In today’s fast-paced world, the ability to be flexible and adapt to change is a valuable skill for high school students to develop. As educators, we can help students learn how to handle changes in plans and respond calmly and positively. This blog post will provide you with an easy-to-implement activity, discussion questions, and related skills that can help your students grow in their ability to be flexible and adapt to change.

No-Prep Activity: The Change Game

This simple activity requires no preparation or materials and can be easily adapted to various group sizes and settings. The objective of the Change Game is to help students practice responding to unexpected changes in a fun and engaging way.

1. Divide the students into small groups of 4-5 participants.
2. Ask each group to come up with a plan for a hypothetical event, such as a party, a school project, or a weekend trip. Give them 5 minutes to discuss and outline their plan.
3. Once the time is up, inform the groups that there has been a sudden change in circumstances, such as a change in the budget, location, or available time. The groups must now adapt their plans to accommodate the change.
4. Give the students another 5 minutes to revise their plans and discuss how they will handle the change.
5. Afterward, have each group share their revised plans with the class and discuss how they adapted to the change.

Through this activity, students will learn the importance of staying calm and flexible in the face of change. They will also practice problem-solving and collaboration skills as they work together to adapt their plans.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Change Game, facilitate a group discussion using the following questions:

1. How did you feel when you first learned of the change in plans? How did your feelings change as you worked to adapt your plan?
2. What strategies did your group use to handle the change and revise your plan? Which strategies were most effective?
3. Can you think of a time when you had to be flexible and adapt to a change in your personal life? How did you handle the situation?
4. Why is it important to be able to adapt and be flexible in different situations?
5. What other skills do you think are important for handling change effectively?

Related Skills

In addition to flexibility and adaptability, there are other important skills that can help students navigate change and challenges. These include:

• Resilience: The ability to bounce back from setbacks and maintain a positive attitude.
• Problem-solving: Identifying and implementing effective solutions to challenges.
• Communication: Expressing thoughts, feelings, and needs clearly and effectively.
• Collaboration: Working well with others to achieve a common goal.
• Self-awareness: Recognizing one’s own emotions, strengths, and areas for growth.

Next Steps

Teaching students the importance of flexibility and adaptability is an essential part of their social-emotional development. By incorporating activities like the Change Game and engaging discussion questions into your lessons, you can help students learn to navigate change in a healthy and productive way. To access more resources and free samples of skill-building activities, be sure to sign up at Everyday Speech.