Coping Skills Teaching Resources
Help your students build coping skills and strategies this school year with printables, activities and more teaching resources created by teachers for teachers like you!
This social emotional learning resource collection is packed with teacher-created worksheets and other helpful tools designed to help kids learn what coping skills are and how to use them to manage their emotions.
Looking for some tips on teaching kids to how to cope with challenges? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including examples of skills to share with your students, plus a kid-friendly way to explain the meaning of these skills.
What Are Coping Skills? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Do you need a kid-friendly definition to help explain what these skills are to your students? Try this one from our teacher team:
Coping skills are the special tools we use to help us deal with tough situations and big feelings or help us manage our emotions when things don't go as planned.
Our coping skills help us feel better and stronger, and they can make us feel more in control of our emotions and feelings.
Teaching kids to face their worries and concerns head-on is part of developing good coping skills.
Examples of Coping Skills for Kids to Share in the Classroom
This collection is packed with examples of coping skills built from the study of stress and how individuals adapt to challenging circumstances, but our teacher team didn't stop there.
We have put together a handy list of skills to focus on in the classroom to provide your students with a full toolkit of strategies they can use when they're feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious.
The coping skills that work best for each student are just as personal as the students themselves, and their ability to make use of each skill successfully can likewise be individual. One student may find that taking deep breaths is a great way to calm down when they're feeling overwhelmed, for example, while another student may fare better talking about their problems with a trusted adult.
This is why we suggest teaching your primary school students various coping skills and strategies so kids can pick and choose the ones that work best for them.
Here are some examples of coping skills for kids that we suggest sharing with your class!
- Deep Breathing — Learning to take deep breaths when you're feeling emotional is simple, but these exercises have plenty of research behind them that speaks to their efficacy in helping kids calm down and manage stress.
- Positive Self-Talk — Teach your students some positive affirmations they can use to reframe negative thoughts and develop a more optimistic outlook.
- Problem-Solving — Work on breaking down problems into smaller parts and brainstorming possible solutions helps them feel more in control and empowered.
- Asking for Help — Let your students know that asking for help from trusted adults, such as teachers or parents, when facing difficulties or feeling overwhelmed isn't just OK. It's a great coping mechanism to use!
- Mindfulness — Meditation, body scans and other mindfulness activities can help your students develop awareness of their thoughts, emotions and sensations so they can cope better when they're stressed.
- Exercise — Kids and adults can both release pent-up energy and reduce stress with something as simple as getting active, whether it's going for a run, taking a walk or practising yoga.
- Art — Teaching your students to explore their emotions through art, such as drawing or journaling, allows them to process and communicate their feelings. Simple doodling, for example, is a perfect outlet for many students that doesn't require much more than a pencil and a piece of paper!
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Positive and Negative Coping Skills Worksheet
Identify positive and negative coping skills with this real-life scenarios worksheet.
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Understanding and Managing Anger Teaching Presentation
Teach your students about angry feelings with this comprehensive guide to understanding and managing anger.
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What Is Anger? Poster
Teach your students to understand and manage anger with this informative classroom display poster.
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Managing Anxiety Scenario Cards
Explore ways to manage anxiety in a variety of real-life situations with this set of 16 scenario cards.
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Managing Anxiety Worksheet (Upper Primary)
Help older students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet.
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What Is Anxiety? Poster
Teach your students to understand and manage anxious feelings with this informative classroom display poster.
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Things I Can and Cannot Control - Sorting Activity
Help students identify things in life they can and cannot control with this interactive sorting activity.
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Calming Strategies A-Z Poster
Help students find coping methods with our classroom display poster highlighting 26 effective strategies for handling intense emotions.
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Worry Jar – Cut and Assemble Kit
Create a worry jar for your students to help them recognise and cope with their worries.
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Bounce Back – Resiliency Task Cards
A set of 24 task cards to use when teaching students how to be resilient.
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The Worry Waterfall – Anxiety Management Poster
Teach your students how to deal effectively with worrying thoughts with this classroom poster.
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Calming Down Mini-Book
Help your students to keep calm when they are experiencing heightened emotions with this social story mini-book.
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I Can Calm Down! Worksheet
Help students identify calming skills they can apply to real-world scenarios with this one-page worksheet.
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Managing Stress Coping Strategies Puzzle Match
Set your students up for success against stress with this calming puzzle activity where they will explore actionable strategies to manage stress!
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Coping Strategies to Manage Stress Flipbook
Get crafty with your students creating this colourful flip book containing their own preferences of strategies for managing stress.
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Everyday Stress Coping Strategies Interactive Game
Develop your students’ ability to effectively cope with everyday stress using this interactive learning game.
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Body Scan Meditation Script for Kids
Share this body scan guided meditation script with your students to help them to regulate their emotions by breathing mindfully.
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My Emotional Triggers Worksheet
Help your early years students explore the situations that trigger them to experience certain emotional responses with this 2-page emotional triggers worksheet.
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My Calm-Down Toolkit
Help your students calm down when they experience a big emotion with this printable coping skills toolbox template.
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Coping Skills Wheel – Poster
Help your students learn and apply emotional self-regulation skills with this coping skills wheel of choices poster.
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Chill Out! Calm Down Corner Poster
Welcome students into your class calm down corner with this cool classroom poster.
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Coping Strategies Bingo
Identify and remember different coping strategies that can be used at home or in the classroom when feeling overwhelmed with an emotion.
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Managing Anger Worksheet (Upper Primary)
Help older students identify and manage angry feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet.
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Managing Anger Worksheet (Lower Primary)
Help students identify and manage their anger with this self-relfection worksheet.
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Managing Anger Scenario Cards
Explore ways to manage anger in a variety of real-life situations with this set of 16 scenario cards.
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Managing Anxiety Worksheet (Lower Primary)
Help students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection worksheet.
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Breathing Colours - Guided Meditation Script
Print a guided meditation script for teachers to lead your students through a breathing colours meditation exercise.
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Mindful Colouring and Breathing – Pinwheel Activity
Practise mindfulness through colouring and breathing with this paper pinwheel craft activity.
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Resilience Posters
Teach students the meaning of resilience with these beautifully designed resilience posters for your primary school classroom.
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Dealing with Bullying Poster
A poster to display in the classroom to encourage students to use the five Tool Kit resilience strategies.
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Flower and Candle Breathing Video
Teach your students flower and candle breathing as a brain break, stress management strategy or mindfulness activity.
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Guided Meditation for Students Video – 10-Minute Body Scan
Add guided meditation for students to your social emotional learning toolkit with a handy video that guides kids through a 10-minute body scan.