Everyday Speech Blog
Social Skill Lesson Plans and Articles
A Guide to Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices in Schools
For years, social skills instruction in schools has been built around compliance—teaching neurodivergent students to conform to neurotypical expectations. While often well-intended, this approach can inadvertently encourage masking, increase anxiety, and erode...
An SCSS Teacher Shares How Everyday Speech Reduced Prep Time & Burnout
For educators like Maci Allee, a Social Communication Support and Services (SCSS) teacher at Leander Independent School District, lesson planning used to be a time-consuming, energy-draining process. Before discovering Everyday Speech, she spent hours searching the...
How to Bring Everyday Speech to Your District
Everyday Speech transforms the way you teach social skills, helping students thrive while saving you valuable time. If you’re looking for ways to make this resource available to your entire team, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ll share strategies to help you...
How Everyday Speech Empowers Student Support Teams
Student Support Teams play a critical role in fostering the social and behavioral growth of students. Everyday Speech is here to make this work simpler and more effective. With a no-prep social skills curriculum designed for busy professionals, we reduce prep time,...
How Everyday Speech Supports School Counselors (with Example Videos & Games!)
School counselors play a pivotal role in guiding students through their academic, social, and behavioral challenges. From helping students regulate their emotions to teaching critical interpersonal and problem-solving skills, counselors address diverse needs to ensure...
How Everyday Speech Supports Social Workers (with Example Videos & Games!)
Social workers play a vital role in supporting the holistic development and mental health of students. From helping students navigate emotional challenges to fostering self-regulation and conflict resolution, social workers address a wide range of needs that impact...
How Everyday Speech Supports Speech-Language Pathologists (with Example Videos & Games!)
Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play an essential role in helping students develop social skills that impact every aspect of their lives. From fostering conversational abilities to teaching nonverbal communication and social problem-solving, SLPs address a wide...
How Everyday Speech Supports School Psychologists (with Example Videos & Games!)
School psychologists play a critical role in supporting students’ mental health and social development. From teaching emotional recognition to guiding students through self-regulation and decision-making, school psychologists address a wide range of challenges to...
How Everyday Speech Supports SPED Teachers (with Example Videos & Games!)
Special education (SPED) teachers play a critical role in equipping students with the social, academic, and functional skills they need to succeed in and beyond the classroom. From fostering self-regulation to supporting interpersonal growth, SPED teachers address a...
No-Prep Activities
Understanding and Preventing Bullying: A Guide for Special Education Educators
Introduction Bullying is a harmful behavior that can have lasting effects on individuals, especially students in special education settings. As educators, it's crucial to understand the different types of bullying and teach our students how to recognize and prevent...
Teaching Trust and Confidentiality: The Importance of Keeping Secrets
Introduction Trust and confidentiality are essential components of building healthy relationships. When someone shares a secret with us, it demonstrates their trust in our ability to keep their confidence. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of secrets and...
Adapting to Social Situations with the Voice Scale: A Guide for Educators
Introduction As educators, it's essential to teach our students the necessary skills to adapt to various social situations. One crucial aspect of being a social chameleon is recognizing and adjusting the volume of our voices. The Voice Scale is a valuable tool that...
Enhancing Cyber Skills in Texting for PreK Students: Activities and Discussions
Introduction Texting is an important mode of communication in today's digital age, especially for young learners. However, it can be confusing due to the absence of facial expressions and tone of voice, leading to misunderstandings. To navigate these tricky...
Act It Out! Role-Playing Game for Elementary Educators to Teach Body Language
Introduction Welcome to Act It Out!, a role-playing game specially designed for elementary educators to teach students about body language. Through this engaging activity, students will learn how their bodies can affect the messages they send to others and improve...
Teaching Students to Identify Interest in Conversations: A Guide for Special Education Educators
Introduction As educators working with students in special education, one of the important skills we can teach is the ability to recognize when someone is genuinely interested in a conversation. This skill is critical for building strong social connections, fostering...
Teaching Responsibility and Handling Frustration: An Activity for Special Education Students
Introduction In life, everyone has to do things they don't want to do. Adults might have to go to work, and students need to go to school. We all have responsibilities, even if we don't like them. In this blog post, we will discuss an activity that helps students in...
Teaching PreK Students to Be the Bigger Person: Activities and Discussions
Introduction As educators, we strive to teach our PreK students valuable life skills that will help them navigate the challenges they may face. One of these essential skills is learning to be the bigger person in difficult situations. When others make us angry or...
Developing Close Friendships: A Guide for Special Education Educators
Introduction Close friendships play a crucial role in our lives, providing emotional support, companionship, and a sense of belonging. For students in special education, developing these friendships can be challenging, but with the right guidance and support, they can...
Teaching PreK Students to Manage Stress with Deep Breathing Techniques
Introduction In today's fast-paced world, even young children can experience stress and anxiety. As educators, we can help them develop healthy coping strategies to manage these emotions. One such technique is deep breathing, which can be easily incorporated into the...
Empowering Independence: Fostering Self-Reliance in Special Education Students
Introduction Gaining independence is a crucial aspect of personal growth that positively impacts self-esteem, confidence, and opportunities for learning. As students grow up, they increasingly rely less on others and take the initiative to do things on their own. For...
Calming Strategies for Students in Special Education: Activities and Discussion Questions
Introduction Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is an essential aspect of education, especially for students in special education. Teaching calming strategies and self-regulation techniques can help students better manage their emotions and behavior. In this blog post,...
Teaching the Skill of Asking a Friend to Play: Activities and Discussion Questions
In this blog post, we will explore the essential skill of asking a friend to play, which is a crucial aspect of Social-Emotional Learning. We will provide you with a no-prep activity, discussion questions, related skills, and next steps to help educators teach this...
Taking Responsibility: A Key Skill for Social-Emotional Learning
Introduction Taking responsibility is a crucial aspect of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). It means being accountable for our actions, acknowledging our mistakes, and trying to fix them. When students take responsibility, they understand that their choices are their...
Teaching Good Hygiene Practices: A Guide for Educators
Good hygiene is essential for maintaining our health and ensuring that we have positive social interactions. As educators, it's important to promote good hygiene habits among students, so they can develop lifelong routines that keep them healthy and make others feel...