In the last few years, kids just haven’t had enough practice with self-regulation and figuring out how to manage small versus big problems. Taking time to act out common scenarios during class time can help some students get that practice in.
“To learn how to regulate their behavior, kids need both the language to describe how they’re feeling (angry vs. annoyed, sad vs. jealous, etc.) and opportunities to do so. Have students practice describing how they’re feeling when they’re calm—role-playing different scenarios can be fun!—so it’s easier to do when they’re actually in crisis mode.”