Introduction

Strong emotions like anger, frustration, or sadness can fill our brain and freeze our decisions. When strong emotions take over, it can feel impossible to think about all our options and choose the right one. To make good decisions, we need positive emotions to help us think. This blog post will discuss strategies for helping special education students gain control of their emotions and change the channel on negative feelings. By learning to control strong emotions, students can improve their decision-making and social-emotional learning.

No-Prep Activity

Here’s a simple, no-prep activity to help students practice changing the channel on strong emotions:

1. Ask students to sit in a circle or at their desks.
2. Have each student think about a time when they experienced a strong emotion, such as anger, frustration, or sadness.
3. Next, ask students to share their experiences with the class, focusing on the emotion they felt and how they reacted to it.
4. After each student shares, discuss different ways they could have changed the channel on their strong emotion and replaced it with a positive thought or action.
5. Encourage students to practice these strategies the next time they experience a strong emotion.

Discussion Questions

• Why is it important to change the channel on strong emotions before making decisions?
• What are some strategies you can use to change the channel on strong emotions?
• How do positive emotions help us make better decisions?
• What are some challenges you might face when trying to change the channel on strong emotions?
• How can practicing changing the channel on strong emotions improve our social-emotional learning?

Related Skills

Besides changing the channel on strong emotions, there are other relevant skills that students can benefit from, including:

• Emotion recognition: Identifying and understanding the emotions of oneself and others.
• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Communication: Effectively expressing thoughts and feelings, while also actively listening to others.
• Problem-solving: Identifying and resolving conflicts or challenges in a constructive manner.
• Self-regulation: Managing one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations.

Next Steps

By helping students change the channel on strong emotions, educators can promote better decision-making and social-emotional learning in special education settings. To access free samples of skill-building materials and activities, including those related to changing the channel on strong emotions, sign up at Everyday Speech.