Introduction

Strong emotions, such as anger, frustration, or sadness, can be overwhelming and lead to poor decision-making. It is essential for students to learn how to control these emotions to ensure their safety and well-being. The Change the Channel technique is an effective approach to help students manage strong emotions. This technique involves recognizing the emotion, finding a way to change their thinking, and giving themselves time to calm down before taking action. In this blog post, we will discuss how educators can teach students to Change the Channel on their emotions and make better decisions in the process.

No-Prep Activity: The Weather Report

This activity requires no preparation or materials and encourages students to reflect on their emotions. The Weather Report activity is designed to help students recognize and name their emotions, which is the first step in the Change the Channel technique.

1. Ask students to sit comfortably and close their eyes.
2. Guide students to take a few deep breaths to help them relax.
3. Ask students to visualize their emotions as if they were the weather. For example, anger could be a storm, sadness could be rain, and happiness could be sunshine.
4. Encourage students to name their emotions by describing the weather in their minds.
5. Allow students to share their “weather report” with the class if they feel comfortable doing so.

By recognizing and naming their emotions, students can begin to understand their feelings and work towards changing the channel on strong emotions.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some strategies you can use to change your thinking when you are experiencing strong emotions?
2. How can giving yourself time to calm down help you make better decisions?
3. What are some signs that you are feeling a strong emotion and need to use the Change the Channel technique?
4. Why is it important to learn how to control strong emotions?
5. Can you think of a situation in which you successfully changed the channel on your emotions? How did it help you?

Related Skills

There are other skills that complement the Change the Channel technique and contribute to students’ overall well-being and decision-making abilities. These skills include:

• Mindfulness: Learning to be present and aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions without judgment can help students better understand and manage their emotions.
• Self-Regulation: Developing the ability to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in various situations can improve students’ decision-making and coping skills.
• Empathy: Understanding and sharing the feelings of others can help students build positive relationships and become more compassionate individuals.

Next Steps

Teaching students to control their emotions and make better decisions using the Change the Channel technique is an essential aspect of social-emotional learning. To further explore the benefits of this technique and access additional resources, sign up for free samples of related skill materials at Everyday Speech. By incorporating these strategies into your teaching, you can help students build the skills they need to navigate difficult emotions and make positive choices in their lives.