social problem solving lesson

71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Scenarios

Do you have kiddos who struggle with their social problem-solving skills? Teach your students the simple process of how to solve a problem along with having them review how well their solution worked or didn’t work.

Why Teach Problem Solving Skills?

Learning to problem solve is an essential skill that is used not only throughout childhood but also into adulthood. Social problem solving is the ability to change or adapt to undesirable situations that arise throughout our day.

On a daily basis, a child will encounter social problems that they will need to solve.

Anything from:

arguing with another student
to hurting a friend’s feelings
to having a difficult conversation
working with others

Start with Small Problems

Many of the “problems” children encounter are often small problems which the child may be over-reacting to, such as wanting a different coloring crayon or wanting to be first in line, however, these small problems are still very real to the child.

Practicing problem-solving with these small problems can be a great learning opportunity. Children can practice problem-solving with a small problem which can help them learn how to handle bigger problems in the future.

Problem Solving Importance

Social problem-solving skills are critical to a child’s social interactions, personal and professional relationships. A child’s ability to handle change, cope with stress, and handle challenges improves with a child’s ability to successfully solve social problems.

The ultimate goal is that the child will be able to solve social problems all on their own, but until they can independently solve a problem they will need to learn how to communicate and self-advocate to positively solve their problems.

Steps to Problem Solving

Children can be taught how to problem solve through a guided process of breaking down the problem and using simple steps to solve the problem.

Learning specific steps to problem-solving can allow children to remember how to solve a problem when they become overwhelmed or stressed.

Although learning to solve a problem independently can take some time and practice it is well worth the investment to have a child who can eventually solve most social situations in a positive manner on their own.

What we learnt about solving problems is don't freak out, if one thing doesn't work , try something else out. And work together as a team. #melthammathsweek #MELTHAMPUPILVOICE @problemsolveit pic.twitter.com/iVm1Im4Aue — yr6melthamce (@yr6melthamce) February 4, 2019

Problem Solving Form

Teach your students the 4 steps to becoming a social problem-solver.

Identify the problem. For instance, start by having your student identify the social problem.
Create three solutions. Also, have your student come up with three different solutions that they could use to solve the problem that they identified.
Identify the consequences. Then, identify the consequence for each individual solution.
Pick the best solution. Lastly, have your student identify which of their three solutions is the best choice Then have your student put into words why they think that solution is the best solution.

Problem Solving Review Form

After your students go through the social problem-solver have them use the social problem-solving review form.

What happened. For instance, after your student tried their solution have them explain what happened next.
Review the results. Also, have your student identify whether or not their solution got them the results they wanted.
Use this solution again. Furthermore, have your student identify whether or not they would use this solution again in the future to solve the same or similar problem.
What would you do differently? Finally, have your student explain what they would do differently if they didn’t get the results they wanted or if they wouldn’t use that solution again in the future.

71+ Social Problem Scenarios + 6 Blank Scenarios

Use the 71 social problem-solving scenarios to have your students get great experience practicing how to solve a social problem.

Also, included are 6 blank scenarios. Then laminate them so you can use them over and over again. Therefore, create social problems that the student experiences and needs help solving.

Wordless Video teaching Problem Solving

Watch this super cute wordless animation with your students and have them discuss the problem they see and how to best solve the problem.

Use this as a fun practice example to get your students started towards learning how to problem-solve.

Demonstrate Through Modeling

Model and discuss empathy.

First and foremost, children need to understand how another person might be feeling in a given situation in order to become a good social problem solver. The student needs to learn how to “stand in someone else’s shoes” for a little bit.

One way you can work on this skill is during the reading time you can focus on how a particular character in the story might be feeling.

Ask questions, such as:

“How do they feel right now?”
“How would you feel in that same situation?”
“Why do you think they feel that way?”

Model Problem-Solving Skills as the Teacher

When you are faced with a problem you can solve the problem by thinking aloud for the students to hear how you solve a problem.

You can state the problem, then come up with possible solutions, then identify the possible consequences to each solution, then pick and explain why a solution is the best option.

For example, you could say, “I was hoping to take the class outside for a stress walk around the track before the reading test, but the problem is that it is raining outside. I could still take you outside, but then you will get wet, or we could walk the halls, but then we’d have to be really quiet because there are other classes learning, or we could just skip the walk and take the reading test, but then you might not do as well on the test. I think based on all of those solutions the best solution will be to walk the hallway, but you guys will have to promise to be quiet so that we don’t disrupt other classes.

Modeling the problem-solving process can be very helpful for the students to watch, observe, and later implement themselves.

Teach Communication

Have students communicate how they are feeling.

Teaching your students to share their emotions in a respectful way can improve their ability to problem-solve.

Have students use an “I” sentence frame, such as, “I feel _____ (insert feeling word) when _____ (identify what made you feel that way).”

For example, “I felt sad when Jackson broke my favorite pencil” or “I was mad when I wasn’t picked to be first in line.”

This way students can communicate how they are feeling using honest and open communication. Teaching students to appropriately communicate their emotions can help solve some social problems from the beginning.

Encourage Independency

Encourage your student to problem solve.

If your student is struggling to problem solve independently encourage them to do so using open-ended questions.

“How could you fix this problem?”
“What would be a fair solution?”
“What would happen if you used that solution?”

Let the Student try to Problem Solve Independently

Give your students the space to try and solve their own problems using the guided strategies. Try not to come running to their rescue for every little problem.

Some problems are small and a great opportunity for the student to learn and practice. If an adult does all of the problem solving for a student then what are they really learning?

Give your students the time and space they need to practice solving small problems on their own. Of course, if it is a bigger or more serious problem then have an adult help guide the problem-solving process.

Tell an Adult

Remind your students that there are still some problems that are too big for them to solve on their own and that it is okay to get help from an adult to solve big problems.

For example, if the student doesn’t feel safe, someone is being hurt physically or emotionally, or if they tried to solve a problem independently but it didn’t work and they need help. Let them know that it’s okay to tell an adult.

Teach How to Disagree and How to Make Up

Discuss how to disagree respectfully.

Remind your student that they won’t always agree with their teacher, friends, classmate, or parents and that’s okay. Even the people we like might have different opinions, interests, and likes than we do.

However, even if we disagree with someone we should still treat them with respect. Treating someone with respect means to not call them names, ignore them, yell or hit them. It means that you do try to create solutions that both parties can agree with and to apologize when we hurt others’ feelings.

Role-Play How to Make Up

Practice in everyday life how to make up after a social problem .

Students are really having to stretch their brains today. It's @NSPCC #NumberDay and @problemsolveit are challenging Y9 and 10 to solve the escape room boxes. It's not as easy as it looks! The promise of a few sweet treats for the winners seems to be helping though! pic.twitter.com/AxRRJnJIv2 — CongletonHS (@CongletonHS) February 2, 2018

Be sure to get your free social problem solver today below! I hope you and your students love this freebie.

Have your students use task card scenarios to help them identify how they and others might feel in different social scenarios. Be sure to discuss the problem, identify possible solutions, identify the consequences of those possible solutions, and then based on those consequences pick the best solution.

Make social problem-solving a game by telling the students that they are social detectives and that it is their job to use what they know about social rules to help them identify the possible and best solutions.

Start practicing today with 71+ free social problem social task cards! Do your students need more practice?

Be sure to check out my other freebie for 31 wordless animated videos to teach problem-solving and so much more.

Make Problem Solving Easier with this Freebie!

Download yours today to get started.

Get More Problem Solving Time Saving Materials

Next, be sure to check out the following time-saving materials to continue to teach your students how to solve their social problems in addition to this freebie.

Weekly Social Pragmatics Homework

Weekly problem-solving. Send home a weekly homework page that includes a problem-solving scenario plus an idiom and a conversational practice scenario.

Restorative Justice Problem Solving Flip Book

Restorative justice graphic visual. Use this graphic visual to help your student restore a social relationship after a social problem.

Self-Advocating Role-Play Scenarios

Self-advocating in high school. Teach your high schoolers the process to self-advocate for what they need.

5th-12th Grade Life Skills Problem Solving

Life skills problem-solving. In addition, this life skills differentiated bundle includes a problem-solving lesson plan.

I recommend you read Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems , 61+ Free Fillable SLP Planner Pages 2020-2021 , 430+ Free Multisyllabic Words List Activity Bundle , or 432+ Free IEP Goal Bank to Save You Time posts because they include freebies as well and who doesn’t want more freebies!

Got questions? Leave a comment. Let’s chat!

Monday 30th of January 2023

Hello! I have entered my name and email twice (yesterday & today) to receive to 71+ Free Social Problem-Solving Senarios, but I have not received anything yet. Not even an email back to mine in order to subcribe. Thanks for your help! Tracy

Melissa Berg

Tuesday 31st of January 2023

Hi Tracy, Thanks so much for reaching out! Sorry about that. We went ahead and sent you an email with the PDF attached. Wishing you all my best, Melissa

Problem Solving Skills

Tuesday 30th of August 2022

I truly love your site. Excellent colors, theme and writing. Thanks for sharing.

Laura Ricca

Monday 11th of April 2022

Tuesday 12th of April 2022

Hi Laura, I'm glad you found this resource helpful. Melissa

Modified Mental Health and Suicide Prevention - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 11th of May 2020

[…] 71+ FREE SOCIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING SCENARIOS […]

Problem Solving Wheel: Help Kids Solve Their Own Problems - Speech Therapy Store

Monday 4th of May 2020

[…] 71+ Free Social Problem Solving Task Cards Scenarios […]

The Pathway 2 Success

Solutions for Social Emotional Learning & Executive Functioning

Teaching Social Problem-Solving with a Free Activity

February 3, 2018 by pathway2success 5 Comments

Facebook 77

How to Teach Social Problem Solving with a Free Activity Solving

Kids and young adults need to be able to problem-solve on their own. Every day, kids are faced with a huge number of social situations and challenges. Whether they are just having a conversation with a peer, working with a group on a project, or dealing with an ethical dilemma, kids must use their social skills and knowledge to help them navigate tough situations. Ideally, we want kids to make positive choices entirely on their own. Of course, we know that kids don’t start off that way. They need to learn how to collaborate, communicate, cooperate, negotiate, and self-advocate.

Social problem solving skills are critical skills to learn for kids with autism, ADHD, and other social challenges. Of course, all kids and young adults benefit from these skills. They fit perfectly into a morning meeting discussion or advisory periods for older kids. Not only are these skills that kids will use in your classroom, but throughout their entire lives. They are well worth the time to teach!

Here are 5 steps to help kids learn social problem solving skills:

1. Teach kids to communicate their feelings. Being able to openly and respectfully share emotions is a foundational element to social problem solving. Teaching I statements can be a simple and effective way to kids to share their feelings. With an I statement, kids will state, “I feel ______ when _____.” The whole idea is that this type of statement allows someone to share how their feeling without targeting or blaming anyone else. Helping kids to communicate their emotions can solve many social problems from the start and encourages positive self-expression.

2. Discuss and model empathy. In order for kids to really grasp problem-solving, they need to learn how to think about the feelings of others. Literature is a great way teach and practice empathy! Talk about the feelings of characters within texts you are reading, really highlighting how they might feel in situations and why. Ask questions like, “How might they feel? Why do you think they felt that way? Would you feel the same in that situation? Why or why not?” to help teach emerging empathy skills. You can also make up your own situations and have kids share responses, too.

3. Model problem-solving skills. When a problem arises, discuss it and share some solutions how you might go forward to fix it. For example, you might say, “I was really expecting to give the class this math assignment today but I just found out we have an assembly. This wasn’t in my plans. I could try to give part of it now or I could hold off and give the assignment tomorrow instead. It’s not perfect, but I think I’ll wait that way we can go at the pace we need to.” This type of think-aloud models the type of thinking that kids should be using when a problem comes up.

4. Use social scenarios to practice. Give a scenario and have kids consider how that person might feel in that situation. Discuss options for what that person might do to solve the problem, possible consequences for their choices, and what the best decision might be. Kids can consider themselves social detectives by using the clues and what they know about social rules to help them figure out the solution. These are especially fun in small groups to have kids discuss collaboratively. Use these free social problem solving cards to start your kids off practicing!

5. Allow kids to figure it out. Don’t come to the rescue when a child or young adult has a problem. As long as it’s not a serious issue, give them time to think about it and use their problem-solving skills on their own. Of course, it’s much easier to have an adult solve all the problems but that doesn’t teach the necessary skills. When a child comes to you asking for your help with a social problem, encourage them to think about it for five minutes before coming back to you. By that point, they might have already figured out possible solutions and ideas and might not even need you anymore.

If you are interested in helping your kids learn social problem solving skills right away, consider trying out these Social Problem Solving Task Cards . They highlight real social scenarios and situations that kids can discuss. The scenarios include a variety of locations, such as in classrooms, with family, with friends, at recess, and at lunch. This set is targeted for elementary-age learners.

Social Scenario Problem Solving Task Cards

Of course, older kids need social problem solving skills, too! If you work with older kids, you will love these Social Problem Solving Task Cards for Middle and High School Kids. These situations target age-appropriate issues that come up in classes, with friends, with family, in the hallway, in the cafeteria, and with online and texting.

Social Problem Solving Task Cards for Middle and High School

Remember that teaching social problem skills does take a little bit of planning and effort, but it will be well worth the time! Kids will use these skills to help them make social decisions in their everyday lives now and in the future!

Social Problem Solving with a Free Activity

Find It Fast

Privacy Policy
Join Pathway 2 Success
Social Emotional Learning Toolkit
Self-Control Resources

pathway2success1

⭐ Kristina 💖 SEL & Executive Functioning 💻 Blogger at www.thepathway2success.com 👩‍🏫 Special Educator turned Curriculum Specialist Links here 👇

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Social Problem Solving

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Interpersonal Skills:

A - Z List of Interpersonal Skills
Interpersonal Skills Self-Assessment
Communication Skills
Emotional Intelligence
Conflict Resolution and Mediation Skills
Customer Service Skills
Team-Working, Groups and Meetings
Decision-Making and Problem-Solving
Effective Decision Making
Decision-Making Framework
Introduction to Problem Solving
Identifying and Structuring Problems
Investigating Ideas and Solutions
Implementing a Solution and Feedback
Creative Problem-Solving

Social Problem-Solving

Negotiation and Persuasion Skills
Personal and Romantic Relationship Skills

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and start improving your life in just 5 minutes a day.

You'll get our 5 free 'One Minute Life Skills' and our weekly newsletter.

We'll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

The SkillsYouNeed Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Social problem-solving might also be called ‘ problem-solving in real life ’. In other words, it is a rather academic way of describing the systems and processes that we use to solve the problems that we encounter in our everyday lives.

The word ‘ social ’ does not mean that it only applies to problems that we solve with other people, or, indeed, those that we feel are caused by others. The word is simply used to indicate the ‘ real life ’ nature of the problems, and the way that we approach them.

Social problem-solving is generally considered to apply to four different types of problems:

Impersonal problems, for example, shortage of money;
Personal problems, for example, emotional or health problems;
Interpersonal problems, such as disagreements with other people; and
Community and wider societal problems, such as litter or crime rate.

A Model of Social Problem-Solving

One of the main models used in academic studies of social problem-solving was put forward by a group led by Thomas D’Zurilla.

This model includes three basic concepts or elements:

Problem-solving

This is defined as the process used by an individual, pair or group to find an effective solution for a particular problem. It is a self-directed process, meaning simply that the individual or group does not have anyone telling them what to do. Parts of this process include generating lots of possible solutions and selecting the best from among them.

A problem is defined as any situation or task that needs some kind of a response if it is to be managed effectively, but to which no obvious response is available. The demands may be external, from the environment, or internal.

A solution is a response or coping mechanism which is specific to the problem or situation. It is the outcome of the problem-solving process.

Once a solution has been identified, it must then be implemented. D’Zurilla’s model distinguishes between problem-solving (the process that identifies a solution) and solution implementation (the process of putting that solution into practice), and notes that the skills required for the two are not necessarily the same. It also distinguishes between two parts of the problem-solving process: problem orientation and actual problem-solving.

Problem Orientation

Problem orientation is the way that people approach problems, and how they set them into the context of their existing knowledge and ways of looking at the world.

Each of us will see problems in a different way, depending on our experience and skills, and this orientation is key to working out which skills we will need to use to solve the problem.

An Example of Orientation

Most people, on seeing a spout of water coming from a loose joint between a tap and a pipe, will probably reach first for a cloth to put round the joint to catch the water, and then a phone, employing their research skills to find a plumber.

A plumber, however, or someone with some experience of plumbing, is more likely to reach for tools to mend the joint and fix the leak. It’s all a question of orientation.

Problem-Solving

Problem-solving includes four key skills:

Defining the problem,
Coming up with alternative solutions,
Making a decision about which solution to use, and
Implementing that solution.

Based on this split between orientation and problem-solving, D’Zurilla and colleagues defined two scales to measure both abilities.

They defined two orientation dimensions, positive and negative, and three problem-solving styles, rational, impulsive/careless and avoidance.

They noted that people who were good at orientation were not necessarily good at problem-solving and vice versa, although the two might also go together.

It will probably be obvious from these descriptions that the researchers viewed positive orientation and rational problem-solving as functional behaviours, and defined all the others as dysfunctional, leading to psychological distress.

The skills required for positive problem orientation are:

Being able to see problems as ‘challenges’, or opportunities to gain something, rather than insurmountable difficulties at which it is only possible to fail.

For more about this, see our page on The Importance of Mindset ;

Believing that problems are solvable. While this, too, may be considered an aspect of mindset, it is also important to use techniques of Positive Thinking ;

Believing that you personally are able to solve problems successfully, which is at least in part an aspect of self-confidence.

See our page on Building Confidence for more;

Understanding that solving problems successfully will take time and effort, which may require a certain amount of resilience ; and

Motivating yourself to solve problems immediately, rather than putting them off.

See our pages on Self-Motivation and Time Management for more.

Those who find it harder to develop positive problem orientation tend to view problems as insurmountable obstacles, or a threat to their well-being, doubt their own abilities to solve problems, and become frustrated or upset when they encounter problems.

The skills required for rational problem-solving include:

The ability to gather information and facts, through research. There is more about this on our page on defining and identifying problems ;

The ability to set suitable problem-solving goals. You may find our page on personal goal-setting helpful;

The application of rational thinking to generate possible solutions. You may find some of the ideas on our Creative Thinking page helpful, as well as those on investigating ideas and solutions ;

Good decision-making skills to decide which solution is best. See our page on Decision-Making for more; and

Implementation skills, which include the ability to plan, organise and do. You may find our pages on Action Planning , Project Management and Solution Implementation helpful.

There is more about the rational problem-solving process on our page on Problem-Solving .

Potential Difficulties

Those who struggle to manage rational problem-solving tend to either:

Rush things without thinking them through properly (the impulsive/careless approach), or
Avoid them through procrastination, ignoring the problem, or trying to persuade someone else to solve the problem (the avoidance mode).

This ‘ avoidance ’ is not the same as actively and appropriately delegating to someone with the necessary skills (see our page on Delegation Skills for more).

Instead, it is simple ‘buck-passing’, usually characterised by a lack of selection of anyone with the appropriate skills, and/or an attempt to avoid responsibility for the problem.

An Academic Term for a Human Process?

You may be thinking that social problem-solving, and the model described here, sounds like an academic attempt to define very normal human processes. This is probably not an unreasonable summary.

However, breaking a complex process down in this way not only helps academics to study it, but also helps us to develop our skills in a more targeted way. By considering each element of the process separately, we can focus on those that we find most difficult: maximum ‘bang for your buck’, as it were.

Continue to: Decision Making Creative Problem-Solving

See also: What is Empathy? Social Skills

Want a daily email of lesson plans that span all subjects and age groups?

Subjects all subjects all subjects the arts all the arts visual arts performing arts value of the arts back business & economics all business & economics global economics macroeconomics microeconomics personal finance business back design, engineering & technology all design, engineering & technology design engineering technology back health all health growth & development medical conditions consumer health public health nutrition physical fitness emotional health sex education back literature & language all literature & language literature linguistics writing/composition speaking back mathematics all mathematics algebra data analysis & probability geometry measurement numbers & operations back philosophy & religion all philosophy & religion philosophy religion back psychology all psychology history, approaches and methods biological bases of behavior consciousness, sensation and perception cognition and learning motivation and emotion developmental psychology personality psychological disorders and treatment social psychology back science & technology all science & technology earth and space science life sciences physical science environmental science nature of science back social studies all social studies anthropology area studies civics geography history media and journalism sociology back teaching & education all teaching & education education leadership education policy structure and function of schools teaching strategies back thinking & learning all thinking & learning attention and engagement memory critical thinking problem solving creativity collaboration information literacy organization and time management back, filter by none.

Elementary/Primary
Middle School/Lower Secondary
High School/Upper Secondary
College/University
TED-Ed Animations
TED Talk Lessons
TED-Ed Best of Web
Under 3 minutes
Under 6 minutes
Under 9 minutes
Under 12 minutes
Under 18 minutes
Over 18 minutes
Algerian Arabic
Azerbaijani
Cantonese (Hong Kong)
Chinese (Hong Kong)
Chinese (Singapore)
Chinese (Taiwan)
Chinese Simplified
Chinese Traditional
Chinese Traditional (Taiwan)
Dutch (Belgium)
Dutch (Netherlands)
French (Canada)
French (France)
French (Switzerland)
Kurdish (Central)
Luxembourgish
Persian (Afghanistan)
Persian (Iran)
Portuguese (Brazil)
Portuguese (Portugal)
Spanish (Argentina)
Spanish (Latin America)
Spanish (Mexico)
Spanish (Spain)
Spanish (United States)
Western Frisian

sort by none

Longest video
Shortest video
Most video views
Least video views
Most questions answered
Least questions answered

How the US is destroying young people’s future - Scott Galloway

Lesson duration 18:38

4,615,967 Views

This piece of paper could revolutionize human waste

Lesson duration 05:35

2,576,773 Views

Can you solve the magical maze riddle?

Lesson duration 04:51

399,424 Views

How to clear icy roads, with science

Lesson duration 06:13

193,016 Views

How to make smart decisions more easily

Lesson duration 05:16

1,221,669 Views

Can you solve a mystery before Sherlock Holmes?

Lesson duration 05:17

495,101 Views

Can you solve the secret assassin society riddle?

Lesson duration 05:01

793,118 Views

How to overcome your mistakes

Lesson duration 04:52

943,584 Views

What the fossil fuel industry doesn't want you to know - Al Gore

Lesson duration 25:45

744,757 Views

Can you solve the cursed dice riddle?

Lesson duration 04:31

751,755 Views

How the water you flush becomes the water you drink

Lesson duration 05:23

394,669 Views

The growing megafire crisis — and how to contain it - George T. Whitesides

Lesson duration 10:42

56,798 Views

Can you solve the time traveling car riddle?

Lesson duration 05:18

659,711 Views

4 epidemics that almost happened (but didn't)

Lesson duration 06:26

395,296 Views

The return of Mongolia's "wild" horses

Lesson duration 04:53

207,845 Views

Whatever happened to the hole in the ozone layer?

Lesson duration 05:13

529,603 Views

The most important century in human history

Lesson duration 05:20

342,168 Views

This one weird trick will get you infinite gold

Lesson duration 05:08

1,084,537 Views

How to quit your job — without ruining your career - Gala Jackson

109,520 Views

How to design climate-resilient buildings - Alyssa-Amor Gibbons

Lesson duration 14:12

43,823 Views

The case for free, universal basic services - Aaron Bastani

Lesson duration 19:09

80,810 Views

Can you steal the most powerful wand in the wizarding world?

790,266 Views

How college loans exploit students for profit - Sajay Samuel

Lesson duration 11:49

229,425 Views

What’s the smartest age?

1,622,256 Views

Teaching SEL

Social Emotional Learning Lessons for Teachers and Counselors

Social Decision Making and Problem Solving

Enhancing social-emotional skills and academic performance.

The approach known as Social Decision Making and Social Problem Solving (SDM/SPS) has been utilized since the late 1970s to promote the development of social-emotional skills in students, which is now also being applied in academic settings. This approach is rooted in the work of John Dewey (1933) and has been extensively studied and implemented by Rutgers University in collaboration with teachers, administrators, and parents in public schools in New Jersey over several decades.

SDM/SPS focuses on developing a set of skills related to social competence, peer acceptance, self-management, social awareness, group participation, and critical thinking.

The curriculum units are structured around systematic skill-building procedures, which include the following components:

Introducing the skill concept and motivation for learning; presentation of the skill in concrete behavioral components
Modeling behavioral components and clarifying the concept by descriptions and behavioral examples of not using the skill
Offering opportunities for practice of the skill in “student-tested,” enjoyable activities, providing corrective feedback and reinforcement until skill mastery is approached
Labeling the skill with a prompt or cue, to establish a “shared language” that can be used for future situations
Assigning skill practice outside of structured lessons
Providing follow-through activities and integrating prompts in academic content areas and everyday interpersonal situations

Connection to Academics

Integrating SDM/SPS into students’ academic work enhances their social-emotional skills while enriching their academic performance. Research consistently supports the benefits of social-emotional learning (SEL) instruction.

Readiness for Decision Making

This aspect of SDM/SPS targets the development of skills necessary for effective social decision making and interpersonal behavior across various contexts. It encompasses self-management and social awareness. A self-management unit focuses on skills such as listening, following directions, remembering, taking turns, and maintaining composure in the classroom. These skills help students regulate their emotions, control impulsivity, and develop social literacy. Students learn to recognize physical cues and situations that may trigger high-arousal, fight-or-flight reactions or dysregulated behavior. Skills taught in this domain should include strategies to regain control and engage clear thinking, such as breathing exercises, mindfulness, or techniques that activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

A social awareness unit emphasizes positive peer relationships and the skills necessary for building healthy connections. Students learn to respond positively to peers who offer praise, compliments, and express positive emotions and appreciation. Skills in this unit also include recognizing when peers need help, understanding when they should seek help from others, and learning how to ask for help themselves. Students should develop the ability to provide and receive constructive criticism and collaborate effectively with diverse peers in group settings.

Decision Making Framework – FIG TESPN

To equip students with a problem-solving framework, SDM/SPS introduces the acronym FIG TESPN. This framework guides students when faced with problems or decisions and aims to help them internalize responsible decision making. The goal is for students to apply this framework academically and personally, even in challenging and stressful situations.

FIG TESPN stands for:

(F)eelings are my cue to problem solve.
(I) have a problem.
(G)oals guide my actions.
(T)hink of many possible things to do.
(E)nvision the outcomes of each solution.
(S)elect your best solution, based on your goal.
(P)lan, practice, anticipate pitfalls, and pursue your best solution.
(N)ext time, what will you do – the same thing or something different?

Integration of FIG TESPN into academics

Once students have become familiar with the FIG TESPN framework, there are limitless opportunities for them to apply and practice these skills. Many of the texts students read involve characters who make decisions, face conflicts, deal with intense emotions, and navigate complex interpersonal situations. By applying the readiness skills and FIG TESPN framework to these assignments, students can meet both academic and social-emotional learning (SEL) state standards.

Teachers and staff play a crucial role in modeling readiness skills and the use of FIG TESPN. They can incorporate these skills into their questioning techniques, encouraging individual students and groups to think critically when confronted with problems. This approach helps students internalize the problem-solving framework and develop their decision-making abilities.

By integrating social decision making and problem-solving skills into academic subjects such as social studies, social justice, ethics, and creative writing, students gain a deeper understanding of the FIG TESPN framework. The framework becomes an integral part of their learning experience and supports their growth in both academic and social-emotional domains.

SDM/SPS Applied to Literature Analysis

Think of an event in the section of the book assigned. When and where did it happen? Put the event into words as a problem.
Who were the people that were involved in the problem? What were their different feelings and points of view about the problem? Why did they feel as they did? Try to put their goals into words.
For each person or group of people, what are some different decisions or solutions to the problem that he,she, or they thought of that might help in reaching their goals?
For each of these ideas or options, what are all of the things that might happen next? Envision and write both short- and long-term consequences.
What were the final decisions? How were they made? By whom? Why? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
How was the solution carried out? What was the plan? What obstacles were met? How well was the problem solved? What did you read that supports your point of view?
Notice what happened and rethink it. What would you have chosen to do? Why?
What questions do you have, based on what you read? What questions would you like to be able to ask one or more of the characters? The author? Why are these questions important to you?

a simplified version…

I will write about this character…
My character’s problem is…
How did your character get into this problem?
How does the character feel?
What does the character want to happen?
What questions would you like to be able to ask the character you picked, one of the other characters, or the author?

SDM/SPS Applied to Social Studies

What is the event that you are thinking about? When and where is it happening? Put the event into words as a problem, choice, or decision.
What people or groups were involved in the problem? What are their different feelings? What are their points of view about the problem?
What do each of these people or groups want to have happen? Try to put their goals into words.
For each person or group, name some different options or solutions to the problem that they think might help them reach their goals. Add any ideas that you think might help them that they might not have thought of.
For each option or solution you listed, picture all the things that might happen next. Envision long- and short-term consequences.
What do you think the final decision should be? How should it be made? By whom? Why?
Imagine a plan to help you carry out your solution. What could you do or think of to make your solution work? What obstacles or roadblocks might keep your solution from working? Who might disagree with your ideas? Why? What else could you do?
Rethink it. Is there another way of looking at the problem that might be better? Are there other groups, goals, or plans that come to mind?

Applying FIG TESPN to Emigration

What countries were they leaving?
How did they feel about leaving their countries?
What problems were going on that made them want to leave?
What problems would leaving the country bring about?
What would have been their goals in leaving or staying?
What were their options and how did they envision the results of each possibility?
What plans did they have to make? What kinds of things got in their way at the last minute? How did they overcome the roadblocks?
Once they arrived in a new country, how did they feel? What problems did they encounter at the beginning? What were their first goals?

Adapted from: Fostering Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom

Social Skills Training for Adults: 10 Best Activities + PDF

Struggles with social skills in adulthood can cause avoidance of social situations and interfere with building long-lasting relationships.

Providing social skills training to clients with anxiety, fear of public speaking, and similar issues could ensure more optimal functioning.

This article provides strategies and training options for the development of various social skills. Several resources to help target specific struggles related to the development of social skills in adults are also included, and the approaches can be tailored to improve social responses in specific domains.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

Social skills training for adults explained, social skills coaching: 2 best activities, role-playing exercises: 4 scripts & examples, top 2 resources & worksheets, 4 insightful videos & podcasts, positivepsychology.com’s helpful tools, a take-home message.

Social skills training includes interventions and instructional methods that help an individual improve and understand social behavior. The goal of social skills training is to teach people about verbal and nonverbal behaviors that are involved in typical social interactions (“Social,” n.d.).

Social skills training is usually initiated when adults have not learned or been taught appropriate interpersonal skills or have trouble reading subtle cues in social interactions. These instances can also be associated with disorders that impede social development, such as autism.

Therapists who practice social skills training first focus on breaking down more complex social behaviors into smaller portions. Next, they develop an individualized program for patients, depending on what social skills they need to work on, and gradually introduce those skills to their patients, building up their confidence through gradual exposure.

For instance, a person who has trouble making eye contact because of anxiety in social situations might be given strategies to maintain eye contact by the therapist. Eye contact is the foundation for most social interaction, and interventions will often start with improving the individual’s ability to maintain eye contact.

During therapy, other challenging areas will be identified such as starting or maintaining a conversation or asking questions. Each session will focus on different activities that typically involve role-play and sometimes will take place in a group setting to simulate different social experiences.

Once confidence has been built up during therapy or social skills group settings, these social skills can be brought into daily life.

Useful assessments: Tests, checklists, questionnaires, & scales

Before engaging your clients in social skills interventions or any type of therapeutic intervention, it is important to determine if social skills therapy is a good approach to help them with their current situation.

The Is Social Skills Training Right for Me? checklist is a self-assessment opportunity for clients to determine if social skills therapy is appropriate for their specific situation or if another approach will be more beneficial.

However, self-assessment activities can sometimes be unreliable, as the individual might not fully understand the treatment models that are available to them. Additionally, if a client has issues with social skills, they may not be aware of their deficiencies in social situations.

In these situations, therapists should ask clients about the issues they are having and encourage them to engage in self-questioning during sessions.

9 Questions to ask your clients

Prior to starting social skills training or activities, the therapist and client should narrow down which areas need help. A therapist can do this by asking the client a series of questions, including:

Where do you think you are struggling?
Are there any social situations that make you feel anxious, upset, or nervous?
Do you avoid any specific social situations or actions?
Have you ever had anyone comment on your social behavior? What have they said?
What do you think will help you improve the skills you are struggling with?

Clients can also ask themselves some questions to determine if the social skills therapy process is right for them.

These questions can include:

What aspects of my life am I struggling with?
Are there specific social situations or skills that I struggle with?
Do I have trouble keeping or maintaining relationships with friends, family members, and coworkers?
Am I avoiding specific social situations out of fear?

Getting clients to ask these questions will help determine if this process will benefit them. Having clients “buy in” to the process is important, to ensure that the approach is right for them and increase the likelihood that they will be engaged to complete activities with a reasonable degree of efficacy.

It is estimated that adults make eye contact 30–60% of the time in general conversation, increasing to 60–70% of the time when trying to form a more intimate relationship (Cognitive Development Learning Centre, 2019).

Giving people who are struggling socially the tools to make more eye contact is usually the first step in social skills training exercises.

The Strategies for Maintaining Eye Contact worksheet provides some practical strategies and tips to practice making eye contact.

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)

Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology.

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Tools Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

Often, one of the most prominent struggles for people lacking social skills is starting a conversation, especially with people they are not familiar with.

Fleming (2013) details a helpful method for people who struggle with starting conversations. The ARE method can be used to initiate a conversation and gain an understanding of the person’s interests to facilitate a strong relationship.

Anchor: Connect the conversation to your mutually shared reality (e.g., common interests) or the setting in which you encountered the individual.
Reveal: Provide some personal context to help deepen the connection between you and the other person.
Encourage: After giving them some context, provide the other person with positive reinforcement to encourage them to share.

This worksheet Starting a Conversation – The ARE Method guides participants through each step in the ARE process. It also provides examples of how the ARE method can be incorporated into a typical conversation and used as a workable strategy in social skills training activities.

A Guide to Small Talk: Conversation Starters and Replies provides an outline of conversation ideas to help start any conversation, no matter the setting.

After developing the ability to start a conversation, being able to project assertiveness and understand one’s limits is essential in ensuring clear communication.

These worksheets on Different Ways to Say ‘No’ Politely and Using ‘I’ Statements in Conversation facilitate assertive communication and give clients the confidence to set personal limits.

A lack of opportunity to learn coping strategies and difficulty with emotional regulation have been associated with anxiety and low problem-solving abilities (Anderson & Kazantzis, 2008).

An individual’s lack of ability to problem solve in social situations significantly affects their ability to come up with reasonable solutions to typical social problems, which in turn, causes them to avoid more difficult social situations.

Practicing social problem solving is a key component of social skills training. This worksheet on Social Problem Solving allows your clients to define the problems they are facing and rate the potential solutions from low to high efficacy.

Based on the rating, therapists can instruct clients to practice their social reasoning during sessions. Practicing these skills builds clients’ confidence and increases the likelihood that they will access these solutions under pressure.

Similarly, the Imagining Solutions to Social Problems worksheet implements a related process, but challenges participants to engage in a visualization activity. While engaging in visualization, participants have the opportunity to imagine what they would say or do, and reflect on what they have learned and why the solution they chose was best for that particular problem.

Supplementing modeling and practical activities with interactive audio-visual aids, such as podcasts and videos, is an essential practice in ensuring that patients seeking social skills training are getting multiple perspectives to develop their social intelligence.

Below, we have provided resources to help your clients with different social skills and situations.

An introvert’s guide to social freedom – Kaspars Breidaks

This TEDx talk focuses on providing guidelines for self-identified introverts. In this video, Breidaks frames introversion as an opportunity, rather than a weakness.

Based on his experiences moving from a small town to a big city and eventually starting improv comedy, he developed a workshop to help integrate principles of improvisation into social skills training.

His workshops focus on creating connections through eye contact and breaking through shyness by training the small talk muscle. Because of his experience, he recommends you say yes to yourself before saying yes to others. Breidaks theorizes that only by developing our awareness of our own true emotions and thoughts can we become more comfortable interacting with others.

This video is helpful if your patients need workable tips to improve their interactions with strangers and is an excellent complement to some of our worksheets on developing skills for small talk.

10 Ways to have a better conversation – Celeste Headlee

This TEDx talk is focused on tactics to have more effective conversations. In her TED talk, Headlee emphasizes the importance of honesty, clarity, and listening to others as well as yourself.

Headlee shares her ideas about how to talk and listen to others, specifically focusing on sustaining clear, coherent conversation and the importance of clear, direct communication.

She argues that technology has interfered with the development of interpersonal skills, stating that conversation is an art that is fundamentally underrated and should be emphasized more, especially among young children.

The main point Headlee tries to get across is to avoid multitasking and pontificating during conversation. Individuals who are struggling with active listening and keeping a conversation going would benefit from the tips she offers in this video, as she uses a lot of the same principles when interviewing her radio guests to ensure that she is getting the most out of their appearances.

She specifically emphasizes the importance of being continually present while talking and listening to someone, which is strongly emphasized in social skills training.

How Can I Say This – Beth Buelow

Each episode also provides techniques or approaches to help listeners become more confident when dealing with different social situations. The podcast also takes listener questions about dealing with social situations and issues.

If your clients are struggling with introducing themselves to new people, they may benefit from the episodes on talking to strangers and how to have difficult conversations.

Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts .

Social Skills Coaching – Patrick King

King focuses on using emotional intelligence and understanding human interaction to help break down emotional barriers, improve listeners’ confidence, and equip people with the tools they need for success.

Although King’s expertise is centered on romantic relationships, this podcast provides strategies to improve one’s emotional awareness and engage in better communication.

People engaging in social skills training would benefit from the episode on social sensitivity, which examines the social dynamics of the brain. It also explains why our brains are programmed to respond more to specific traits (e.g., warmth, dominance) and why people with those traits are often elevated to higher positions within the social hierarchy.

Available on Apple Podcasts .

World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource

The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 500 science-based exercises , activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.

Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.

“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO

There are several resources available on our website to complement the social skills training that you are providing to your clients.

Our Emotional Intelligence Masterclass© trains helping professionals in methodology that helps increase their client’s emotional intelligence.

The client workbook has several exercises that practitioners can give their clients to develop an awareness of their emotions and, subsequently, understand how those emotions might contribute to interactions with others.

Our Positive Psychology Toolkit© provides over 400 exercises and tools, and the Social Network Investment exercise, included in the Toolkit, focuses on reflecting on a client’s current social network. By further looking into the amount of time and investment devoted to the members of their social network, clients can further identify who is supportive of their endeavors and who negatively affects experiences.

With this knowledge, relationships can be analyzed before devoting even more time and investment that might not facilitate positive emotions.

People who struggle with initiating conversation might also have trouble talking about their emotions. Our exercise on Asking for Support , also in the Toolkit, can provide assistance to someone having trouble communicating their emotions.

It also provides strategies to practice asking for help when needed. This exercise also gives you the opportunity to identify any personal barriers that are impending your ability to seek help from others.

You might be interested in this sister article, Social Skills Training for Kids , which provides top resources for teachers. To enhance your knowledge, our Social Skills Books for Adults & Kids is a must-read selection of top books.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

Improving social skills is an important skill to develop for anyone trying to facilitate professional and personal connections.

However, sometimes clients might not even realize they need targeted interventions to help with their social skills, and they might approach a therapist with other challenges around anxiety entering new situations.

For that reason, we hope this article provided valuable options for the development of social skills, with useful activities and social skills worksheets to be incorporated into your sessions.

We encourage you and your clients to explore these exercises together and engage in goal-setting tools to target areas that will benefit their daily lives, relationships, and communication.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

Anderson, G., & Kazantzis, N. (2008). Social problem-solving skills for adults with mild intellectual disability: A multiple case study. Behaviour Change , 25 (2), 97–108.
Cognitive Development Learning Centre. (2019). Training eye contact in communication . Retrieved May 4, 2021, from https://cognitive.com.sg/training-eye-contact-in-communication/
Fleming, C. (2013). It’s the way you say it: Becoming articulate, well-spoken and clear (2nd ed.). Berrett-Koehler.
Social skills training. (n.d.). In Encyclopedia of mental disorder. Retrieved May 4, 2021, from http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Social-skills-training.html

Share this article:

Article feedback

What our readers think.

Hello, I am trying to open the link to the ARE-method but am unable to.

Please try to access the worksheet here .

If you experience further issues with accessing the link, please let me know!

Warm regards, Julia | Community Manager

Sounds so good for my young adult. Do you know of any in person sessions, workshops, which would benefit him being in person.

I would like to know what the best book to get for my husband for him to learn social skills conversations. Thank You

check out our article “ 12 Must-Read Social Skills Books for Adults & Kids “.

Hope this helps!

Kind regards, Julia | Community Manager

Are there any online classes for people suffering with anxiety, Aspergers and a lack of social skills? This is a great article, but there are no therapists who teach social skills. These are skills that come from parents. Like me, when you have no parent or friends to teach you, what do you do? Please make an online course. I would pay to watch a course and even buy materials.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment and interest in an online course addressing anxiety, Aspergers, and social skills. I understand how challenging it can be to find the right resources, especially when traditional sources of support may not be readily available.

While we don’t currently offer an online course, we are happy to recommend a helpful resource that cater to individuals experiencing similar difficulties: Psychology Today has a great directory you can use to find therapists in your local area. Usually, the therapists provide a summary in their profile with their areas of expertise and types of issues they are used to working with.

I hope this helps.

Hello, I just found out about this website today and this is the exact type of service I need. I unfortunately cannot find any one like this that is near me or accept my insurance. And I need this fast since my quality of life is so bad, I have severe social anxiety, and never had friends or a relationship.

Hi there a lot of the links don’t work in this article? How can I access the resources?

Thanks for your question! We are working on updating all the broken links in our articles, as they can be outdated. Which specific resource are you looking for?

Maybe I can help 🙂

Kind regards, -Caroline | Community Manager

Living socially isolated, getting told I have autism ad the age of 33, I found out that I have a lot to learn about being social with people. Now knowing what my “ problem” is also gave me the drive to improve my people skills. Fearing I willing never fully understand feelings ( not even my own) all help is welcome. And this was a very helpful article. Living in a world with tips and tricks to look normal will never be easy. But you sure help me .. thank you..

AMAZING work.. .as always. Thank you !

Thank you Gabriella social skills have been a real issue for me for my whole life. There are so many helpful avenues to explore thanks this article.

Steven Cronson My brothers didn’t consider me an Aspie and made a pact to ignore me , block me I hadn’t even learned many social skills my brother a psychiatrist tried by giving me ptsd and gad a Divorce to try to get me to end my life. My wife proudly fought back and figured out how better to understand me. And I fought the awful had medicine Lexapro that I consider the devil in a pill that made me flat and losing my superpower focusing ability. I hope a producer latched on to my fascinating story of greed, over good, attack on my very life and a brother doctor that should never been one. My dad a psychiatrist made me a DDS to be respected and listened to but not even work and married off in a fake but better life. They accused me an Aspie blind to empathy. B

I’m sorry to read about your challenges with your family. It’s good that you have what sounds like a supportive ally in your wife. And indeed, medications don’t work for everyone — or it may be the case that a different medication may suit you better. Definitely raise these concerns with a trusted psychiatrist if you feel medication could help you.

As you note, it’s a harmful myth that those on the autism spectrum don’t feel empathy. And this myth unfairly stigmatises members of this community. I’m sorry to read about these accusations from your family.

On another note, if you’d like to work on your social skills, consider reaching out to support groups for those with Aspergers in your area, or seeking the support of a therapist with expertise in this area. Psychology Today has a great directory you can use to find therapists in your local area. Usually, the therapists provide a summary in their profile with their areas of expertise and types of issues they are used to working with.

I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best.

– Nicole | Community manager

Let us know your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Learning Disabilities: 9 Types, Symptoms & Tests

Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Sylvester Stalone, Thomas Edison, and Keanu Reeves. What do all of these individuals have in common? They have all been diagnosed [...]

Best Courses for Counselors to Grow & Develop Your Skills

Counselors come from a great variety of backgrounds often with roots in a range of helping professions. Every counselor needs to keep abreast of the [...]

How to Apply Social-Emotional Learning Activities in Education

As a teacher, your training may have focused more on academia than teaching social skills. Now in the classroom, you face the challenge of implementing [...]

3 Positive Psychology Tools (PDF)

ECE RESOURCE HUB

Early Childhood Education - Virginia

Early Childhood Education - Resource Hub

Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program

Advancing Effective Interactions & Instruction

Social Problem Solving

Social problem solving - preschoolers, with our support, children can work together to find solutions to their problems.

Conflicts between peers are typical in most preschool classrooms. At this age, children are still learning to understand how their actions affect others, so it is hard for them to come up with fair solutions to their conflicts. It’s our role to practice and teach problem-solving skills and then support children as they navigate handling problems.

The problem-solving steps outlined in these modules are based on resources from the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI).

Hallmarks of This Strategy

Be proactive.

Find ways to prevent common conflicts. Can you expand popular centers or add more of an often-fought over toy? How can you minimize the time children are waiting?

Practice Problem Solving

Teach children social problem-solving skills in advance through books, puppets, games, or discussions. These can give them the tools they need to find solutions in the moment.

Give Children an Active Say

When challenging moments come up, support the problem-solving process by giving children an active say in how they might solve a problem.

Teaching Social Problem Solving in Advance

In this lesson, we cover tips for explicitly teaching problem-solving skills in engaging and meaningful ways.

Supporting Social Problem Solving in the Moment

In this lesson, we explore ways to support problem-solving skills in the moment when children encounter challenging social situations.

IMPLEMENT THIS STRATEGY

Additional Resources

Guide to promoting problem solving, guide to promoting problem solving (español).

Learn more about this strategy and its importance, and learn tips for trying it in your classroom.

Family Guide to Supporting Problem Solving with Others

Family guide to supporting problem solving with others (español).

Share this guide with families to communicate the strategies you're using at school. Take time to make connections between how children are supported at home and in the classroom.

A Problem-Solving Toolkit

These downloadable resources are a great way to help your students become super problem solvers.

Problem Solving Story
Problem Solving Story (multiple languages)
Problem Solving Steps
Problem Solving Steps (multiple languages )
Solution Kit
Solution Kit (multiple languages)

Consider Context and Culture

Problem solving can look different across classrooms, situations, and cultures. Explore culturally appropriate ways to resolve conflicts between children.

Read this Article

EARLY CHILDHOOD INVESTIGATIONS

A Teachable Moment

Nadia Jaboneta shares her experience using a peer conflict as an opportunity to promote equity and social justice.

Watch the Webinar

The Solution Kit is created by and made available from the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI). You can find this resource on their website at ChallengingBehavior.org.

ECE Resource Hub

The Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL)

Map & Directions
Core Skills
Strategy Library
Book Collections
JOBS AT UVA-CASTL

Conferences
Livestreams

There’s a Lot to Love About The Zones of Regulation

PREORDER! Getting Into The Zones of Regulation: The Complete Framework and Digital Curriculum Companion

2024 Upcoming Events

Boston Area, MA | Oct 10 - 11

1-Day Seminars

Albuquerque, NM | Sept 20

Portland, OR | Oct 18

Santa Barbara, CA | Nov 15

17th Annual Global Providers' Online Conference | June 21-22

Self-Regulation and Stress Management: Empowering Kids and Adults with Practical Tools and Strategies

2 Days of Social Thinking in London, U.K. | June 12-13

Michelle Garcia Winner & Dr. Pamela Crooke are in London for 2 Days of Social Thinking, hosted by SLT Communication Courses. To attend please inquire via email.

Browse All Upcoming Events

New Article & Downloadable

Is It Worth the Risk? Exploring the Value of the Social Risk Scale

Take a minute to read the new article and download the Social Risk Scale , a visual tool for empowering individuals (or yourself) to gauge the risk related to one’s social goals. Tip: Usually what we want to do is far less risky than we think!

Upcoming Livestream

Self-Regulation and Stress Management

Join renowned experts for 2 days of learning at the 17th Annual Global Providers Conference. Day 1 features Dr. Tracey Marks and Michelle Garcia Winner, who will be discussing stress, anxiety, and executive functioning. Day 2 highlights Leah Kuypers, Founder and creator of The Zones of Regulation , who will share exciting insights about the release of her new Digital Zones Platform and accompanying print companion guide, Getting Into The Zones of Regulation . Dr. Pamela Crooke will follow Leah, presenting the latest Superflex Series research, and sharing examples from lesson quests in the curriculum.

Valuing Neurodiversity

Respecting neurodiversity is important. navigating the complex social world to meet one's self-determined goals is also important. they aren’t mutually exclusive we provide social emotional teaching strategies, not to “fix” or “cure” individuals with learning differences, but instead offer a methodical, concrete way of understanding how the social world works., social, emotional & academic learning resources across all ages.

The Social Thinking Methodology has been a guiding resource for schools, clinics, individuals, and families around the world for more than 25 years. Our work supports individuals' social, emotional & academic learning, whether neurotypical or Neurodivergent, with or without diagnosis. Our materials are helpful for students with solid to strong expressive and receptive language skills in mainstream and special education. They can be used across developmental ages to support the development of social competencies, flexible thinking & social problem solving to improve: conversation & social connection , executive functioning , friendship & relationship development, perspective taking , self-regulation , and Social Thinking Vocabulary . Help us protect the fidelity of this body of work and be informed about how you can/can’t use our materials considering our intellectual property, copyrights and trademarks .

Products for All Ages

Visual Supports

Online Training

Free Webinars

Article Library

Digital Products

Teachers, speech-language pathologists, clinicians, behavior specialists, and parents are using our expansive collection of curricula, books, games, and posters to teach social competencies to social learners ages 4 and up.

While our deeper work is for individuals with social learning differences and/or challenges (ADHD, twice exceptional, social communication differences, autism spectrum levels 1 and 2, and other social, emotional, and cognitive learning differences (with diagnoses or without), our work is also being adopted into mainstream classrooms and workplaces around the world to improve social, emotional, and academic learning for all.

Posters, Games & Visual Supports

Our visual supports provide a fun, engaging way for your students to learn about their own thoughts, feelings, and reactions and of those around them. With powerful visual supports students can more easily connect with social concepts and apply them to their own lives. As an added bonus, our visual supports are versatile and can be used in a variety of settings from the classroom or clinic to your home.

Spark student engagement & raise social awareness—there’s something for everyone.

Utilizing more than 25 years of clinical practice and the latest research, these one-of-a-kind online training courses explore a large range of aspects required for developing social competencies, including self-regulation, executive functioning, social problem-solving, and much more. These courses have been watched and raved about over 50,000 times from all around the world!

This is your opportunity for deeper learning and to earn CE Credit (for select professionals).

Explore how to teach a variety of core Social Thinking concepts—for free. Browse our entire webinar collection and discover strategies to help people of all ages develop social competencies, self-regulation, social skills, social-emotional understanding, flexible thinking, and more!

Our webinars are not pre-approved for credit by continuing education organizations. However, all participants can download and print a Certificate of Completion.

Social Thinking is proud to provide an extensive collection of free articles devoted to helping individuals build stronger social awareness and social functioning using the Social Thinking Methodology.

Browse our library of 100+ free articles and learn strategies you can start using right away. We’re constantly adding material based on the latest research and our evolving client work—so visit our library often and stay informed!

Our newest and most popular digital products make it easy for children to explore social emotional learning.

Build social awareness and vocabulary with our award-winning You Are A Social Detective, Social Thinking and Me & Superflex curriculum.

Teach strategies to help students better problem solve & self-regulate with our all new Social Thinking Frameworks collection.

Best-Selling Series

We Thinkers! Series

Superflex Series

Zones of Regulation

Browse by age.

Early Learners (Ages 4-7)

Elementary School (Ages 8-11)

Tweens & Teens

Young & Mature Adults

Practical strategies taught by thought leaders.

Practical Strategies to Help Individuals Rally Their Motivation

Combating Loneliness and Misbehavior

What’s Alexithymia? and How Does It Affect Emotional Regulation and Awareness?

5 Critical Life Skills

Small Talk & Conversations

What’s It Mean to “Behave”?

What’s a Friend, and Do I Really Need Friends?

Resilience in an Uncertain Time: Supporting Students and Families Now and Later

Defining 7 Aspects of Tenacity & Exploring Strategies for Social Problem Solving

Raising an Organized Child: Strategies to Promote Executive Functions

Our newest webinars.

Superflex 2nd Edition Kit Launch Party

May 9, 2024 | 9:00 AM Pacific

Social Detective Thinking to Start the School Year

How to Ask for Help

Why It’s Hard & How We Can Help

Perspective Taking in the Classroom

Face-to-face communication is a thing again! Wait, how do we teach that?

How Social Emotional Learning Can Ease the Transition Back to School

Exploring Our Children’s Stress

Tips & Tools for Adapting Teaching to Students’ Needs

Demystifying Executive Functions

What They Are and How to Teach Them

Understanding Self-Regulation

Help Your Students Learn to Help Themselves

Must-Read Articles

Is It Worth the Risk?

Exploring the Value of the Social Risk Scale

Just Because Someone Says, “I Don’t Care,”

Doesn’t Necessarily Mean They Don't!

The 3 Parts of Play: Teaching Planning and Executive Functions

How Can We Rally Our Motivation?

One more BOO-tiful way to Teach Social Concepts using a Halloween Theme

Initiating Connection Is an Antidote to Loneliness

Empowering Student Voices: The Transformative Impact of Student-Led Social Learning & Advocacy

How to Foster Students’ Flexible Thinking & Advocacy Skills Using Future Thinking: The Somedays Activity

DO ObseRve (DOOR): A Practical Social Observation Strategy for Managing Social Transitions

The ABCs of Summer Boredom: Awareness, Curiosity, and Action

Two Simple Executive Function Strategies to Avoid Family Stress & Stay Connected During Summer Break

Teaching an Essential Life Skill: How to Ask for Help

Tenacity in Children: Nurturing the Seven Instincts for Lifetime Success

Respecting Neurodiversity by Helping Social Learners Meet Their Personal Goals

Social Perspective Taking & The 5 Steps of Being with Others

10 Truths & Tips for Making and Keeping Friends

Three Ways to Advocate for Students Who Appear Persistently “Checked Out”

Break Through Students’ Social Anxiety Barrier: A Strategy for Student-Teacher Communication

Social Thinking® in the World of Online Learning with More Literal-Minded Social Learners

Social Metacognition: Using Social Emotional Learning to Engage Hope

14 Tips to Help All Kids Learn to Manage Anxiety

Digital curricula, storybooks & visual supports.

We Thinkers! Storybooks

Social Detective & Superflex

To use at home & school

Our free stuff portal is filled to the brim with teaching ideas, downloadable thinksheets & video lessons to foster the development of social competencies across all ages.

What is social thinking.

There are 3 distinct yet overlapping definitions:

What do we mean when we say, "social thinking?" We have a lot of information to share. Here are three ways to understand how we use the words "social thinking:"

The Business
The Methodology

Watch the video or browse below to learn more!

Important Intellectual Property Information

Our teachings help engage people in social and emotional learning, not only about themselves but about others. help us protect the fidelity of this body of work and be informed about how you can/can’t use our materials., helping you help others.

Over time, our teachings can help people cultivate relationships and improve performance at school and at work. For 25 years our experts have been a guiding resource for schools, clinics, and families around the world, and we’re here for you, too. Whether you're teaching individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum (levels 1 or 2), social communication disorders, or an entire mainstream class-our strategies can help you help them.

This has been a game changer for helping general education teachers. We have been using the Social Thinking Methodology with our students, they are making friends, are more successful academically, and generally happier in all they do. Thank you! - Jennifer, Special Education Teacher

What People Are Saying About Social Thinking

Parents & Families

Elementary School

Mental Health & Clinicians

Speech Language Pathologists

Adult Clients

Embracing Equity in SEL

Learn what social thinking is doing to play a greater role in eliminating systemic and unconscious biases in race, gender, and neurodiversity within the materials we produce., social thinking speakers: global training experts.

The Social Thinking Training and Speakers' Collaborative (STTSC) consists of 13 clinicians, including Michelle Garcia Winner and Dr. Pamela Crooke , who train around the world on the Social Thinking Methodology in addition to working closely with schools, clients, and families. All of our speakers have an active caseload and provide training to help schools embed Social Thinking’s teachings across all aspects of the educational day in public and private schools. We also work with universities as well as businesses to help adults continue to develop stronger social communication skills. Please note that the members of our STTSC are the only people licensed and approved to give training on the Social Thinking Methodology.

The speaker did an excellent job at keeping our attention and broke the information down in a way that was easy to understand and gave us a process to help ensure we could implement what we learned. - Special Ed. Teacher, School Training

Personalized Training for Your School or Clinic

Our methodology.

Strategies to Build Social Competencies

The Social Thinking Methodology provides evidence-based strategies to help people ages four through adult develop their social competencies, flexible thinking & social problem solving to meet their own social goals and improve:

Conversation & social connection
Executive functioning
Friendship & relationship development
Perspective taking
Self-regulation
Social Thinking Vocabulary

Your Shopping Cart

Your Savings

Order Subtotal

Virtual Lab School

Installation staff login.

Reset your password

Promoting Social-Emotional Development Through Preventing and Resolving Conflicts

Conflicts are bound to happen from time to time, but staff members can take important steps to make these conflicts teaching opportunities. This lesson will teach you strategies you can help staff use in classrooms and programs. It will also offer strategies to help you model the problem-solving process. You will practice observing and providing feedback to staff members about the ways they handle and prevent conflicts.

Teach staff members strategies for preventing and responding to conflicts.
Model a problem-solving approach to conflicts.
Observe and provide feedback on staff members’ approaches to problems and conflicts.

According to Joseph and Strain (2003), children must have the words to describe feelings before they can learn how to correctly perceive feelings in themselves and others. A beginning vocabulary may limit a child’s emotional expression to words like “happy” or “mad” or “sad,” and he or she can miss subtle gradations of in-between feelings because they do not have the labels and definitions for those emotions. A more complex feeling vocabulary allows children to make finer discriminations between feelings, to communicate better, and to engage in discussions about their personal experiences with the world. However, simply having these words in their vocabulary is not enough to ensure adequate social and emotional learning. Adults also need to assist children in the development of emotional regulation and problem solving.

Telling a child to stop a certain behavior or to calm down will not likely result in any long-term behavior changes because the adult is still managing the child’s behavior. It is much more effective to model and teach social and emotional skills to help children deal with their feelings, problems, and interactions with others. This, in turn, will lead to a richer and more fulfilling experience. This lesson will describe the strategies that will help children learn these important social-emotional skills. This lesson will also describe ways to help staff prevent conflicts and how staff should respond when problems arise.

Preventing Conflicts

According to the Committee for Children ( http://www.cfchildren.org/ ), positive guidance and discipline promote children's self-control, teach them responsibility, and help them learn to make thoughtful choices. Inconsistent or harsh discipline that includes physical force, threats, and negative comments may interfere with healthy development. Some tips for positive discipline:

Pay attention to what children do right. Children thrive on positive attention and are more likely to repeat a behavior if you notice it and comment on it.
Use consistent, caring consequences for unacceptable behavior. The consequences should be reasonable, directly related to the misbehavior, and respectful of the child.
Give the message that mistakes are a chance for learning.
Offer choices whenever possible to provide practice in making decisions.

Teaching the Social Skills Children Need to Solve Problems in Your Programs

Sometimes, children have simply not learned the social skills to handle a situation appropriately in a child development or youth program. In these cases, adults can plan ways to teach new skills intentionally. For One method is through intentional teaching of social skills with individuals or small groups. These lessons can be planned or impromptu. For example, adults can plan ahead by rehearsing some strategies to handle disappointment before a potentially disappointing incident occurs. In a typical social skills lesson, a specific skill is introduced, broken down into steps, and practiced. Role playing between adults and children or between children and children allows for the practice of the new skills in a safe environment.

Adults and children can practice the skill steps until they are nearly automatic, as this will increase the likelihood that children will utilize the skills during stressful a situation. Skills to be taught should be chosen based on individual or group needs. Some examples of skills that may need to be explicitly taught are turn-taking, sharing, organization, independence, expressing feelings, and accepting responsibility. Of course, behaviors that are dangerous or unsafe, such as hitting, biting, or running away, should be addressed first. As children are learning new skills, it is important to reinforce any attempts at using those skills.

Adults who make an effort to model appropriate behavior set a good example for children to follow. Mirroring a child’s feelings can help him or her understand what is occurring. For example, if a child is angry, it can be helpful to say, “I can tell you are very angry. I would be angry, too, if someone did that to me.” This tells the child you are listening and understand how frustrating the situation is. It is always important to focus on the positive behaviors you are seeing in children rather than focusing on the negative or mistakes they may make.

Just as children need multiple experiences to learn a new skill in reading or math, they should also have ample opportunities to practice any new social skills. Learning takes time. Adults who are patient and remember that setbacks are natural are more likely to build strong relationships and to see improvements over time.

Structure and predictability

The way the classroom and program space is structured can prevent conflicts. Carefully planned transitions, meaningful rules and expectations, and a thoughtful daily schedule all help children, youth, and staff navigate their days smoothly. Children will know which behaviors are expected and which behaviors are unacceptable, and adults will be able to focus their attention on building strong relationships. This will result in a more positive environment for everyone.

Transition procedures

Carefully planned transition procedures can help minimize stress and conflict. It is important to teach these procedures to children and to practice them until they are automatic. By focusing on one transition procedure to be used across all settings, children will know what to expect. If children have problems during specific times of the day, before or after specific activities, or with particular adults, you will want to take a moment to examine whether or not more structure could help to alleviate the situation and prevent future problematic behaviors.

One effective strategy is to play a three- or four-minute song every time a major transition is scheduled. After some practice, children will know that the end of the song signals when they will need to be transitioned into their assigned areas. Allowing children to suggest and vote on an appropriate song to be played for transition can become a social skills lesson in choice, compromise and consensus. Songs can be changed weekly, with suggestions for the next week’s song written in a designated place. If children choose an inappropriate song, turn it into an impromptu social skills lesson about positive song content and lyrics.

Rules and expectations

When there are clear rules or expectations in a space, children and youth know the boundaries of their behaviors. Effective rules aren’t just about safety. They’re also about emotional connections and relationships. Think about rules as agreements that help everyone be their best selves in the program—staff included! Every classroom and program should have three to six rules and expectations that are stated positively. Holding a group meeting to discuss what rules and procedures should be implemented can provide children with a voice in the decision-making process and increase the likelihood of compliance. Children often have good ideas and a good sense of fairness, though it is not uncommon for them to offer suggestions for rules that are negatively stated. Some examples may include, “No shouting” or “No running” or “No hitting.” Be sure to write down the suggestions of each student verbatim. After everyone has had a chance to offer a suggestion, begin to group similar items together. Then, help children to restate the rules and expectations using positive language. Using the examples above, “No shouting” could be positively restated as “Use your inside voice.” “No running” could be positively restated as “Walk.” And “No hitting” could be positively restated as “Safe hands and feet.” Once three to six rules and expectations have been decided on by the group and implemented, reinforce children that model the appropriate behavior. Refer to the rule and expectations frequently throughout the day, especially when a problem arises, at the beginning of an activity, or when transitioning.

Daily schedule

Posting a daily schedule informing children of what is to be expected for the day can provide structure and predictability, which can help to reduce disappointment, conflict, and stress. Although the daily schedule should remain fairly consistent, staff may update it each day to communicate the specific activities available (e.g., to share the different choices offered for children within the learning areas/centers that day). Referring to the schedule throughout the day and allowing children to cross off items as they are completed, helps reinforce executive functioning skills, such as independence, goal setting, and task completion. Changes to the daily plan should always be discussed and reflected in the daily schedule to prevent any surprises.

Notice how this visual schedule is consistent but is also flexible in that it provides information about the specific areas or activities open at different points in the day (for example, the “blocks and trucks” and the “sensory table” are open at arrival on this day). In this classroom, the teachers also use post-it notes for helpful reminders to themselves about tasks that need completed at different points in the day, or goals they are currently working on in their classroom. You can read more about supportive daily schedules in the Learning Environments and Positive Guidance courses.

Responding to Conflicts: Teaching Problem Solving

What is problem solving and conflict resolution.

Learning to think of alternative solutions and resolving conflicts are important social skills for children and adults. Problem solving and conflict resolution are important skills for making and keeping friends. Teaching children to problem solve can help reduce impulsive behavior and aggression and help children self-regulate and talk about emotions. When children are able to solve problems and resolve conflicts with peers, they are more likely to have positive interactions with peers, make and keep friends, and have more positive transitions within and between programs. Problem solving and conflict resolution involves self-regulation, communication, identifying and talking about emotions, and working together with other children.

Strategies for teaching

Children can learn problem solving and conflict resolution in a step-by-step process. Most children learn these important skills best when they are broken down in a few simple steps. The steps can be directly taught and reviewed throughout the day. Having visual reminders (posters) around the room or program also helps children remember to use the steps when problems arise.

Introduction: Responding to Conflicts

Video not available

Here are the steps you can teach staff members to use with children:

Step 1. What is my problem?

Step 2. Think, think, think of some solutions.

Step 3. What would happen if...? Would it be safe? Would it be fair? How would everyone feel?

Step 4. Give it a try!

https://challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu/docs/SocialEmotionalSkills_problem-solving-steps_poster.pdf

Step 1: Identify the problem and feelings. Ask: What is my problem and how do I feel?

The first step in problem solving is helping children and youth identify that there is a problem. Children may get upset or angry when a problem arises. When a child is angry or upset, start by having the child take deep breaths and calm down. Youth may need to step away from the situation, journal, or use other calming strategies. Once the child or youth is calm, help them talk about what is happening and share what they are feeling. It may be helpful to use visual cues and modeling to help children calm down and talk about their feelings. First, you might model the words or help children identify how they are feeling with visuals, like the ones from the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI).

For example, help the child identify or state the problem:

“They won’t give me a turn on the swings”
“She took my paintbrush”
“I’m angry”

Step 2: Identify solutions. Ask: What can I do?

Help children or youth identify several solutions for the problem. Depending on the age of the children, they may need help thinking of different solutions. Use pictures and stories and model how to talk about finding solutions. You might also write down the solutions. Help children think of many different solutions that might work. Staff members can help the children create “classroom-solution toolboxes” with pictures and reminders of potential solutions. Children can then get a toolbox when there is a problem and identify solutions that might work. Eventually, children can use the toolbox by themselves when problems arise. Children might even create their own toolboxes. Here are common solutions that could be included in a toolbox:

Take deep breaths and calm down
Get a teacher
Ask your friend to share
Ignore what happened
Wait a couple minutes
Find another friend or toy
Say, “Stop”
Play together
Play with a different friend, toy or activity

Problem solving is also a great opportunity for collaboration with families. Work with staff to consider sending home the Solution Kit: Home Edition from NCPMI.

Step 3: Identify consequences. Ask: What might happen?

After helping children come up with solutions, help them think about the consequences of each solution. Help the children talk about how things might work out if they tried each solution. For example, have the children ask, “What might she do?” “Is it safe?” “How would he feel?” and “Is that OK in this space?” Help the children identify which solution might be best to try first. However, remind the children that the solutions do not always work out as we want them to; they might have to try out more than one solution before the problem is resolved. It also is important for children to think about what to do when a solution does not work.

Step 4: Try it out! Ask: Does it work?

Once a child has identified which solution to try, help them try it out. Support the child and remind them that they might have to try out more than one solution before the problem is resolved. Help the child to stay calm while trying possible solutions. Children might get frustrated when solutions do not work right away. Help them practice staying calm and trying different solutions.

“I asked for a turn and he said no”
“I waited three minutes and he still won’t share”
“I ignored him and he didn't stop”

These statements indicate a child has tried a solution, but it was not successful. Ask children what else they could try. Prepare staff to help children repeat steps 2 (identifying possible solutions) and 3 (considering consequences) when their solutions are unsuccessful.

Accommodations

Some children will need more specific teaching to learn problem solving. For example, some children might need extra visuals of the problem-solving steps or might need a teacher to help them each time a problem occurs. Children with social emotional delays or challenging behaviors might need specific, individualized plans for teaching problem solving. You can help each child make a solution toolkit with personalized pictures showing the solutions being practiced. A problem-solving board or script might be helpful for children who need extra prompts to remember the problem-solving steps. You can use real pictures, drawings or words to describe the problem-solving steps and solutions. Finally, some children might need extra motivation to learn to solve problems. For example, you might use a sticker chart and give children a sticker or star for every time they use the problem-solving steps or for every solution they think of.

Think about your role in preventing and responding to conflicts. There are several ways you can support staff members:

Model positive approaches to behavior in your interactions with all staff, children and families. This means stating directions or requests positively. You might be tempted to tell a staff member something like, “Stop turning in your plans late.” Instead you could say, “Make sure you turn in your plans by Thursday at 3 p.m.” To a family you might say, “Please move your car to the pick-up spaces” instead of “No parking in the fire zone.” It also means offering staff members choices (e.g., which training they want to attend, which goal they want to discuss first at a meeting).
Model conflict-resolution strategies between children. When you see a conflict, use the vocabulary of problem solving. Step in and say, “It looks like there’s a problem here. What is the issue?” Walk the children through the problem-solving steps. For younger children, provide a few solutions they could try. For older children, guide them through the brainstorming process.
Model conflict-resolution strategies between staff members. Conflicts are bound to happen at some point in the program. Ask staff members about the problem and model active listening skills. Remain calm and give staff members strategies to help them remain calm. Brainstorm solutions to the problem together, talk about the outcomes for each party, negotiate a solution, and follow-through to make sure problems are solved.
Look out for bias. Even if you think you know what happened, seek information from everyone involved in the conflict. Listen without making assumptions about who is in the wrong. Speak up immediately when you see bullying or discrimination.
Model adult coping skills. Practice deep breathing and exercising. Laugh every day. You can even tell yourself calming positive statements (“I can handle this.” “I am stronger than this is hard.”). Make sure staff members see you using these strategies during difficult situations.
Notice progress and positive behaviors. When you see staff members help children solve conflicts, celebrate. Have a staff-recognition board in the staff room or create a staff newsletter to recognize positive efforts. Consider leaving little notes for staff members who have worked hard to handle a difficult situation or who have gone through an emotional event. Write encouraging words and describe the effort you saw them make. Don’t forget to reward children, too. Comment on all the positive behaviors you see in the hallways. Tell children, “You are walking so quietly down the hall” or “Thank you for holding the door for your mom.”

Problem solving can be a complex strategy for staff members to use. Although opportunities for problem solving occur many times a day, it can be difficult to recognize them. This section is designed to help you recognize opportunities for problem solving. First you will read a scenario that took place in a classroom. You will then read a “better” scenario in which the same staff member used an opportunity for problem solving. Finally, you will read what you could say to help staff move from the first scenario to the second scenario.

Problem Solving Scenarios

Use the menu at the left or the pager below to cycle through scenarios.

	Two toddlers are grabbing for a toy. One child lunges towards the other with his teeth. The other child starts to scream and run towards the adult. The adult says, “Give me that toy. If you two can’t play nicely, no one will play.”
	“Whoa, this looks like a problem. Daniel, what happened? Tell Mischa that was scary when he tried to bite. It looks like you both want the train. What could we do? Here’s another train. You can both play with a train.”
	“Toddlers are bound to have conflicts over toys. That’s part of learning to play. Let’s think about how we can help them find ways to play with or near each other.”

	The mealtime helper passed out one too few plates at one of the tables. A child is crying because there is nowhere for him to sit and eat. The adult says, “Stop crying. You know you’re going to get fed.”
	“Acklen, what’s the problem? I see there’s a chair with no plate in front of it. Does anyone have any ideas how we could solve the problem and help Acklen?"
	“It’s so important to acknowledge the children’s feelings. It might feel like a little deal to you, but it’s probably a big deal for him. Let’s take a second to think about what he was probably feeling when there was no spot for him. How does thinking that way help put you in a problem solving mindset?"

	A group of boys are playing pool. They get in a fight over the rules. Several of the boys start raising their voices and accusing others of cheating. The adult comes over and tells them the rule.
	“What’s the problem guys? How could you figure out the rules and solve the problem?” After ideas are generated: "Would you all agree on following the rules on an official billiards website? Let’s look it up.”
	“The pool table is a great opportunity for problem solving. Problems just naturally seem to arise when children play games like this. Let’s think about how you could respond next time that helps the kids figure out the problem a bit more independently.”

	One of your classrooms has a child with challenging behavior. The two staff members in the classroom have very different ideas about how to respond to the child’s behavior. One adult believes they should be stern and direct with him. The other believes they should ignore most of his behaviors rather than giving negative attention. They have had heated discussions and aren’t speaking with one another.
	“It sounds like we disagree. Maybe we need to bring in someone to help us figure out what to do.”
	“It sounds like you two are coming from very different places in how you think we should respond to Barry. I wonder if each of you would tell us a little bit about the ideas and experiences that have gotten you to this point? Why do you believe you should respond each way?” “It sounds like you both have the same goals for Barry. Let’s see if there is any middle ground we can agree on for strategies. Let’s each describe what we think would work for him.”

One of your classrooms has a child with challenging behavior. The two staff members in the classroom have very different ideas about how to respond to the child’s behavior. One adult believes they should be stern and direct with him. The other believes they should ignore most of his behaviors rather than giving negative attention. They have had heated discussions and aren’t speaking with one another.

“It sounds like we disagree. Maybe we need to bring in someone to help us figure out what to do.”

“It sounds like you two are coming from very different places in how you think we should respond to Barry. I wonder if each of you would tell us a little bit about the ideas and experiences that have gotten you to this point? Why do you believe you should respond each way?”

“It sounds like you both have the same goals for Barry. Let’s see if there is any middle ground we can agree on for strategies. Let’s each describe what we think would work for him.”

The Problem Solving activity gives you a chance to practice working with staff members around problem solving. Choose a staff member who comes to you with concerns about his or her classroom or who has a number of conflicts in the room regularly. Together, brainstorm problems that are most likely to occur during the activities and routines and identify ways to teach children to solve these problems. Work together to identify ways to teach children to solve each of the problems. After you have finished, reflect on the process. Follow-up to observe and provide feedback on how they are using the strategies. Think about how you can use this process with other staff members and how you can help staff members be intentional about supporting problem solving.

Problem Solving

You should be prepared to help staff plan to teach problem solving to children. Read the Resources for Resolving Conflicts and Promoting Social Problem Solving handout. It provides tips for teaching problem solving along with a list of resources.

Resources for Resolving Conflicts and Promoting Social Problem Solving

Demonstrate.

Afterschool Alliance (2016). Incorporating restorative justice in afterschool. https://afterschoolalliance.org/afterschoolsnack/Incorporating-restorative-justice-in-afterschool_01-22-2016.cfm

Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL). Problem-solving steps . http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/strategies.html#teachingskills

Cultivate Learning (n.d.). Expanded learning opportunities: Two minute tips for conflict resolution . https://cultivatelearning.uw.edu/expanded-learning-opportunities/

Extension Alliance for Better Child Care: A Part of the Cooperative Extension System. (2020). Ways child care providers can teach young children to resolve conflicts . https://childcare.extension.org/

Gartrell, D. (2012). Education for a Civil Society: How guidance teaches young children democratic life skills . Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Hemmeter, M.L., Ostrosky, M., & Fox, L. (2021). Unpacking the pyramid model: A practical guide for preschool teachers. Brookes Publishing.

HighScope. Conflict in Early Childhood Programs . https://highscope.org/topic/conflict-resolution/

Joseph, G. E., & Strain, P. S. (2003). You’ve got to have Friends (Module 2; Handout 2.3: Social Emotional Teaching Strategies). The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning . University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. http://earlyliteracylearning.org/TACSEI_CELL/project_files/content/level_3/pdf/3_10dCSEFELfriendsarticle.pdf

National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI). https://challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu/

Join Pilot Waitlist

Home » Blog » General » High School Social Problem Solving Lesson Plan

High School Social Problem Solving Lesson Plan

Why Focus on High School Social Problem Solving?

High school students need to develop resilience, empathy, assertiveness, and decision-making skills for productive social interactions. This High School Social Problem Solving Lesson Plan aims to facilitate that growth. It’s a surefire way to empower your students, boosting their confidence and overall mental well-being. Download this free worksheet mentioned in the lesson plan below.

Breaking Down the High School Social Problem Solving Lesson Plan

Let’s delve into the specifics of this lesson plan designed to develop social problem-solving skills in high school students. The beauty of this plan is that it requires no prep-time – you can dive right in!

Objective: To empower high school students with the essential strategies for solving social problems, making informed decisions, empathizing with others, and communicating assertively.

Materials: None – this is a discussion-based activity.

Duration: Roughly 1 hour

1. Identifying Social Problems (10-15 minutes)

Start with a discussion about the social problems high school students may encounter. This can be conducted in small groups or pairs.

2. Empathizing: Understanding Different Perspectives (10-15 minutes)

Choose a few scenarios from the previous discussion. Invite students to consider the various perspectives involved, promoting empathy and understanding.

3. Generating Solutions: Creative and Critical Thinking (10-15 minutes)

Now, guide students to brainstorm possible solutions for the chosen scenarios. Encourage them to consider the potential outcomes of each approach.

4. Decision Making: Evaluating Solutions (10-15 minutes)

Discuss the potential consequences of each solution. Teach students to weigh the pros and cons of each option, enabling them to make sound decisions.

5. Reflection: Learning Takeaways (5 minutes)

End with a reflection session. Invite students to share what they’ve learned and how they plan to apply these skills in real life.

Quick, No-Prep High School Social Problem Solving Activities

Role-Play Scenarios: Use role-playing to allow students to practice social problem-solving skills in real-time.
Daily Dilemmas: Start each session with a social problem or dilemma for students to solve, fostering practical learning.
Interactive Games: Incorporate games like ‘what would you do if…’ or ‘social problem-solving charades’ to make the learning process more engaging.
Everyday Speech Printable Problem-Solving Worksheet: Download the worksheet at the top of this post, discuss the five scenarios given, and have your students focus on coming up with multiple solutions, not just one for each problem.

Sample Video

Students learn best from watching real students their own age model skills. Try out this sample video-modeling lesson below. We offer our entire Social-Emotional Learning platform free for 30 days here !

Free High School Conversation Skills Material

Looking for free social skills samples click here, free elementary play skills lesson.

The playground is more than just a place for physical activity; it's a social hub where important life lessons unfold. For special educators, teaching students to include everyone on the playground is vital in fostering an environment of empathy and respect. Keep...

Free Elementary Perspective Taking Goal Poster

Download Activity and Lesson Plan In need of a resource for teaching perspective-taking to your elementary students? Look no further, download our free elementary perspective-taking goal poster! Teaching Perspective Taking to Elementary Students You can successfully...

Free Elementary Handling Change Lesson

Navigating the emotional waves of the classroom is a daily reality for elementary students. As special educators, teaching them how to self-regulate using tools like Everyday Speech's "Self-Controller Scanner" can be game-changing. Keep reading for a free elementary...

FREE MATERIALS

Better doesn’t have to be harder, social skills lessons students actually enjoy.

Be the best educator you can be with no extra prep time needed. Sign up to get access to free samples from the best Social Skills and Social-Emotional educational platform.

Get Started Instantly for Free

Complete guided therapy.

The subscription associated with this email has been cancelled and is no longer active. To reactivate your subscription, please log in.

If you would like to make changes to your account, please log in using the button below and navigate to the settings page. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can reset it using the button below.

Unfortunately it looks like we’re not able to create your subscription at this time. Please contact support to have the issue resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience. Error: Web signup - customer email already exists

Welcome back! The subscription associated with this email was previously cancelled, but don’t fret! We make it easy to reactivate your subscription and pick up right where you left off. Note that subscription reactivations aren't eligible for free trials, but your purchase is protected by a 30 day money back guarantee. Let us know anytime within 30 days if you aren’t satisfied and we'll send you a full refund, no questions asked. Please press ‘Continue’ to enter your payment details and reactivate your subscription

Notice About Our SEL Curriculum

Our SEL Curriculum is currently in a soft product launch stage and is only available by Site License. A Site License is currently defined as a school-building minimum or a minimum cost of $3,000 for the first year of use. Individual SEL Curriculum licenses are not currently available based on the current version of this product.

By clicking continue below, you understand that access to our SEL curriculum is currently limited to the terms above.

Second Step® Sample Lessons

Complete sets of materials from select Second Step curricula, the Second Step® Bullying Prevention Unit, and the Second Step® Child Protection Unit are available for Early Learning through Grade 8.

Digital Programs

Classroom kits.

Bullying Prevention Unit (Available for Kindergarten–Grade 5)

Child Protection Unit (Available for Early Learning–Grade 5)

Out-of-School Time (Available for Kindergarten–Grade 5)

Available for Kindergarten through Grade 12 Explore samples from all grades below

Kindergarten

Lesson 18: Apologizing Can Help

In this lesson, students will learn about apologizing as a way of showing kindness and as a tool for problem-solving in a variety of scenarios. Lesson Plan (PDF) Lesson Presentation

Lesson 9: Feeling Frustrated

In this lesson, students will learn which clues tell them when others might be frustrated, and a new way to feel calm when they’re feeling frustrated themselves. Lesson Plan (PDF) Lesson Presentation

Lesson 16: The Way to Say a Problem

In this lesson, students will start learning to be better problem-solvers by managing strong feelings and stating problems without blame. Lesson Plan (PDF) Lesson Presentation Lesson Handout (PDF)

Lesson 14: Asking Questions

In this lesson, students will learn about asking questions to find out how someone else is feeling and to understand what their friends might want or need. Lesson Plan (PDF) Lesson Presentation Lesson Handout (PDF)

Lesson 17: Saying It Respectfully

In this lesson, students will learn how to consider another person’s point of view and to say what they want or need in a respectful way. Lesson Plan (PDF) Lesson Presentation Lesson Handout A (PDF) Lesson Handout B (PDF)

Lesson 17: When? Where? Who?

In this lesson, students will learn how to identify when and where to work on solving a problem, and who should be included. Lesson Plan (PDF) Lesson Presentation

Unit 4, Lesson 23: Respectful Communication

In this lesson, students will learn ways to communicate during a conflict to keep it from escalating through reflecting on their own experiences, defining respectful communication, and practicing using language that will help resolve conflicts. Sample This Lesson Lesson Plan (PDF) Student Handout (PDF)

Unit 3, Lesson 18: Practicing Positive Self-Talk

In this lesson, students will learn how to use positive self-talk to reframe challenging situations, including discussing why it isn’t always easy to see the positives and practicing noticing the positive things in their everyday lives. Sample This Lesson Lesson Plan (PDF) Student Handout (PDF)

Unit 2, Lesson 10: Environmental Factors that Contribute to Bullying

In this lesson, students will learn how the physical layout of and rules within a space can make bullying and harassment more likely to happen, from identifying environmental factors to discussing rules and regulations within their own school community. Sample This Lesson Lesson Plan (PDF) Student Handout (PDF)

High School

Schoolwide Practice

Recognizing Contributions

In this practice, leaders publicly recognize students and staff for their remarkable contributions to the school community.

Pathway 3: Agency & Opportunity

Educator Practice

Choice Boards

In this practice, educators create materials to boost student engagement in an upcoming lesson by giving students choices in their approach to learning.  

Student Activity

Guess Who?  

In this activity, students guess each other’s strengths, then discuss and reflect on their own positive qualities.   

Available for Early Learning through Grade 5 Explore samples from all grades below

Early Learning

Weekly Theme 6: Asking for What You Need or Want

Weekly Theme Card

Take-Home Activity

Brain Builder: Stop and Start

”How to Learn Song”

Listening Rules

Feelings Cards

Lesson 2: Focusing Attention

Weekly Lesson Card

Following Through Card

“The Learner Song”

Brain Builder: Follow, Follow

Skills for Learning Poster

Lesson 11: Showing Care and Concern

Brain Builder: Clap and Wait

Empathy Poster

Lesson 17: Solving Problems, Part 1

Skills for Learning

Brain Builder: Sentence Switcheroo

How to Calm Down Poster

Problem-Solving Steps Poster

“The Empathy Song”

Problem Solving with Anthony

Lesson 8: Accepting Differences

Brain Builder: Common Ground

Student Handout

Lesson 15: Handling Put Downs

Teaching the Lesson Card

Lesson 15 Video (Parts 1 & 2)

“Calm Down” Music Video

Lesson 21: Dealing with Peer Pressure

Lesson 21 Video (Parts 1, 2 & 3)

“Step Up” Music Video

Bullying Prevention Unit

Available for Kindergarten through Grade 5 Explore samples from Grades 2 and 5 below

Lesson 3: Refusing Bullying

Lesson Samples

Classroom Activity

Addy’s Story

Noah and Olivia

Child Protection Unit

Available for Early Learning through Grade 5 Explore samples from Early Learning and Grades 2 and 5 below

Weekly Theme 3: Safe and Unsafe Touches

Weekly Theme Samples

Ways to Stay Safe Poster

“The Safety Rules Song”

“Stop and Think”

Lesson 3: Safe and Unsafe Touches

“Three Ways to Stay Safe”

Lesson 3: Unsafe and Unwanted Touches

“I’m in Charge” Music Video

Out-of-School Time

Available for Kindergarten through Grade 5 Explore samples from Kindergarten and Grade 1 below

Kindergarten–Grade 1

Unit 1, Topic 2: Facing Challenges with Confidence

In this activity from the Growth Mindset & Goal Setting unit for Kindergarten–Grade 1, kids learn three strategies that can help them work through challenges and then use those strategies to build a tower from 10 random items.

Free Resources

Bullying Prevention Resources

Free Activities

Early, Open, Often

Abierto y a menudo

ParenTeen Connect

ELEMENTARY TEACHING , SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM

SEL Problem Solving: How to Teach Students to be Problem Solvers in 2024

If you are an elementary teacher looking to learn how to help your students solve problems independently, then you found the right place! Problem solving skills prepare kids to face dilemmas and obstacles with confidence. Students who have problem solving skills are more independent than students who do not. In this post, we’ll go into detail about what problem solving skills are and why they are important. In addition, we’ll share tips and ideas for how to teach problem solving skills in an elementary classroom setting. Read all about helping students solve problems in and out of the classroom below!

What Does Solving Problems Mean?

Solving problems means brainstorming solutions to the problem after identifying and analyzing the problem and why it occurred. It is important to brainstorm different solutions by looking at all angles of the problem and creating a list of possible solutions. Then you can pick the solution that fits the best.

Why is it Important for Kids to Solve Problems?

It is important for kids to solve problems by brainstorming different solutions so that they can pick the best solution. This teaches them that there can be many different solutions to a problem and they vary in effectiveness. Teaching kids to solve problems helps them be independent in making choices.

How Do I Know If I Need to Teach Problem Solving in My Classroom?

The students in your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th grade classroom would benefit from problem solving lessons and activities if any of these statements are true:

Student confidence is lacking.
Students are getting into conflicts with each other.
They come to you to solve problems they could have solved on their own.
Students are becoming easily frustrated.
Recess is a hard time for your class.

SEL problem solving choice board, coloring page, and writing activity

5 Reasons To Promote Problem Solving In Your Elementary Classroom

Below are 5 reasons to promote problem solving in your elementary classroom.

1. Problem solving builds confidence

Students’ confidence will grow as they learn problem solving skills because they will believe in their own abilities to solve problems. The more experience they have using their problem solving skills, the more confident they will become. Instead of going to others to solve problems for them, they will look inside themselves at their own abilities.

2. Problem solving creates stronger friendships

Students who can problem solve create stronger friendships because they won’t let arguments or running into issues stop them from being friends with a person. Instead they work with their friend to get through their problem together and get through the bump in the road, instead of giving up on the friendship.

SEL problem solving choice board and sorting activity

3. Problem solving skills increase emotional intelligence

Having emotional intelligence is incredibly helpful when solving problems. As students learn problem solving skills, they will use emotional intelligence to think about the feelings of others involved in the conflict. They will also think about how the problem is affecting others.

4. Problem solving skills create more independent kids

Students who can problem solve become more independent than kids who cannot because they will try to solve their problems first instead of going to an adult. They won’t look at adults as being the only people who can solve their problems. They will be equipped with the skill set to tackle the problems they are experiencing by themselves or with peers. However, it is important to make the distinction with kids between problems they can solve on their own and problems they need an adult for.

5. Teaching problem solving skills causes students to be more reflective

Reflecting is part of the problem solving process. Students need to reflect on the problem and what caused it when deciding how to solve the problem. Once students choose the best solution to their problem, they need to reflect on whether or not the solution was effective.

5 Tips and Ideas for Teaching Problem Solving Skills

Below are tips and ideas for teaching problem solving.

1. Read Aloud Picture Books about Problem Solving Skills

Picture books are a great way to introduce and teach an SEL topic. It gets students thinking about the topic and activating their background knowledge. Check out this list of picture books for teaching problem solving skills !

2. Watch Videos about Problem Solving Skills

There are tons of free online videos out there that promote social emotional learning. It’s a fun and engaging way to teach SEL skills that your students will enjoy. Check out these videos for teaching problem solving skills !

3. Explicitly Teach Vocabulary Related to Problem Solving Skills

Vocabulary words can help students develop understanding of problem solving and create connections through related words. Our problem solving SEL unit includes ten vocabulary cards with words related to the SEL topic. It is important for students to be able to see, hear, and use relevant vocabulary while learning. One idea for how to use them is to create an SEL word wall as students learn the words.

4. Provide Practice Opportunities

When learning any skill, students need time to practice. Social emotional learning skills are no different! Our problem solving SEL unit includes scenario cards, discussion cards, choice boards, games, and much more. These provide students with opportunities to practice the skills independently, with partners or small groups, or as a whole class.

5. Integrate Other Content Areas

Integrating other content areas with this topic is a great way to approach this SEL topic. Our problem solving SEL unit includes reading, writing, and art activities.

SEL problem solving word search and writing activity

Skills Related to Problem Solving

Problem-solving, in the context of social emotional learning (SEL) or character education, refers to the process of identifying, analyzing, and resolving challenges or obstacles in a thoughtful and effective manner. While “problem-solving” is the commonly used term, there are other words and phrases that can convey a similar meaning. These alternative words highlight different aspects of finding solutions, critical thinking, and decision-making. Here are some other words used in the context of problem-solving:

Troubleshooting: Identifying and resolving problems or difficulties by analyzing their root causes.
Critical thinking: Applying logical and analytical reasoning to evaluate and solve problems.
Decision-making: Considering options and making choices to address and solve problems effectively.
Analytical problem-solving: Using data, evidence, and systematic thinking to address challenges and find solutions.
Creative problem-solving: Generating innovative ideas and approaches to overcome obstacles and find solutions.
Resourcefulness: Finding effective solutions using available resources and thinking outside the box.
Solution-oriented: Focusing on identifying and implementing solutions rather than dwelling on problems.
Adaptability: Adjusting strategies and approaches to fit changing circumstances and overcome challenges.
Strategic thinking: Planning and organizing actions to achieve desired outcomes and resolve problems.
Systems thinking: Considering the interconnectedness and relationships between different elements when solving problems.

These terms encompass the concept of problem-solving and reflect the qualities of critical thinking, decision-making, and finding effective solutions within the context of social emotional learning (SEL) or character education.

SEL problem solving word search, acrostic poem, and writing activity

Download the SEL Activities

Click an image below to either get this individual problem solving unit or get ALL 30 SEL units

In closing, we hope you found this information about teaching problem solving skills helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts.

SEL Best Practices for Elementary Teachers
Social Emotional Learning Activities
75+ SEL Videos for Elementary Teachers
Teaching SEL Skills with Picture Books
How to Create a Social Emotional Learning Environment

You might also like...

5 Read Alouds about Respect for Elementary Teachers in 2024

8 Children’s Books about Worrying for Elementary Teachers in 2024

8 Self Regulation Books for Elementary Teachers – 2024

Join the newsletter.

CLUTTER-FREE TEACHER CLUB
FACEBOOK GROUPS
EMAIL COMMUNITY
OUR TEACHER STORE
ALL-ACCESS MEMBERSHIPS
OUR TPT SHOP
JODI & COMPANY
TERMS OF USE
Privacy Policy