Introduction

As educators, it is essential to teach our students various skills to navigate social situations effectively. One such skill is understanding the different levels of relationships and how to act accordingly. The Relationship Ruler concept helps students recognize the appropriate actions and behaviors for each relationship level, from family members to strangers. This blog post introduces a fun, engaging, and no-prep activity called Guess What Happens Next, designed to teach students the Relationship Ruler concept.

No-Prep Activity: Guess What Happens Next

The Guess What Happens Next activity is simple and requires no preparation or materials. It is an excellent tool for teaching the Relationship Ruler concept to PreK students. Here’s how it works:

1. Start by explaining the Relationship Ruler concept to your students. Discuss the different relationship levels, such as family, closest friends, friends, acquaintances, and strangers.
2. Create various social scenarios involving different relationship levels. You can either describe these situations verbally or use short video clips.
3. After presenting each scenario, pause and give your students three choices for how the situation will unfold. Ask them to guess which choice will happen next based on the Relationship Ruler concept.
4. Reveal the correct answer and discuss why it is the most appropriate choice, considering the characters’ relationship levels.
5. Repeat this process with multiple scenarios to reinforce the Relationship Ruler concept and help students understand how to apply it in real-life situations.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Guess What Happens Next activity, use the following discussion questions to encourage further reflection and understanding of the Relationship Ruler concept:

• Why is it important to recognize the different levels of relationships in our lives?
• How can using the Relationship Ruler help us make better decisions in social situations?
• Can you think of a time when you used the Relationship Ruler in your own life? How did it help you?
• What are some challenges you might face when applying the Relationship Ruler concept, and how can you overcome them?

Related Skills

In addition to the Relationship Ruler, there are other essential social-emotional skills for students to develop. Some of these skills include:

• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Active listening: Paying full attention to the speaker and providing feedback to show understanding.
• Conflict resolution: Resolving disagreements and finding solutions that satisfy all parties involved.
• Emotional regulation: Managing emotions effectively in different situations.

Next Steps

Now that you have learned about the Guess What Happens Next activity and explored the Relationship Ruler concept, you may be interested in discovering more social-emotional learning activities for your PreK students. To access free sample materials, including activities, videos, and lesson plans, visit Everyday Speech’s sample materials page. These resources can help you build a comprehensive social-emotional learning program tailored to your students’ needs and abilities.