Self Management Teaching Resources
Help your students improve their self management skills with activities and printable worksheets created by teachers specifically for elementary and middle school students.
This teaching resource collection has been designed to help teachers help their students develop a host of skills from skills such as self control to impulse control and time management, goal setting. With digital and printable activities available, there is something to fit every lesson plan!
Best of all, each teaching resource has undergone rigorous review by the Teach Starter team to ensure it's ready for the classroom ... and your students!
Curious about teaching self management skills and looking for strategies that will work for your students? Read on for some tips from our expert teachers!
What Is Self Management? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Like so many lessons we teach, it can be helpful to start off by defining what self management actually means to give our students an understanding of the topic at hand. Here's a self management definition for kids from our teacher team:
Self-management means being in control of your own thoughts, feelings and actions. When we have good self management, we are able to make good choices and stay focused on our goals. Self management skills also help us to handle our emotions in a positive way.
Self Management Skills for Kids to Teach in the Classroom
As one of the core competencies of SEL, self management covers a fairly broad area. The skills that kids develop under this umbrella can include everything from means for control anxiety and anger to learning to set goals and make the changes necessary to meet them.
So what are the main skills you should be teaching? Here are some of the more common ones our teacher team focuses on with our students:
Resilience
We help our students develop resilience by teaching them how to bounce back from setbacks, cope with challenges and persevere — skills that they'll need long after they've left your classroom.
Self Control
The names are nearly synonymous, so it's hardly surprising that self control falls under the self management umbrella. Teaching kids these skills can involve discussing techniques they can use to manage their impulses and emotions
Goal Setting
Being able to set realistic and achievable goals — both short-term and long-term — falls under self management. With this in mind, it's important to also teach your students strategies to work toward their goals and track their progress.
Time Management
Helping your students understand the concept of time and teaching them to plan and organize their tasks and activities falls right in line with providing strategies to achieve their goals. Time management is also an essential life skill that will serve your students well into adulthood.
Task Initiation
While the level of independence and ability to initiate tasks is highly dependent on factors like age and person abilities, encouraging your students to start tasks promptly and independently is part of building those self management skills. This also involves helping them overcome procrastination or avoidance behaviors.
Organization
Teaching our students strategies for organizing their materials — whether it's keeping their desks tidy or returning borrowed materials to the appropriate place – is a key component of teaching them self management. As they get older, they should be able to take on more and more responsibility for keeping their belongings organized.
Responsibility
Speaking of responsibility, it's important to promote a sense of responsibility by encouraging students to take ownership of their actions in your classroom, to complete their assignments on time and to follow classroom rules.
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Managing Big Emotions – Interactive Activity
Teach students how to manage emotions using healthy coping skills with this interactive scenario game for the early years classroom.
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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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My Emotional Triggers Worksheet
Help your elementary students explore the situations that trigger them to experience certain emotional responses with this 2-page emotional triggers worksheet.
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Anti-Bullying Coloring Sheets
Discourage bullying and promote kindness in the classroom with a set of printable Anti-Bullying Coloring Sheets.
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My Feelings Volcano Worksheet
Prevent students from being overcome by strong emotions with this volcano-themed coping skills worksheet.
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5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise – Worksheet
De-escalate your students while in difficult situations with this calming exercise.
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Australian Animals Mindfulness Bookmarks
Practice mindfulness and keep track of your reading with these Australian Animals Mindfulness Bookmarks!
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Goal Setting – Iceberg Template
Download a free goal setting template that helps students identify singular aspects that they need focus on to achieve a goal.
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Mindful Coloring Sheet - Tree
A tree mindful coloring sheet.
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2027 Goal Setting Worksheet
Inspire your students to reflect and set goals for the new year with a Goal Setting worksheet.
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Name 5 Things - Calming Strategy Task Cards
Use the ‘Name 5 Things’ Calming Strategy in your classroom to help students regain self-control with printable calming activity task cards.
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Mindfulness Drawing Task Cards — Meditation Drawing for Kids
Promote mindfulness and calm in your classroom with a set of printable Mindful Drawing Task Cards to use as brain breaks.
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Reflecting on Resilience Worksheets (4-5)
Improve student resilience and reading comprehension skills with our Reflecting on Resilience Worksheets.
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Hopes and Wishes Jar - Goal Planning Template
Have your students craft a hopes and wishes jar to set goals for the school year.
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Goal Setting Mountain Worksheet
Use a goal setting mountain worksheet with your students to take them to new heights this school year!
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Mindful Cat Coloring Sheets
Bring a sense of calm to your classroom with these delightful cat coloring sheets, “purr–fect” for mindfulness and creativity.
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Mindfulness Planet Coloring Pages
Get mindful with this set of planet-themed mindful coloring sheets.
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Managing Big Emotions Anchor Charts
Help students manage emotions such as anger, fear, worry, sadness and happiness with this colorful set of anchor charts for your elementary school classroom.
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Managing Big Emotions – Cut and Paste Worksheets
Empower students to identify and manage big emotions with this set of cut-and-paste worksheets for younger students.
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Coping Skills Wheel – Anchor Chart
Help your students learn and apply emotional self-regulation skills with this coping skills wheel of choices poster.
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Coping Skills Desk Plates
Download and print calm-down strategy desk plates for your students so they can respond appropriately to big emotions.
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Mindfulness Journal - Daily Emotional Check-In Worksheet
Create a mindfulness journal by printing your students copies of reflective mindfulness worksheets.
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Managing Anxiety Worksheet (Primary)
Help students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection worksheet.
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Personal and Academic Goals Planning Sheet
Guide students in setting goals by helping them consider struggles and think of ways to overcome them, while reflecting on the benefits of pursuing personal growth.
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My Goal Tree - Goal Setting Worksheet
Encourage your class to set their intentions for the year ahead with our goal-setting worksheet for students.
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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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Mindfulness Teacher Information Sheet
New to teaching mindfulness? Read our information sheet with tips on how best to incorporate it into your classroom.
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Pattern Coloring - Flower
Use colors to create a pattern using this sheet.
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Mindful Breathing Exercises – Task Cards
Use these mindfulness breathing exercises to help students calm themselves down when they are feeling upset or anxious.
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I Need a Break - Choice Boards
Help upset students regulate their emotions in the classroom with our printable ‘I Need a Break!’ choice boards.
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Calm Down Corner Classroom Decor Pack
Create a classroom calm-down corner with a printable Calming Corner Decor Pack.
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Calming Corner Posters (Upper Grades)
Encourage calm and positive coping strategies in your upper elementary classroom with printable Calming Corner Posters.
- Self Management Templates
- Self Management Worksheets
- Self Management Posters
- Self Management Games
- Self Management for Kindergarten
- Self Management for 1st Grade
- Self Management for 2nd Grade
- Self Management for 3rd Grade
- Self Management for 4th Grade
- Self Management for 5th Grade
- Self Management for 6th Grade