told Maria to meet them at the top, but when Maria gets to the top, they’re nowhere in sight, and she has to ski alone. What should Maria do?
*Confront Michelle and Alice by telling them how it feels when you can’t find them and ask if they can just wait for you or let them on the lift with them. Tell them that if they’re doing it on purpose, it isn’t good for you to be friends with them anymore.
*Keep heading up on the chairlift because it’s possible Michelle and Alice are just taking a different trail on the way down the mountain and they may not be leaving her out. Besides, skiing alone is just as fun.
When you walk into school one morning, you remember that you didn't finish the math homework which is due after lunch. What should you do?
-Try to finish your homework during lunch
-Tell your teacher that you forgot
-Remember to do your homework next time
This social skill is necessary to use when you need to respectfully stand up for yourself or let someone know what you need
Self-Advocacy OR Assertiveness
Sarah went to the store to buy her favorite potato chips: barbeque flavor. When she got home, she realized she added the wrong flavor to the shopping cart: salt and vinegar! She will not eat those- YUCK!
How could Sarah make a flexible decision?
-Sarah could ask her parents if there are any other flavored chips at home she could have instead.
-Sarah could look to see if she could exchange her chips for a different snack.
Mariah made friendship bracelets and gave them to Steve and Reagan. Heather's feelings were hurt, so she decided to invite Steve and Reagan over to her house and leave out Mariah on purpose. Did Heather pick the best solution for this problem? If not, what should she have done instead?
Heather did not pick the best solution for this problem.
Instead, Heather could have:
-Told Mariah how she felt
-Asked Mariah if they could make friendship bracelets together
-Invite Steve, Reagan, and Mariah over to her house
Tim and Jeff were assigned to work together on a social studies project about native Americans by random selection. Tim starts noticing that Jeff isn't doing his fair share of the work and is goofing off with his friends during project time and not contributing much to their poster. What should Tim say to Jeff?
*Approach Jeff and tell him that it feels like he isn't doing his fair share, and let him know how that makes you feel
*Ask Jeff if you can work together to finish the rest of the poster even though it was his part, because your grade on the project means a lot to you
Your friend's mom called and said she can't take you and your friend to the mall anymore. You really wanted to go. What should you do?
-Ask another adult to take you both
-Go another day when your friend's mom is available
This social skill is necessary when you need to let someone else know that they have crossed a line, taken something too far, hurt you, or invaded your personal space
Boundary-setting OR Limit-setting
For your next writing assignment, you get to research and write about your favorite animal. No student in your class can research the same animal. Your favorite animal is an axolotl, and when you go to sign up for it, you see that another student already chose it.
How can you be flexible in this scenario?
-You could choose your second favorite animal to research, since your first choice was already taken.
-You could ask the teacher for help in selecting a different animal to research.
-You could ask the teacher to work with the other student to create a group project on axolotls, if the other student is open to that idea.