In the Classroom
The student behind you keeps kicking the back of your seat. What do you do?
Turn around and say "please stop kicking my seat." If they continue, you could try saying "please stop kicking my seat, I don't want to have to talk to the teacher about this."
You hear a friend talking about birthday plans but they haven't said anything about them to you. What do you do?
Talk to the friend separately, tell them you'd love to celebrate their birthday with them and politely ask if there is a reason you haven't been invited?
All of your friends begin making fun of the new kid because his pants are ripped. What do you do?
Firmly (but not yelling) ask my friends to stop and/or don't join in
True or False: People like to be around someone who complains and says a lot of negative things.
False! It's normal to think negative things, and people feel best around us if we talk about positive or neutral things.
True or False: Classmates will want to approach me and talk to me if I'm sitting with my arms crossed and have a flat face.
False! Keep an open posture and soft smile to look most approachable.
Someone in class cut in front of you in line. What do you say to them?
Just ignore them this time or say "Please don't cut in front of me"
You let your friend borrow your favorite book. When you get it back, some of the pages are ripped. What do you do?
Let it go and be careful when letting this friend borrow things in the future, or ask my friend if they can replace the book with a new one
A friend at lunch says, "stop chewing with your mouth open!" How do you respond?
Apologize, thank them for pointing it out, and be more aware of how you're eating around others
You ask a classmate for their number to get together sometime. They say they can't remember their phone number. How do you respond?
They might be ready to end the conversation. You could wrap up what you're saying and end with "talk to you later!"
Your teacher assigns a partner project that you are excited about. What are important social skills to remember when planning to project with your partner?
Allow them to talk, ask them questions to make sure you understand them, use about half of their ideas, be mindful to not roll your eyes, talk badly about their ideas, or talk over them.
You've had a few conversations with a classmate and you seem to have a lot in common. How do you grow the friendship?
Ask if they want to sit together at lunch, or ask if they'd want to hang out outside of school and get their phone number.
A friend says they like your new shoes. What would be the best response, and what would be a poor response?
Best: Smile and say, "thanks!"
Poor: Keep a flat face and mutter "thanks," don't say anything at all, talk too much about where you got them from, or complain about them.
A friend is talking badly about how she looks. What would be the best way to respond? What would you NOT want to say?
Best: I'm sorry you're feeling bad about yourself. I have those days, too.
Don't say: Oh whatever! You're fine!
The girl behind you in the lunch line asks you questions about the food being served. What are important face and body language behaviors to remember?
Turn your body toward her when talking to her, smile, make eye contact, give more than one word answers, and ask her questions back!
The girl sitting next to you in class wears clothes that you really like. How would you go about building a friendship with her?
(On different occasions) Give her a compliment, ask her name and introduce yourself, ask her if she understands the assignment, ask her about other classes or activities she is in
You have plans to go to Cary's house on Saturday night. However, Jace invited you to go bowling for the same night. What do you do?
Let Jace know nicely I already have plans, maybe we can go bowling another time
What are three topics of conversation you could talk to a classmate about?
Answers vary
You tripped on someone's backpack that was on the floor in the hallway and your friends chuckle. What do you do?
Try to stay lighthearted and laugh along even when you feel embarrassed. Remind yourself that embarrassing things happen to everyone.
Someone in class asks, "why do you look so mad?" You don't actually feel mad. What would be the best way to respond?
Keep a surprised attitude, smile, and say something like, "Oh, did I look mad? I'm not feeling mad, I must've just been lost in thought!"
You see a classmate with their head down crying. What, if anything, do you say to them?
Gently ask if they are okay or let the teacher know
You see a new friend from class already sitting with another girl in the lunchroom. You'd like to grow the friendship. What do you do?
Walk up, smile, and ask "can I join you?"
If they say say, introduce yourself to the girl you don't know and ask how they know each other
Answers vary
Every time you play a video game with Chad, it ends up in a fight and he quits- what do you do?
Tell him how you feel. I feel ______________, when we play video games. I don't want to keep playing with you if keep quitting. How can we do this differently?
I'm ready to get to class and my friend is still getting things out of their locker. What would be the best thing to do?
If you have time, continue to stand facing your friend and ask them a question about their day/next class. If you could be late for class, smile, and say "hey, I gotta get to class, I'll see you at lunch!" before turning and walking away.