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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Becoming Resilient Mini-Book
Use this printable resilience book to teach your students what resilience means and how it can be used as a tool in their everyday lives.
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What Is Perseverance? Teaching Slides
Teach your students perseverance strategies with this comprehensive slideshow perfect for your social-emotional learning lessons.
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2024 Goal Setting Worksheet
Inspire your students to reflect and set goals for the new year with a Goal Setting worksheet.
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Positive Self-Talk Poster: Talking to Myself
Highlight the benefits of positive self talk and having a growth mindset with this classroom poster.
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Perseverance or Not? Scenario Cards
Get students to explore real-life examples of perseverance with this set of 16 scenario cards perfect for developing students' social-emotional skills.
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Perseverance Strategies Mini-Book
Teach your students perseverance strategies with this printable mini-book perfect for elementary students!
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The Pillars of Perseverance – Bulletin Board Display
Teach students the definition of perseverance with this beautifully designed bulletin board display based on a rock climbing theme.
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Perseverance Posters
Teach students the meaning of perseverance with these beautifully designed classroom posters based on a mountain climbing theme.
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Mindful Breathing Exercises Posters
Teach students mindful breathing exercises to use when they are emotionally overwhelmed with this set of 7 classroom posters.
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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 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 Strategies for Managing Stress Teaching Slides
Use this informative set of 21 teaching slides to introduce or revisit coping strategies for students to manage stress.
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Managing Stress (Coping Strategies) Interactive Activity
Assign this interactive learning activity to your students to assess their knowledge of coping strategies for managing stress.
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Guided Meditation (Mindful Breathing) Script for Kids
Share this guided meditation script with students to promote mindfulness and help them to regulate their emotions by breathing mindfully.
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Managing Stress Game Show Interactive
Set up a gameshow in your classroom to reinforce your students’ ability to recognize and cope effectively with stress!
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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 – Anchor Chart
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 personalized coping plan for those challenging moments with this comic-themed printable template.
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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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Calming Strategies Fortune Teller Template
Help your students choose and apply strategies when they need to calm down with this handy fortune teller template.
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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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Designer Dots - Dot Day Mandala Coloring Sheets
Create designer dot art on International Dot Day with a set of printable mandala coloring sheets.
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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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Positive Self-Talk Brag Bracelets
Encourage a positive mindset with a fun set of printable positive self-talk bracelets.
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Big Problem, Little Problem Posters
A set of posters that show different strategies for big problems and little problems.
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Dealing with Bullying Teaching Slides
Teach your students about bullying and being resilient with an interactive slide deck.
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Classroom Routines for Independent Work Checklist
Give your students a checklist to remind them of classroom routines to follow when working independently.
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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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Mindful Coloring - Printable Flower Coloring Pages
Pick a pack of printable flower coloring pages to bring a bit of the outdoors into your classroom.
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Mindfulness Activity Mats
A set of 10 mindfulness activity mats.
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Positive Affirmation for Kids — Printable Cards
Get 24 inspiring positive affirmations for kids on printable cards designed for teachers to encourage a growth mindset, self-confidence, and self-belief in your students.
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One Word Resolution- New Year Goal Setting Project
Inspire your students to reflect and set one-word goals for the new year with a “Just One Word” goal-setting project.
- 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