Introduction

Compliments are a powerful tool for fostering positive social interactions and building connections with others. By noticing and appreciating the positive traits or actions of others, students can learn to engage in meaningful conversations and develop their social-emotional learning skills. In this blog post, we will explore an easy-to-implement, no-prep activity for teaching students how to give compliments and initiate conversations, along with discussion questions and related skills for further exploration.

No-Prep Activity: Compliment Circles

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator and can be easily adapted for various group sizes and age levels. The goal of this activity is to encourage students to practice giving compliments and engage in conversations with their peers.

1. Have students sit in a circle, facing each other.
2. Explain that the purpose of the activity is to practice giving compliments and engaging in conversations with their peers.
3. Ask each student to think of a compliment for the person sitting to their right. Encourage them to be specific and genuine in their compliments.
4. Give students a few moments to think, then have them take turns sharing their compliments with the person to their right.
5. After each compliment is shared, encourage the recipient to respond with a brief conversation, such as asking a question or sharing more information about the topic of the compliment.
6. Continue around the circle until all students have given and received a compliment and engaged in a conversation.

This activity helps students practice their social-emotional learning skills by giving and receiving compliments, as well as engaging in conversations with their peers. It can be easily adapted for various group sizes and age levels.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Compliment Circles activity, use these discussion questions to facilitate further conversations and reflections:

• How did it feel to give a compliment to someone else? How did it feel to receive a compliment?
• Why do you think it’s important to give compliments and engage in conversations with others?
• How can giving compliments and engaging in conversations help us build positive relationships and improve our social-emotional learning skills?
• What are some other ways we can show appreciation and kindness to others in our daily lives?
• How can we practice giving compliments and engaging in conversations regularly?

Related Skills

Teaching students how to give compliments and engage in conversations can help them develop other essential social-emotional learning skills, such as:

• Active listening: By paying attention to others during conversations, students can learn to understand and empathize with the feelings and perspectives of their peers.
• Empathy: Recognizing and appreciating the positive traits or actions of others can help students develop empathy for their peers and strengthen their connections.
• Conflict resolution: Effective communication, including giving and receiving compliments, can play a crucial role in resolving conflicts and maintaining positive relationships.

Next Steps

Ready to explore more social-emotional learning activities and resources for your students? Sign up for free samples of the discussed skill and others at Everyday Speech. By incorporating these activities into your teaching, you can help students develop essential social-emotional learning skills and foster a positive classroom environment.