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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Mindfulness Planet Coloring Pages
Get mindful with this set of planet-themed mindful coloring sheets.
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What Is Resilience? Teaching Slides
Teach your students the meaning of resilience with this age-appropriate slide deck perfect for your social-emotional learning lessons.
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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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Positive Self-Talk Writing Prompts (Teaching Slides)
Use this set of 15 positive self-talk scenarios as writing prompts to expand your students ability to be kind to themselves!
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Positive Self-Talk Worksheet
Encourage students to analyze their individual self-talk practices and establish a growth mindset with this personal assessment worksheet
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Goal Grid - Goal Setting Template
Set goals for the new school year with a printable goal-setting template for kids.
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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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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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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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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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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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What Can I Control? Interactive Emotional Regulation Activity
Help your students build emotional regulation skills with an interactive emotional control activity for classroom SEL instruction.
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Sloth Mindfulness Coloring Pages
Use these sloth-themed coloring pages to bring a bit of creative calm into the classroom.
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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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Personalized Positive Self-Talk Statements - Worksheet
Face challenges with positivity and a growth mindset by compiling a personalized list of positive self-talk statements.
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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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Positive and Negative Coping Skills - Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the difference between positive and negative coping skills with this cut and paste worksheet.
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Growth Mindset Goal-Setting Worksheet
Download a printable growth mindset worksheet for students to evaluate their strengths and how to achieve their goals.
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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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Emotional Self-Regulation Desk Mat
Promote emotional awareness and self-regulation in your classroom with this desk-sized strategies mat.
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Dealing with Bullying Poster
Add this anti-bullying poster for the classroom to your bullying prevention toolkit and teach your students five resilience strategies to respond to bullying behavior.
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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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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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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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Printable Gumball Machine Template - Goal Setting Activity
Encourage goal setting and creativity in your classroom with this fun, printable gumball machine template – a perfect craft for elementary school students.
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Oral Language Activities
Share these oral language activities with your students to help them practice listening to others, expressing opinions, receiving instructions, and more!
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Have a Bright Year! Light Bulb Goal Setting Craft
Brighten up your first day of school with a fun light bulb-themed goal-setting craft activity.
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When You Enter This Classroom - Door Decor Display
Welcome your students into your classroom with ‘When You Enter This Classroom” Door Decor.
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Printable Anti-Bullying Posters
Decorate your classroom and school during National Bullying Prevention Month with printable Anti-Bullying Posters!
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I Need a Break! Card Templates
Help your students regulate their emotions by presenting them with an ‘I Need a Break!’ card for a few minutes of downtime.
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Resilience or Not? Scenario Task Cards
Get students to explore real-life examples of resilience with this set of 16 scenario cards perfect for developing students' social-emotional skills.
- 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