Introduction

Teaching students to be flexible and adaptable is an essential life skill. In this blog post, we will introduce an engaging game called Two Sides, which helps students understand the difference between being flexible and being rigid. This game encourages students to recognize their own emotions and reactions in various situations and learn how to react more positively to changes. By practicing this skill, children can develop healthier relationships and navigate life’s challenges more effectively.

No-Prep Activity

Two Sides is a simple and interactive game that requires no preparation or materials from the educator. To play the game, the teacher can present different scenarios to the students and ask them to identify whether the person in the scenario is being flexible or rigid. For example:

Sarah is playing with her friends in the playground, and they decide to play basketball. Sarah has never played basketball before and is nervous. Instead of refusing to play, she decides to give it a try and learns a new game.

The students can then discuss whether Sarah is being flexible or rigid and why. This activity promotes critical thinking and self-awareness while reinforcing the importance of adaptability.

Discussion Questions

1. What are some situations where you had to be flexible? How did you feel during those situations?
2. Can you think of a time when you were rigid? What could you have done differently to be more flexible?
3. Why is it important to be flexible and adaptable in life? How can it benefit you and others around you?
4. What strategies can you use to become more flexible and adaptable when faced with changes or challenges?
5. How can being flexible improve our relationships with others? Can you think of an example?

Related Skills

In addition to flexibility and adaptability, there are several other related skills that can be beneficial for students to develop. These include:

• Self-awareness: Understanding and recognizing one’s own emotions and reactions in different situations.
• Empathy: Being able to put oneself in another person’s shoes and understand their feelings and perspectives.
• Problem-solving: Developing the ability to find solutions to challenges and conflicts in a constructive manner.
• Resilience: Building the capacity to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to changes.

Next Steps

Incorporating the Two Sides game and other social-emotional learning activities into your classroom can have a significant impact on your students’ personal and academic growth. To explore more resources and sample materials that can help you teach these essential skills, be sure to visit Everyday Speech’s sample materials page and sign up for free access.