Introduction

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s essential for middle school students to develop self-control. Self-control is the ability to manage one’s behavior, emotions, and thoughts in accordance with personal values and social expectations. This skill is a crucial component of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), which emphasizes the importance of developing healthy relationships, making responsible decisions, and achieving personal goals. In this blog post, we will discuss an easy-to-implement, no-prep activity to teach self-control, provide discussion questions to deepen understanding, and suggest related skills that can further enhance students’ SEL development.

No-Prep Activity

The “Silent Challenge” is a simple yet effective activity that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. This activity can be done in the classroom or any other group setting. Here’s how it works:

1. Ask the students to sit in a circle.
2. Explain that the goal of the activity is for the group to remain completely silent for a set period of time (e.g., 2 minutes).
3. During this time, students must remain in their seats and cannot talk, make noise, or engage in any distracting behaviors.
4. Start the timer and observe how the students handle the challenge.
5. After the time is up, discuss the experience as a group and how self-control played a part in their ability to remain silent.

This activity encourages students to practice self-control by resisting the urge to talk or engage in disruptive behaviors. It also provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their actions and the impact of self-control on their success in the challenge.

Discussion Questions

To further stimulate conversation and deepen understanding, consider using the following discussion questions after completing the Silent Challenge activity:

1. How did it feel to try to remain silent for the entire time? What strategies did you use to maintain self-control?
2. Were there any moments where you found it particularly difficult to exercise self-control? What made those moments challenging?
3. How does practicing self-control in this activity relate to other situations in your life, such as waiting your turn to speak in class or resisting the urge to engage in risky behaviors?
4. Can you think of a time when you successfully exercised self-control? How did it affect the outcome of the situation?
5. What are some long-term benefits of developing strong self-control skills?

Related Skills

In addition to self-control, there are several other SEL skills that can help middle school students navigate their personal and social lives more effectively. Some of these related skills include:

• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others, which can help students build stronger relationships and respond more compassionately to the needs of their peers.
• Active listening: Paying full attention to the speaker, asking relevant questions, and providing appropriate feedback, which can enhance communication and reduce misunderstandings.
• Conflict resolution: Identifying and addressing disagreements in a constructive manner, which can promote a more harmonious and inclusive environment.
• Responsible decision-making: Evaluating potential consequences and making informed choices, which can lead to better outcomes and a greater sense of personal responsibility.

Next Steps

By incorporating self-control and related SEL skills into your curriculum, you can help middle school students develop essential tools for success in their personal, academic, and social lives. To access free sample materials for teaching self-control and other SEL skills, be sure to sign up at Everyday Speech. These resources can provide you with additional activities, discussion questions, and strategies to support your students’ SEL development.