Introduction

As educators, we often encounter situations where students need to learn the importance of waiting for their turn and using safe hands. Safe hands involve keeping our hands to ourselves and respecting others’ personal space. This essential skill is a crucial aspect of Social-Emotional Learning, as it helps students develop patience, self-regulation, and respect for others. In this blog post, we will explore a no-prep activity to teach this skill, discussion questions, related skills, and how to take the next steps in incorporating these lessons into the classroom.

No-Prep Activity

One effective activity that requires no preparation or materials is the “Freeze and Wait” game. In this activity, students will practice waiting and using safe hands in a fun and engaging way. Here’s how to play:

1. Have students stand in a circle, with enough space between them to move around.
2. Choose one student to be the “leader” and give them a soft object, such as a small ball or stuffed toy.
3. The leader will pass the object to the person on their right while saying, “Can I have a turn with this?”
4. When the object reaches the person directly opposite the leader, that person will say, “You can have a turn when I’m done.”
5. At this point, everyone in the circle should freeze. The person holding the object must wait patiently for a few seconds before passing it back to the leader, demonstrating the concept of waiting.
6. Repeat the game, with a new leader each time, reinforcing the importance of waiting and using safe hands.

Discussion Questions

After playing the “Freeze and Wait” game, use these discussion questions to stimulate further conversation about waiting and safe hands:

1. How did it feel when you had to wait for the object to be passed back to you? What strategies did you use to stay calm?
2. Why is it important to use safe hands and wait for our turn in different situations? How does it affect our relationships with others?
3. Can you think of a time when you had to wait for something, and how you handled it? What could you have done differently?
4. How can practicing waiting and using safe hands help us become better friends and classmates?
5. What are some other situations where we might need to wait and use safe hands? How can we prepare ourselves for those moments?

Related Skills

Teaching students the art of waiting and safe hands also helps them develop other essential Social-Emotional Learning skills, such as:

• Self-regulation: Managing emotions and behaviors in different situations.
• Empathy: Understanding and sharing others’ feelings.
• Respect: Valuing and appreciating others’ perspectives and needs.
• Problem-solving: Identifying and resolving conflicts in a constructive manner.
• Communication: Expressing thoughts and feelings effectively and respectfully.

Next Steps

Integrating the art of waiting and safe hands into your classroom is a valuable step in fostering a healthy learning environment. To further support your students’ Social-Emotional Learning journey, consider signing up for free sample materials at Everyday Speech. These resources will provide additional guidance and activities to help students develop a strong foundation in essential life skills.