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An activity to get students comfortable with giving and receiving compliments. It's simple! Students either:
- give a compliment
- ask to get a compliment
- say go (pass)
Model giving and getting compliments. Model appropriate compliments (stear away from personal dress etc.)
Be ready for many 'passes' in the beginning as students gain comfort with each other and compliments.
Rationale: It's harder to be mean to people who have given you a compliment :)
I do this every year, and by June, it's usually a huge compliment fest...

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Class Meetings

Class meetings can be an excellent multipurpose tool for your classroom. This simple strategy of setting aside time for students to discuss classroom issues as a group can yield far-reaching benefits.

For example, you can hold class meetings to involve students in important decisions such as "How should cheating be handled?" or "What can we do about teasing in our school?" Don't be afraid to let students think about these weighty issues. You may be surprised by the thoughtful and creative solutions your students propose.

While each teacher and class need to find what works best for them, it is worthwhile to have a weekly time set aside for class meetings. It may require only 20 to 30 minutes, but it will be time well spent.
Why have class meetings?

To get kids involved in constructive decision-making in their classrooms and schools.

To build a climate of trust and respect between teacher and students, as well as among students.

To help build self-esteem by getting kids involved in decisions that impact their world in important ways.

Rationale

Students often develop a better sense of responsibility when given a chance to make meaningful contributions to the world around them.

When children believe they are contributing to the school environment in a significant way, they feel a more positive attachment to school and are more motivated to learn.

Students who are allowed to problem solve and make some of their own decisions are likely to buy in to the solutions.

Benefits

Just as families can use family meetings as times to connect and reflect on their goals and/or problems as a family, class meetings can achieve similar results.

Class meetings provide children with opportunities for assuming responsibilities.

Class meetings may help children to take ownership for their actions by involving them in the process of understanding and questioning rules, guidelines, limits, and consequences.

Children are able to reason/reflect on their actions, think about the consequences of their behavior, and comprehend the impact they have on others.

Class meetings can help students learn to associate their successes with their own efforts and abilities, thus boosting self-esteem.

When children feel they are making an important contribution to the world, their motivation and sense of control in their lives can greatly increase.

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Class meetings can be an excellent multipurpose tool for your classroom. This simple strategy of setting aside time for students to discuss classroom issues as a group can yield far-reaching benefits. For example, you can hold class meetings to involve students in important decisions such as "How should cheating be handled?"

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I know this is a primary resource, but our kids are appearing to be more like grade 4/5 students in terms of social and emotional development!!

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This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. View disclosure policy HERE.
A classroom teacher explains her experience running a weekly class meeting, including tips, tricks, and advice for improving the classroom routines to create a positive atmosphere.
Your Class Meeting: Make it Effective EVERY Day

In this post, I will be sharing how-to run effective classroom meetings with a schedule and specific plans to help children learn and apply interpersonal skills for their social-emotional well being. My hope is that you will be able to implement these strategies to start your own classroom meetings or improve your routines and outcomes.

Why Have a Class Meeting?

I am a strong advocate for social responsibility being taught and reinforced at school. Class meetings allow you to teach things that are not be written in your Math, Reading, or Science curriculum but are equally important and deserve your time.

Children will learn how to express feelings and emotions in constructive ways. They will learn to deal with anger issues and how to calm oneself down. In addition, they will build the skills needed to independently solve problems. Also, they will learn how to make and maintain healthy friendships through listening, expressing themselves, taking turns, and playing games. Most importantly, effective classroom meetings mean there are opportunities to connect as a class and share and learn from each other. Through sharing our good and bad feelings, we can relate to each other. We can share what we are thankful for, give compliments, and solve problems together. Classroom meetings allow us to grow as a group and individually.

Having taught class meetings in primary classrooms over the years, I have seen great results. I have seen children learn to cope and handle difficult situations with ease. In additions, I have witnessed children go from needing a lot of help to deal with anger and issues with friends, to being completely 100% independent in doing so. Therefore, I hope that you will see similar results.

The Class Meeting Schedule

Classroom meetings can take place at any point during the day and for as long as you see necessary. I prefer to have our meetings on Fridays in the afternoon. That is the day and time that we are finishing up work and decompressing from the week. Children have just completed a full week of activities and playing with friends. They often have plenty to talk about and share. Our meetings usually last around 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the lesson and need for talk time.

Opening the Class Meeting

We start every class meeting sitting together in a circle at the carpet. I like to set an intention for the meeting to get children focused and ready to listen. We use our chime and some deep quiet breathing to clear our heads and calm our bodies.

I review a few rules about respectful listening (looking at the speaker, listening to what they are saying, having a calm body). We remind ourselves that the only person allowed to talk is the person with the "talking stick" or any item that you have chosen for children to hold when it's their turn to speak. We wait for everyone to look and sound ready and we begin.

Temperature (Sharing Feelings within the Class Meeting)

We take turns going around the circle and passing our "talking stick" or another item. We take turns giving our temperature out of 10 to express how we are feeling at the time (0 being not good and 10 being great). Children can say their temperature and give a reason if they wish. For example, I am an 8 because I played a fun game of soccer with my friends at lunch. As we go around the circle, if children are not ready for their turn, they can have a pass and we will come back to them.

During our very first meeting, we spend a lot of time learning about the scale of 0 to 10. I encourage children to think about their feelings on this scale and how even if they are having a bad day, they are probably are not a zero. This requires practice and help. I give examples along the scale to illustrate this for them. Having a small chart with the scale on a number line with some examples is helpful.

Gratitude (Giving Thanks during the Class Meeting)

This is another variation to include instead of temperatures during meetings. Take turns going around the circle and expressing gratitude for something. It can be absolutely anything. We use the words "I am thankful for..." when the talking stick comes to us. For example, I am thankful for the nice weather outside or I am thankful for my mom because she takes good care of me.

Again giving gratitude is something we spend time learning about initially. We share all the things we are thankful for and brainstorm them on a chart for ideas in the future. I encourage children to be authentic and to think with their hearts when it is their turn. Some children prefer to use an idea from the chart or an idea they have heard from a friend, which is fine as well.

Bouquets (Giving Compliments during the Class Meeting)

I teach children that a bouquet of flowers is something you give someone you care about to say something special. Giving each other compliments and saying nice things is like giving a friend a bouquet of flowers. This helps children to visualize the importance of saying nice things. We discuss how it makes them feel when someone says nice things to them and we brainstorm ideas during our first meetings. We talk about the difference between a "surface" compliment ( I like your haircut!) and a "deeper" compliment ( You are a kind friend!). We agree that deeper compliments, the ones that are about our character and who we are, are more meaningful and require more thought.

Children put up their hands for a turn to give a bouquet to a friend in the circle. We practice and I support them to use the line " I have a bouquet for... because... " These are very powerful! Often as children give their bouquets, more hands go up as others remember things they want to express to their peers and appreciate. Not everyone has to give a bouquet during a meeting, just those that want to.

Beefs (Using the Class Meeting for Problem Solving)

It is important for children to learn problem-solving strategies that they can eventually learn and use independently. During the "beefs" portion of effective classroom meetings we talk about and learn problem-solving strategies. There requires teaching ahead of time about the different ways to solve a problem.
Teach students that when a problem occurs they can do a few different things:

Tell the person to "STOP"

Say how it makes them feel "It makes me feel... when you...!"

Suggest a solution to the problem

Walk away and leave the situation

Get help from an adult you know

There needs to be a few rules set during this time to avoid intentionally hurting feelings. Limiting the number of "beefs" expressed during a meeting to 3 or 4 is helpful. I also have a rule against naming the names of friends in our classroom or school that the problem is with to maintain and show respect. As adults, we wouldn't want to be "called out" for our mistakes in front of our peers and therefore we wouldn't want our students doing that to each other either.

If a child has a problem and has a hard time solving it on their own, they are encouraged to share it with the class. They are asked to explain what the problem is and then take 4 suggestions from the class on ways to solve. Their problems usually consist of issues with cooperation, sharing, taking turns, and unfortunately bullying and negative physical contact.

An example of a typical problem, At lunch I wanted a turn on the swings but nobody would let me. Examples of typical solutions, you can ask nicely and say "May I please have a turn?" or find something else to do on the playground instead. I allow the class to give their suggestions first and then I give my own thoughts, usually to reinforce what has been said already. Sometimes children are not sure what problems they should be solving on their own and which require adult help (bullying and any negative contact). This is a great opportunity to teach this.

Social Emotional Learning (Discussion/Lesson/Book)

This is the culminating part of an effective classroom meeting. This part can take on any shape or form depending on what you want to teach your class or what your needs are. You may want to see how the week goes and see if there are any issues that stand out and need to be addressed. Or decide to have a short discussion with your class after a book about the topic. You could have a discussion and have students write and draw about what you discussed. In addition, you might choose to have your students role-play different scenarios and discuss their feelings. Finally, you may choose to do a separate lesson and activity to help build a certain social-emotional learning area.

Your school or district may have a specific social responsibility or SEL program that they like to use that has lessons for you to pick from. There are usually opportunities to attend conferences and workshops to learn different approaches available to teachers. The Social Emotional Learning Curriculum mind+heart is a comprehensive program perfect for K-2 and includes 8 units filled with lessons and activities to add a ton of value to your class meetings. Some of the other programs I have used in my classroom and am especially fond of are Roots of Empathy, Mind-Up, Tribes, and Restitution.

Topics for lessons

Self-regulation (expressing emotions appropriately, calming down, self-control)

Friendship skills (taking turns, sharing, listening)

Empathy (caring about others, thinking of others before ourselves, helping others)

Bullying (how to stop it, how to recognize it)

Conflict resolution (problem-solving skills)

Respect (recognizing differences, appreciation, acceptance, kindness, love)

Cooperation and responsibility (for oneself, with others, in the classroom and school)

Basic needs (versus wants)

During each week, I have AT LEAST one meeting and a lesson on a specific social and emotional learning topic. Some of these ideas are listed below.
Find everything you need for an entire year of class meetings in the mind+heart SEL curriculum. Available for K-2 and 3-5.
mind+heart K-2 SEL curriculum
Class Meeting Must-Have Book List
mind+heart 3-5 SEL curriculum
Books can be a very powerful tool in expressing what is sometimes difficult to explain. They provide another perspective and example of what is discussed. I like to keep a box of special books that I save for classroom meetings. I pull the books out to share with the class to support our discussions during meetings. The following list of books are highly recommended. I own each book and have read it to children over the years with success.

1. How to Be a Friend: A Guide to Making Friends and Keeping Them by Brown

2. Two by Otoshi

3. The Name Jar by Choi

4. My Mouth is a Volcano by Cook

5. Bad Case of the Tattle Tongue by Cook

6. Interrupting Chicken by Stein

7. The Juice Box Bully by Sornson

8. Stop Picking on Me by Thomas

9. Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Dismondy

10. Enemy Pie by Munson

11. The Recess Queen by O'Neil

12. You're Mean, Lily Jean by Wishinsky

13. How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids by Rath

14. Chrysanthemum by Henkes

15. The Way I Feel by Cain

16. The Way I Act by Metzger

17. How Are You Peeling? by Freymann

Community Building Activity

As a final quick activity, I like to do something fun as a class. We usually play a game or complete a teamwork activity. I start the year by teaching the class a few games and activities that we can use throughout the year. We use the community building activities for kids weekly to help us stay connected and having fun together!

Class Meeting Resources

FREE Class Meeting Planner

To support your effective classroom meetings, I have created a template for you to print and use to plan and prepare your meetings. The schedule template includes a brief description of each part and includes an area for notes and specific plans. I hope you find it useful. Click the image below!

mind+heart SEL Morning Meeting Bundle

Transform your classroom with a daily 15 minute morning meeting. Get everything you need for a daily meeting in this HUGE bundle. Check out this year-long morning meeting resource today!

mind+heart Social Emotional Learning Curriculum

Looking for more lessons and activities to help build community and social-emotional skills? Check out the mind+heart SEL curriculum!

Grab this FREE respect pack to support a classroom meeting lesson. Click the image below.
The ultimate social-emotional learning guide
PIN IT
The Ultimate List of Classroom Management Strategies Community Building Activities You NEED Teaching Respect in the Classroom

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Your Class Meeting: Make it Effective EVERY Day

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This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. View disclosure policy HERE . A classroom teacher explains her experience running a weekly class meeting, including tips, tricks, and advice for improving the classroom routines to create a positive atmosphere.

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This activity helps students to understand that we all have similar challenges, interests and concerns.
Instructions:
- Students line up in 2 rows facing each other about 10 feet apart.
- The teacher asks the students to step forward if the statement is true for them.
- Statements start out very safe and then as the class gets more comfortable the statements can be more challenging.
For example - "if you are wearing blue - step to the line." "If you had breakfast this morning - step to the line." "If you are anxious about heading to school - step to the line. Kids love to see that they are not alone and also get to know about others they may not ever speak to.

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Supplies - Printouts, iPad, hoola hoops.
- Divide into groups of 3 or 4
- groups run around the schoolyard and find all the items on your list.
- Place a hoola hoop at the home zone so kids have to run back and put it in the hoop without touching any of the items.
- Take photos of items they cannot carry

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Self Regulation - Identifying and Calming Triggers 

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Self Regulation - Identifying and Calming Triggers 

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1. In small groups working in a vertical space (stand up white board) have students brainstorm triggers and write them down.
2. Have the group choose one trigger and come up with a couple of strategies to calm down a reaction and a few healthy responses to the trigger.
3. Challenge the group to be ready to share if they tried the new strategies next meeting.

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Have a monthly gratitude padlet. Make sure you have it set that you have to approve all comments before they are visible to students.

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Understanding Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of learning to be present in the moment. By learning to focus on the moment, kids and young adults are actually practicing self-regulation skills. This helps learners check in with how they are feeling, what they are thinking, and what they need. Mindfulness can be practiced through a variety of breathing techniques, strategies, and activities.

Benefits of Mindfulness
Practicing mindfulness with kids and young adults pays off. Here are just some of the benefits your learners can see:

Improves self-regulation skills

Helps manage emotions

Improves self-control

Increases focus and attention

Encourages positive thinking

Develops self-awareness

Teaching coping skills

Promotes self-acceptance and self-love

Creates a sense of calm

Encourages empathy

Improves decision-making skills

Teaching Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a practice that can be taught. What's most important is to continue to practice and add it to your weekly or daily routines. You can practice mindfulness first thing in the morning, after a transition, or at the end of the day before students go home. You can also encourage mindfulness prior to a high-stakes test or stressful situation. It's not only a tool to help relax and soothe the classroom, but it's a coping skill kids and teens need for their lives.
Mindful Activities to Practice
There are many different techniques for practicing mindfulness. Here are a few you can try right away.

Mindful Breathing. One of the most basic strategies to teach and practice is mindful breathing. This is the practice of being intentional as we breathe in and out. One fun breathing exercise to try is "cool off the pizza." Have students imagine there is a hot slice of pizza in front of them. Breathe in to smell the aroma of the pizza. Then, breathe out to cool it off.

For shape breathing, have students trace their fingers around shapes (such as a triangle or square) as they breathe in and out. You can also have a bit of fun with mindful breathing by pretending you are blowing out birthday candles on a cake or imagining you are a fire-breathing dragon! The options are endless. Learn more about other fun mindful breathing exercises you can try.

Mindful Coloring. Grab a set of coloring books, pictures printed from online, or use these free mindful coloring pages. You can spend time coloring together while listening to calming music. Teach students to just color as they breathe in and out. If students make a "mistake" or something in their design doesn't go quite right, tell them to embrace those feelings as they breathe in and out.

Mindful Nature Walk. If going outdoors is an option, take a mindful nature walk. Spend time noticing everything you see, hear, smell, feel, hear, and taste. Make it a more interactive experience with a mindful scavenger hunt.

Mindful Crafts. Crafts can also be a fun tool to teach and practice mindfulness. Rock painting, beading, and origami are just a few examples. Teach students to complete the craft as they practice mindful breathing.

Practice Yoga. Teach mindfulness through yoga postures, such as tree pose and warrior pose. Remind kids and teens to continue practicing mindful breathing as they hold each posture.

Mindful Journaling. Have students take a look around and notice what they see, hear, smell, feel, and taste. Take a few minutes to experience the surroundings and write about it. Use this complete Mindfulness Journal filled with mindful journal prompts for the whole year.

If you're a Pathway 2 Success member, head over to the free resource library and grab a free sample of Mindfulness Journal Activities to get started! Not a member? No worries. You can join for free right now.

As a Pathway 2 Success member, you will get updates on blog posts and access to exclusive free resources in the member library, like the Mindful Journal Exercises. Just enter your email address below to join as a Pathway 2 Success member!
More Information
If you need more information on mindfulness and how to get started, these blog posts are a great resource for parents and educators. Check them out:

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Understanding Mindfulness Mindfulness is the practice of learning to be present in the moment. By learning to focus on the moment, kids and young adults are actually practicing self-regulation skills. This helps learners check in with how they are feeling, what they are thinking, and what they ne

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Great resource: Walks you through a complete lesson on empathy. Could last anywhere from one class to many classes.

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Could be a neat idea to play as a whole class! :)

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Positivity Board Game - Big Life Journal

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Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

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In a Nutshell (Informational Slide-Show)

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In a Nutshell (Informational Slide-Show)

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Over the past few years, the practice of trauma-informed teaching has become more recognized. More schools are becoming aware of what childhood trauma is and how it's related to student performance in the classroom. Administrators are recognizing the importance of being trauma-informed and training teachers to respond to childhood trauma. But what exactly is childhood trauma and how can teachers be more informed about how to respond to it?

While this is not a topic that I am anywhere NEAR an expert in, the trauma-informed classroom is something I am passionate about. I have seen firsthand the impact simple awareness can make, and I believe that all schools and teachers should have specific training on this topic by experts. I have collaborated with another teacher who specializes in trauma-informed teaching to write this post. Please see the bottom of this post for even more resources.

Trauma in Kids: What is It?

According to the CDC, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are indicators of childhood trauma. There are currently10 ACEs that are used to define childhood trauma:

Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse

Physical or emotional neglect

Divorce

Incarcerated relative

Mental illness or substance abuse in the home

Witnessing violence

Researchers have also begun to recognize bullying, racism, hunger, homelessness, loss of family members, deployment of a parent, and community violence as ACEs. These are so important to recognize because children with higher ACE scores are at greater risk for future substance abuse, mental health issues, physical illnesses, and risk-taking behavior.

ACE scores aren't everything, and it's important to avoid getting stuck on a less-than-definitive list of events that might "qualify" a child as having experienced trauma. This is not about placing a label on children, and a child's trauma does not have to define them or their future.

Remember that trauma isn't always long-term: an arrest, fire, or medical emergency in the community (or news) will often create a ripple effect that will affect multiple children within the school.

A startling number of children (over 60%) have experienced at least one of these experiences. Consider what that means for the students in your classroom and how important the year they spend in your classroom will be.

How Does Trauma Affect School Performance?

Children with trauma can react in school in a variety of ways. Sometimes a teacher or other caring adult might not even know that a child has experienced trauma. Other times children living with trauma exhibit behaviors in the classroom, including outbursts, violence towards peers or adults, defiance, work refusal, withdrawal, and poor self-regulation. Due to these behaviors, children with trauma are at increased risk of being labeled as having ADHD or a learning disability, when that might not be the true reason behind their behavior.

A child's brain chemistry changes when he or she experiences trauma, but ADHD medication and traditional methods of teaching children with learning disabilities often do not work in these cases because the root cause of the child's difficulty is trauma. Being unable to form bonds with adults and peers can exacerbate the issues at hand, so this is where the practice of having a trauma-informed classroom comes into play.

What Does Trauma-Informed Teaching Look Like?

Training teachers and administrators to recognize childhood trauma is the first step toward trauma-informed teaching. Adults in close contact with the students should be aware of the home situations of students and events in the community. It can be difficult to gather this information from some parents or guardians, so building relationships with the students and their guardians is crucial.

Recognizing and understanding that a flight, fight, or freeze response from students may be the result of trauma, rather than defiance, is the first step to creating a trauma-informed environment. We can't take away the trauma children have experienced, but we can put supports in place.

We've said it before, and we will continue to shout it from the rooftops, but relationships are truly number one, not only for students who have experienced trauma, but for ALL students. While students with trauma may have a harder time forming those relationships, the more emphasis that is placed on it, the better.

Classroom Application

Self-regulation is a massive part of trauma-informed teaching. Trauma-informed schools and classrooms can do a variety of things to help assist children with self-regulation. Some ideas that can be implemented class-wide are:

Making connections with kids in the classroom through Morning Meetings or daily check-ins

A mentorship program with community members for students who are most at-risk

A calming place in the classroom where students can go if they are feeling the need to decompress

Regular lessons or discussions about how to regulate emotions

Increased numbers of school counselors

A quiet environment within the school building and strategies to encourage de-escalation

Pairing students up with a trusted adult within the building who can be their go-to "safe space" as needed

Having a therapy dog come to visit the classroom or certain children in the school

Yoga or guided meditation

Brain breaks

Plenty of recess time and outdoor activities

Some of these practices require system-wide change, but there are many changes you can make in your own classroom to facilitate being trauma-informed! Remember: One of the biggest parts of trauma-informed teaching is changing the way you view and respond to your students and their unique struggles.

More Trauma-Informed Teaching Resources

Have you ever tried any of these strategies or others to create a trauma-informed classroom? I would love to hear your experiences!

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Trauma-Informed Teaching: What It Is and Why It's Important - Teaching with a Mountain View

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Over the past few years, the practice of trauma-informed teaching has become more recognized. More schools are becoming aware of what childhood trauma is and how it's related to student performance in the classroom. Administrators are recognizing the importance of being trauma-informed and training teachers to respond to childhood trauma.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Copy of  Technology for Mindfulness in the Classroom

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Google Drive is a free way to keep your files backed up and easy to reach from any phone, tablet, or computer. Start with 15GB of Google storage - free.