STOP & THINK
“You're playing soccer and someone accidentally bumps into you. What should you do first?”
Stop and think before reacting.
“Someone takes your ball while you're playing. What could you say?”
“Can I have that back, please?”
“I was using that.”
“You're playing tag. Someone tags you, but you don't think they actually touched you. What would you do?”
Ask nicely or keep playing instead of arguing.
“How might you feel if someone won't let you play?”
“Walking away from an argument.”
SAFE!
“You're getting really angry because someone isn't following the rules of the game. What should you do before you react?”
Stop, take a breath, and think.
“Someone cuts in front of you in line. What could you say?”
“I was waiting here. Can you please go behind me?”
“You ask a group if you can play. They say no. What would you do?”
Find another activity/group or ask an adult for help.
“Is it okay to be disappointed?”
YES!
“Do we get to hit someone because they said no?”
“How might your body feel when you're REALLY angry?”
“Yelling insults at someone because they made you mad.”
UNSAFE CHOICE.
“You're so angry that you feel like you might hit someone. What should you do?”
Move away/get an adult/use a coping strategy.
“You don't agree with someone about the rules of a game. What could you say?”
“I think the rule is different. Can we ask an adult?”
or
“Let's figure it out without arguing.”
“You're playing basketball. Another student keeps taking the ball from you. What would you do?”
“Good! You could use your words, walk away, or ask an adult for help.”
“Can you be angry and still make a safe choice?”
YES!
“This is SUPER important. Being angry isn't bad. What we do when we're angry matters.”
“Asking an adult for help when another student won't stop bothering you.”
SAFE!
“Someone says something mean to you on the playground. Should you immediately say something mean back?”
No.
“Someone keeps bothering you after you've asked them to stop. What could you say?”
“Please stop. I don't like that.”
“And if they DON'T stop?”
“Walk away and get an adult.”
“You're playing a game and someone starts yelling at you. You feel yourself getting really angry. What do you do?”
“Which feeling might make it harder to think clearly: calm or extremely angry?”
Extremely angry.
“Exactly. That's why we sometimes need to calm our bodies before we solve the problem.”
“Pushing someone because they pushed you first.”
UNSAFE.
“What could you do instead?”
“You're having a disagreement with someone. Your friend tells you, ‘Just hit them back.’ What should you do?”
Don't fight; walk away/get an adult/use your words.
“Someone is getting angry and wants to fight you. What could you say?”
“I'm not fighting you.”
“I'm walking away.”
“I'm going to get an adult.”
“Two students are playing. One student thinks the other cheated. They start arguing. Then one student pushes the other.”
“STOP!”
“Okay, you're in the situation. What could you do differently?” ACT IT OUT
“What could have happened if they kept fighting?”
Let them answer.
“I am so angry that I want to hit someone. What is my feeling? What is my behavior?”
Feeling: Angry
Behavior: Hitting
“Can we control the behavior even if we can't instantly control the feeling?”
YES!
“You see two students starting to fight on the playground. Do you jump in and start fighting too?”
NO!
“What should you do?”
Get an adult.