Introduction

Jealousy is a natural emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. For elementary students, learning to manage jealousy and treat others with respect can be challenging. Educators play a crucial role in teaching children how to handle these emotions and maintain positive relationships with their peers. This blog post will provide an overview of a no-prep activity, discussion questions, and related skills that educators can use to help students develop healthy ways to cope with jealousy and foster respectful behavior.

No-Prep Activity: The Compliment Circle

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator. The objective is to help students practice giving compliments and expressing positive feelings towards their classmates, even when they might feel jealous.

1. Have students sit in a circle.
2. Choose one student to start. This student will give a genuine compliment to the person sitting next to them.
3. The recipient of the compliment will then give a compliment to the next person in the circle, and so on.
4. Continue until every student has both given and received a compliment.
5. End the activity by discussing how it felt to give and receive compliments, even when feeling jealous or envious of others.

Discussion Questions

1. How did you feel when you received a compliment from a classmate? How did you feel when you gave a compliment?
2. What are some ways you can control your feelings and actions when you feel jealous of someone else?
3. Why is it important to treat others with respect, even when you feel jealous?
4. Can you think of a time when you felt jealous but still showed kindness and respect to others? How did that make you feel?
5. What can you do to support a friend who may be feeling jealous?

Related Skills

Teaching students how to manage jealousy and respect others is an essential part of Social-Emotional Learning. Other related skills that can be developed alongside managing jealousy include:

• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Emotion regulation: Recognizing and managing one’s emotions in a healthy and appropriate manner.
• Conflict resolution: Resolving disagreements and conflicts in a constructive and respectful way.
• Active listening: Paying full attention to what others are saying and responding thoughtfully.
• Positive communication: Expressing oneself clearly and respectfully, while also considering the feelings of others.

Next Steps

Now that you have an understanding of the importance of teaching students to manage jealousy and respect others, it’s time to take action. Sign up for free sample materials from Everyday Speech to help you teach these essential Social-Emotional Learning skills and others. The resources available will support you in creating a positive and inclusive learning environment for your students.