Social Detective
Your friend is smiling, laughing, and looking at you while you tell a funny story. What might these clues tell you?
A classmate bumps into you while walking to class and says, "Oops, sorry!". Were they trying to hurt you?
You want to play soccer, but your friends want to play tag. Name 1 flexible choice.
Try tag or suggest taking turns choosing games.
What does it mean to have an impulse?
An impulse is a strong urge to do something quickly without thinking first.
What is something positive you can say to yourself when you trying something new?
"I am capable", I can do this", "I can try my best" or "This might be fun" or "I won't know I like it until I try".
A classmate turns away, gives short answers, and starts looking at their book while you're talking. What might this mean?
They may want to focus on their book or want to end the conversation.
Your friend plays with another friend at recess instead of you. Does that mean they don't like you anymore?
No. They might want to play something different or spend time with someone else.
Your teacher changes the classroom schedule. What is one flexible thought you can tell yourself?
"Plans can change. I can try something different."
You feel like shouting out an answer while your teacher is talking. What can you do before speaking?
Freeze, count to 10, think about the consequences, make a good choice.
You make a mistake on an assignment. What is a helpful thought instead of "I suck."
"Mistakes are normal and help me learn" or "I can keep practicing".
You ask a friend to play and they say, "Not right now, I'm playing with my other friend." What might this mean?
They are busy and are not available to play right now. They might want to play later with you.
A classmate laughs after you make a mistake during a game. Name 2 reasons they might be laughing.
They may thinking something funny happened, or they may be thinking about something else funny.
You lose a game, even though you really wanted to win. What are 2 ways to thinking flexibly about losing?
"I can try again next time" and "Playing is still fun even if I don't win."
You notice your fists getting tight and your body feeling hot because your friend is playing with someone else. You want to say something inappropriate. What is your body telling you? What zone are you in?
I might be getting frustrated, angry, jealous, or feeling hurt. It's a warning sign to pause and to calm my body down.
You are nervous about joining a group at recess. What are 2 positive things you can tell yourself?
"I can ask to join", "I'm fun and cool", "It's okay to feel nervous", "People like hanging out with me", "I'm a good friend".
You're telling a classmate about your favorite soccer player. Your friend looks away, stops responding, and starts talking to someone else. What might this mean? What can you do?
They are not interested in talking about soccer players. They may be thinking about something else or want to talk about something else. I can ask what they want to talk about.
You hear two classmates whispering and then they look in your direction. What other reasons might they do this besides them talking about you?
They may be talking about something else, looking at something behind me, planning a fun surprise.
You planned to sit next to your best friend, but someone else is already sitting there. What are 2 different ways you could handle this?
Sit somewhere nearby, ask if another seat is available, sit with a different friend.
You feel frustrated that you slam your hand on the desk and say something inappropriate. Name 2 things you can do instead.
Take a deep breath, take a break, do wall push-ups, use a fidget, count to 10, identify my zone (green, blue, yellow, red).
You compare yourself to a classmate who is better at something than you. What could you remind youself?
Everyone has different strengths. I have my own skills and I can get better with practice.
During a game, your classmate becomes quiet, crosses their arms, and stops taking turns after you keep change the rules. What clues do you notice, and what might you do?
A friend says, "I don't want to play that game today." You think they're being mean because they said no. What are 3 possible reasons they might not want to play?
You and a friend both want to be the leader of a game. You think your idea is best. How could you solve this problem?
Take turns leading, combine ideas, vote, create a new plan together.
Describe what each of these mean: check myself, calm my body, make good decisions.
Checking myself is noticing how I'm feeling and what I'm thinking or doing. Calming my body is using tools to calm myself down when I feel hyper or upset. Making good decisions means noticing my impulse and pausing before I act.
You try something difficult, make a mistake, and notice another student is doing it better. You start thinking, "I'm terrible at this. I should quit." What are 3 things you could tell yourself to keep going?