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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What Can I Control? Interactive Resource
Learn about self regulation with this PowerPoint about things that you can and cannot control at school.
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5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise – Worksheet
De-escalate difficult situations with a printable grounding exercise.
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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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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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Emotion Strategies Wheel
Help your students self-regulate when they experience 'big' emotions with this hands-on emotions wheel with accompanying calming strategies.
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Angry Outbursts – Comprehension Worksheet
Explore emotional awareness and healthy calming strategies with this comic-style comprehension passage and accompanying questions.
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Calming Down Strategies Classroom Poster
Make calming down strategies easily accessible for your students with this classroom display poster.
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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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Emotional Self-Regulation Desk Mat
Promote emotional awareness and self-regulation in your classroom with this desk-sized strategies mat.
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Emotional Self-Regulation Poster
Promote emotional awareness and self-regulation in your classroom with this classroom poster.
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Introduction to Emotions Teaching Slides
Teach your students to understand and manage their emotions with this comprehensive teaching presentation for your social-emotional learning lessons.
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Escape from Stress Board Game
Introduce this board game in your classroom to help students practise identifying which stress management coping strategies to use and when.
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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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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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Managing Stress Game Show Interactive
Set up a gameshow in your classroom to reinforce your students’ ability to recognise and cope effectively with stress!
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Stress Management Toolkit for Kids
Practice stress management techniques with your students with this set of 4 worksheets, which form a stress management toolkit for reference.
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Calm-Down Strategy Cards
Help your students choose and apply strategies when they need to calm down with this comprehensive set of calm-down strategy cards.
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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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Big Problem, Little Problem Posters
Show different strategies for identifying and solving big problems and little problems with printable posters.
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Reboot Remote
Help students work through tough situations with this remote control template.
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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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Positive and Negative Coping Skills – Sorting Activity
Explore the difference between positive and negative coping skills with these real-life scenario sorting cards.
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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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What Is Anxiety? Poster
Teach your students to understand and manage anxious feelings with this informative classroom display poster.
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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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Printable Anti Bullying Posters
Decorate your classroom and school during Anti-Bullying Week with printable Anti-Bullying Posters!
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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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My Personal Coping Skills Plan – Template
Ensure your students have a personalised coping plan for those challenging moments with this comic-themed printable template.
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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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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.