Elementary students sometimes struggle to provide thoughtful answers when asked questions, which can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. This blog post will explore an engaging activity that encourages students to focus on questions and develop strong social-emotional skills.

Introduction

Effective communication is essential for building strong relationships and fostering a positive learning environment. Educators working with elementary students must teach them the importance of focusing on questions asked by their peers and providing thoughtful answers. By developing this skill, students will be better equipped to engage in meaningful conversations and avoid misunderstandings that could hurt someone’s feelings.

No-Prep Activity: The Question Focus Game

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator and is designed to help students practice focusing on questions and responding thoughtfully. Here’s how it works:

1. Have students sit in a circle.
2. Explain that they will take turns asking questions to the person on their right.
3. Encourage students to think about the question being asked and try to visualize the answer before responding.
4. After the student answers, the person who asked the question will provide feedback on whether the response was thoughtful and focused on the question.
5. Continue the game until each student has had a chance to ask and answer a question.

Through this activity, students will practice active listening, focusing on the question, and responding with thoughtful answers.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Question Focus Game, use these questions to stimulate further discussions:

1. How did it feel to focus on the question before providing an answer?
2. Why is it important to think about the question and provide a thoughtful answer?
3. How do you think your classmates feel when you give them a thoughtful answer?
4. What can you do to improve your focus during conversations?
5. Can you think of a time when not focusing on a question led to a misunderstanding or hurt someone’s feelings?

Related Skills

Teaching students to focus on questions and give thoughtful answers is just one aspect of social-emotional learning. Other related skills that can help students develop strong communication and relationship-building abilities include:

• Active listening
• Empathy
• Non-verbal communication
• Conflict resolution
• Understanding and managing emotions

Next Steps

As an educator, it’s important to continue developing your students’ social-emotional skills. To access free sample materials and resources that can help you teach these valuable skills, sign up at Everyday Speech. By incorporating these resources into your classroom, you can help your students build strong communication skills and foster positive relationships with their peers.