Introduction

As educators, it’s important to teach children how to be mindful of their words and the impact they have on others. This blog post focuses on teaching PreK students the importance of thinking before they speak to avoid hurting others’ feelings. By incorporating principles of Social-Emotional Learning, we can help students develop empathy, self-awareness, and effective communication skills.

No-Prep Activity

Here’s an activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. This activity is called “Think or Say.”

1. Have students sit in a circle.
2. Tell the students that you will be giving them a scenario, and they have to decide whether to think or say their response.
3. Present a scenario to the students. For example, “Your friend tells you they got a new toy that you don’t like.”
4. Ask the students to show a thumbs-up if they think they should say their response or a thumbs-down if they think they should keep their thoughts inside.
5. Discuss the students’ choices and explain why it’s better to think before they speak in certain situations.

This activity helps students practice self-awareness and empathy, as they consider the feelings of others before responding.

Discussion Questions

1. Why is it important to think before we speak?
2. How can our words affect others’ feelings?
3. Can you think of a time when you should have kept your thoughts inside instead of saying them out loud? How did it make the other person feel?
4. What can we do to make sure we are being kind with our words?
5. How can we practice empathy when talking to others?

Related Skills

Teaching students to think before they speak is just one aspect of Social-Emotional Learning. Other related skills that can be developed alongside this concept include:

• Active listening
• Empathy and understanding
• Respect for others’ feelings and opinions
• Conflict resolution
• Self-regulation

Next Steps

Now that you’ve learned about the importance of teaching students to think before they speak, consider incorporating this concept and other Social-Emotional Learning skills into your classroom. To get started, sign up for free sample materials from Everyday Speech, which offers resources to help educators teach these valuable skills.