Respect is a foundation for successful school communities and positive peer relationships. In elementary school, students begin to navigate a world full of diverse opinions, backgrounds, and beliefs. These differences offer great opportunities for learning, but they also present challenges—especially for children just beginning to form their own identities.

The How to Respect Others’ Opinions Activity, a no-prep worksheet from Everyday Speech, provides an accessible, structured way to help students understand how to show respect even when disagreements arise.

What Is Showing Respect?

Showing respect, in the school context, means recognizing the dignity and worth of every individual. It involves acknowledging differences, listening to others without interruption, and treating peers, teachers, and community members with fairness and kindness. Respect looks like active listening, using polite language, refraining from put-downs, and demonstrating understanding—even when someone’s opinions do not align with one’s own.

Crucially, respect does not mean agreeing with everyone or abandoning personal beliefs. Instead, it means engaging with differing viewpoints in thoughtful, considerate ways. This includes disagreeing in a manner that is non-confrontational and supportive rather than dismissive or argumentative.

By the time students reach elementary school, they are starting to join group discussions, participate in debates, and explore the diversity of opinions found in classmates’ statements, family customs, and media. Very often, students will encounter peers whose likes, preferences, or beliefs differ from theirs. Learning to respect these differences sets the stage for more inclusive learning environments and reduces the chances of conflicts turning into bullying or social exclusion.

Why Teach Showing Respect?

Focusing on respect in the classroom supports not only academic learning but also emotional well-being and positive school culture. Teaching students to respectfully handle differences in opinion leads to a multitude of benefits:

• Creates a safe and welcoming environment for every student
• Builds stronger peer relationships based on trust
• Boosts student engagement and willingness to contribute
• Reduces disruptive conflicts and misunderstandings
• Fosters empathy and perspective-taking
• Develops communication skills such as active listening and turn-taking
• Prepares students for real-world situations where compromise or coexistence is needed
• Equips students to manage disagreements in healthy, non-confrontational ways
• Decreases incidents of teasing, exclusion, or bullying
• Reinforces a sense of fairness and justice in the classroom

By explicitly teaching and practicing respect for different opinions, school-based clinicians and educators support students in becoming thoughtful, respectful members of their communities.

Lesson Plan: Using How to Respect Others’ Opinions Activity

The How to Respect Others’ Opinions Activity provides a structured worksheet and discussion prompts for elementary-aged students. Download the worksheet here. This no-prep resource helps students identify respectful and disrespectful responses and practice strategies for showing respect in challenging situations.

Step 1: Setting Expectations for Discussion

Before distributing the worksheet, establish classroom norms that encourage openness and respect. Begin with a brief class conversation about what ‘respect’ means. Invite students to share examples of how others can show respect to them, especially when there is disagreement. Explicitly state that everyone’s ideas and perspectives are important. Reinforce that it is possible to disagree without being hurtful.

Some prompts for guiding this introductory conversation:

• “Can someone share a time when you and a friend wanted different things? What happened?”
• “How do you feel when someone listens to your idea even if they disagree?”
• “Why is it important to treat others kindly, even if they have a different favorite color, show, or game?”

This step lays the groundwork for handling group discussions with care and respect.

Step 2: Introducing the Worksheet

Distribute the How to Respect Others’ Opinions Activity worksheet to each student or use it digitally if desired. Walk through the directions together. The worksheet starts with a simple explanation: sometimes people will not agree, and that is okay. The important thing is how responses are given.

Highlight that the worksheet will provide different scenarios and responses, and students will determine if the responses in each example are respectful or disrespectful. Encourage students to think about both the words used and the tone of each response.

Model reading the first scenario aloud and discuss as a group before moving on. For example, you might say, “Let’s look at this situation: One friend says they like pineapple on pizza. Another says, ‘That’s weird. Why would you eat that?’ Is that a respectful way to disagree? Why or why not?” Invite answers and gently guide students to identify the underlying attitude in the statement.

Step 3: Guided Practice and Group Sharing

Allow students to work through the scenarios individually or in pairs. If time and group size permit, consider reading each scenario aloud and letting the group vote with thumbs up or down on whether the response is respectful. Emphasize that there are no ‘bad’ opinions in the examples—the focus is solely on how disagreement is communicated.

Pause after each scenario to discuss follow-up questions:

• How might the person feel after hearing this response?
• What could the responder say instead to show respect?
• Can anyone share a time when someone disagreed respectfully with them?

This encourages deeper thinking and personal connection to the skill.

Step 4: Independent Application

For the last section, students are asked to come up with their own respectful example. Guide them by offering sentence starters—such as, “I see it differently, but I understand why you feel that way” or “Thanks for sharing your opinion.” This step ensures that every student internalizes the skill and can practice generating respectful responses.

Collect student worksheets for review, or invite volunteers to share their own respectful statements with the group. Celebrate creative and kind responses to motivate future positive behavior.

Step 5: Reflection and Wrap-up

Conclude by asking students to reflect on situations outside school where respecting others’ opinions might be important. For example, in sports, family decisions, or community settings. Reinforce the idea that respectful disagreement is a skill used throughout life.

Consider using prompts such as:

• “How might you respond if you don’t like your friend’s favorite TV show?”
• “What can you say if you want to play a different game than the group?”
• “How does it feel when someone listens to why you like something, even if they don’t agree?”

Reiterate that disagreement will happen but everyone deserves kindness and respect.

Supporting Showing Respect After the Activity

Embedding this skill into daily routines is essential for lasting change. Clinicians and teachers can reinforce showing respect with ongoing support throughout the school year. Try using the following strategies:

• Model respectful disagreement in daily interactions, highlighting specific language and tone
• Recognize and praise students who demonstrate respect for differing opinions
• Use follow-up prompts during classroom disputes or group work, such as “How can we make sure everyone’s voice is heard?”
• Post respectful conversation starters around the classroom
• Encourage students to use ‘I messages’ and express understanding (“I see it differently, but I get your point”)
• Share stories or read-alouds featuring characters who deal with differences positively
• Remind students that curiosity and listening are important when someone’s opinion differs
• Incorporate circle time or group reflections where students can safely share and respond to different ideas
• Partner with families by sharing strategies for respectful conversations at home
• Review the worksheet regularly or adapt its scenarios for role-playing exercises

Providing frequent, natural practice is key for internalizing the concepts. As students master respectful communication during disagreements, teachers and clinicians can gradually challenge them with more nuanced scenarios, such as group decision-making or responding to overheard disagreements between peers.

Wrapping Up: Building a Respectful Classroom Culture

Consistently teaching, modeling, and practicing respectful communication creates stronger, more connected classrooms. The How to Respect Others’ Opinions Activity serves as a practical jumping-off point for helping elementary students understand how to navigate differences with kindness and empathy.

When students learn that respect means more than merely tolerating others—it means actively listening, understanding, and responding thoughtfully—they build lifelong skills for healthy relationships and community engagement. With encouragement and ongoing reinforcement, students begin to see respectful disagreement as an opportunity for learning rather than a threat.

By investing time in lessons that teach showing respect, clinicians and educators are not only addressing immediate classroom needs but also equipping children to become considerate, open-minded citizens. The ripple effect extends beyond the classroom, shaping positive behaviors that benefit students at school, at home, and across all areas of life.