Create Coping Skills Champions
The introductory course to help you teach coping skills to kids.
As someone who works with kids, your goal is to help them learn and grow into productive members of society. Recently, you’ve started to see a trend. Kids are….
frustrated
anxious
worried
angry
overwhelmed
And they don’t know what to do! Many kids are finding it hard to cope with feelings and expressing those feelings in healthy ways. And you are trying to figure out different ways to help them.
So what can you do?
You can teach kids coping skills. You can create champions who can identify and manage their big feelings.
But how do you do this?
In the middle of a melt down is no time to figure out coping skills.
In this course you’ll learn how to teach kids coping skills. The course presents ideas for exploring what coping skills kids already have and ways to figure out ones they can try. You’ll also learn ways to encourage kids to use these skills when they are needed.
While there are some resources in this course that you can find in the Coping Skills for Kids Workbook, there are others that are only available here. Resources available only in this course will be indicated by an asterisk
In Lesson 1, we take a look at the research about how kids are feeling these days. We talk about the importance of teaching kids about feelings. If we can be proactive and preventative, that’s so helpful for all kids!
Lesson 1 Resources:
11 Week Small Group Lesson Plan*
In Lesson 2, we review what coping skills are, how to identify what coping skills kids already have, and how to build upon those coping skills.
Lesson 2 Resources:
What makes kids feel...printable for younger kids*
What makes kids feel...printable for older kids*
When do challenging behaviors happen? Printable*
Coping Skills Checklist
Skills to Try
My Coping Skills
In Lesson 3, we focus on different types of coping skills. First, we focus on skills designed to help kids calm down. We look at how much breathing matters, and several ways to have kids try those skills. We also look at several other tried and true ways to help kids relax.
Lesson 3 Resources:
Make a calming jar printable*
Deep breathing Printables
Deep Breathing Craft*
54321 Grounding Technique
In Lesson 4, we focus on physical coping skills - skills designed to get out all that extra energy that comes with big feelings. We talk about small body movements (like squeezing dough) and big body movements (like wall push ups or jumping jacks)
Lesson 4 Resources:
DIY Recipes for play dough, oobleck, moon sand and cloud clay*
Make a homemade stress ball
Lesson 5 focuses on distraction coping skills. There are times when kids experience stressful situations that are out of their control; or they have been perseverating on a worry or fear. They need skills that can distract them so they can focus on what they need to do.
Lesson 5 Resources:
Social Stages of Play infographic*
Play Types infographic*
What’s your play personality infographic*
Lessons 6 & 7 are all about processing feelings. We look at helping kids understand and identify their feelings, then expressing those feelings through healthy channels.
Lesson 6 & 7 Resources:
Check in sheet for younger kids*
Check in sheet for older kids*
Track my feelings*
Feelings Thermometer
Where do I feel things in my body
Worry scale 1 - 10 with blank notes* (blank notes not included in workbook)
Lesson 8 focuses on implementation, starting with setting up calm down spaces and creating coping skills toolkits. There’s a ton of ideas for books, fidgets, and activities you can keep on hand to help teach coping skills to kids.
Lesson 8 Resources:
Blank Cue Cards
We can’t forget about taking care of ourselves! Lesson 9 is focused on self-care. We are role models for the kids in our lives, and we need to show that we use coping skills too!
Lesson 9 Resources:
To Do List*
To make teaching coping skills to kids easy to implement in a school or an office setting, there’s a 10 week individual/small group outline PDF with the necessary printables that you need to get started, including communication notes to parents. This would be perfect for elementary school aged kids.
Want to take the course?
Join the Coping Skills Hub here
Not ready to join the Hub yet?