Everyday Speech Blog
Social Skill Lesson Plans and Articles
High School Staying Calm Poster: Thinking About Others Goal Poster
Download 20+ Self-Regulation Activities for PK-12 No-prep tools to teach students how to stay calm, make thoughtful choices, and build emotional awareness. Download activities Helping high school students build effective self-regulation skills is a foundational goal...
Elementary School Situational Awareness Poster: Thinking About Others
Situational awareness is foundational for success in school, relationships, and daily life. Elementary students are just starting to learn how to read social situations. The "Thinking About Others Poster" from Everyday Speech provides a no-prep visual anchor for this...
Interactive Job Skill Tool for High School
Download Activity and Lesson Plan As high school special educators, one of our key responsibilities is to prepare students for the workforce. Essential job skills, particularly collaboration, are crucial for success in any professional environment. This blog post...
Middle School Play Skills Discussion Guide: Being a Good Sport Discussion Questions
Fostering positive peer interactions in middle school can be a challenge, especially in environments where competition is front and center. Skillful play involves much more than athletic ability or strategy. It is equally about how students handle themselves...
Middle School Organizational Skills: Free Interactive Activity & Lesson Plan
Download Free Executive Functioning Resources Teach skills like organization, planning, and task initiation with resources for interventions and whole-class lessons.Strong organization skills are essential for middle school students. These skills are a key part of...
Free Preschool Thanksgiving Craft
Download Activity and Lesson Plan Thanksgiving is a special time to foster gratitude and appreciation, particularly in young learners. 'The Thankful Tree' is a free preschool Thanksgiving craft designed to engage preschoolers in a meaningful way, helping them...
Pre-K & Kindergarten Switching Tracks Goal Poster: Switching Tracks
Download 20+ Self-Regulation Activities for PK-12 No-prep tools to teach students how to stay calm, make thoughtful choices, and build emotional awareness. Download activities Smooth transitions are a foundational part of a successful classroom environment, especially...
Free Elementary Thanksgiving Craft
Download Activity and Lesson Plan Thanksgiving isn't just about feasts and parades; it's a time for reflection and gratitude. Special educators can bring this spirit into their classrooms with a fun and meaningful craft activity from Everyday Speech. Check out this...
Elementary School Perspective Taking Goal Poster: Understanding Others’ Point of View
Fostering perspective taking is a cornerstone of healthy peer interactions, classroom harmony, and long-term interpersonal growth in elementary-aged students. With early learners, foundational skills such as seeing situations from another person’s point of view are...
No-Prep Activities
Teaching Problem-Solving Skills to Middle School Students: A Social-Emotional Learning Approach
Introduction As educators, we understand the importance of teaching our students not just academic skills, but also valuable life skills that can help them navigate the world with confidence. One such skill is problem-solving, which enables students to assess...
Being Tuned In: Developing Skills for Social Awareness and Mindful Choices
Introduction Being tuned in is all about being aware of our own actions and the actions of others around us. This ensures that our behavior is appropriate for the current situation and doesn't cause discomfort or distress to others. By teaching students how to be...
Teaching Conversation Skills to Special Education Students: A No-Prep Activity
Introduction Teaching conversation skills to special education students is an essential part of their social-emotional learning. In this blog post, we will discuss an engaging no-prep activity that helps students understand the importance of taking turns and keeping...
Teaching the Self-Controller Scanner: A Guide for Special Education Educators
Introduction Controlling thoughts and feelings is a crucial skill for students to develop, especially in Special Education settings. The Self-Controller Scanner is a tool that can help students understand their emotions and regain control when needed. This technique...
Teaching PreK Students Conversation Drivers and Stoppers: A Fun Bingo Activity
Introduction Effective communication is an essential skill for children to develop from an early age. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of conversation drivers and stoppers, and how they impact the flow of a conversation. Conversation drivers are...
Teaching PreK Students to Express Excitement: Activities & Discussion Questions
In this blog post, we will explore the importance of teaching PreK students how to express excitement through their tone of voice and other nonverbal cues. We will provide a no-prep activity, discussion questions, related skills, and encourage you to sign up for free...
Teaching PreK Students the Importance of Sharing and Its Impact on Feelings
Introduction Sharing is an essential social skill that helps children develop empathy, build relationships, and create a sense of fairness. For PreK students, understanding the importance of sharing and its impact on others' feelings can be difficult. This blog post...
Helping Students Stay Calm and Improve Communication
Special education teachers often face challenges in helping students develop effective communication skills. One such challenge is when a student becomes overly focused on a single topic or question, which can lead to repetitive and potentially uncomfortable...
Background Brief: Enhancing Communication Skills Through Storytelling
As educators, we understand the importance of effective communication and storytelling skills for our middle school students. In this blog post, we'll introduce you to Background Brief, a fun and engaging game designed to help students improve their storytelling...
Teaching High School Students the Art of Small Talk
Introduction Communication is an essential aspect of social-emotional learning, and one of the fundamental communication skills is small talk. Small talk is a brief, polite conversation with someone, often focused on topics such as recent events, shared interests, or...
Making Plans with Friends: A Guide for Elementary Educators
Introduction Social-Emotional Learning is a crucial aspect of a child's development. One essential skill for students to learn is how to make plans with friends. This involves communication, collaboration, and empathy. In this blog post, we will discuss an activity...
Developing Social Chameleon Skills on the Playground
Being a social chameleon is a valuable skill that helps students adapt their behavior to different social situations, enabling them to get along with others and enjoy a harmonious playtime. In this blog post, we will discuss an easy-to-implement activity for educators...
Teaching PreK Students Conversational Beginnings and Endings
Introduction Conversations are an essential part of our daily lives, and helping PreK students develop the skills to start and end conversations is crucial for their social-emotional development. In this blog post, we will explore a no-prep activity to teach these...
Teaching Students to Make Connected Comments for Effective Conversations
Introduction In any conversation, it's essential for participants to make connected comments to ensure the dialogue remains engaging and on-topic. Connected comments are responses that relate to the ongoing conversation, which helps maintain a cohesive discussion and...
Teaching PreK Students the Importance of Being Helpful
Introduction Being helpful is an essential skill for children to learn, as it promotes kindness and respect towards others. It is crucial for educators to teach this skill to PreK students in order to foster a positive environment in the classroom and help students...
