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 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 (Intermediate)
Help older students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet.
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Circle of Control Poster
Display this poster in your classroom to remind students about the things in life they can and cannot control.
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I Can Help My Brain to Learn — Printable Classroom Posters
Display these classroom posters to remind your students of things they can do to ensure the three brains are functioning at their best.
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Learning Dispositions Poster Pack
Teach your students about learning dispositions with this set of 10 posters.
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Positive Affirmations for Kids - Desk Mats
Create an uplifting classroom with this set of affirmation desk name plates.
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Positive Affirmations for Kids - Posters
Help your students overcome self-doubt with this set of posters containing positive affirmations for kids.
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Pangolin Mindful Coloring Sheet
A pangolin mindful coloring sheet.
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Horse Mindful Coloring Sheet
A horse mindful coloring sheet.
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Crab Mindful Coloring Sheet
A crab mindful coloring sheet.
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Cockatoo Mindful Coloring Sheet
A cockatoo mindful coloring sheet.
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Fox Mindful Coloring Sheet
A fox mindful coloring sheet.
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Koala Mindful Coloring Sheet
A koala mindful coloring sheet.
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Octopus Mindful Coloring Sheet
An octopus mindful coloring sheet.
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Affirmation Bookmarks
A set of 8 different affirmation bookmarks for your students.
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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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Pirate Nope Goals Sticker Sheet
A Pirate Nope Yet template for students to track the progress of their goals.
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Pirate Nope Goal Tracker
A Pirate Nope template for students to track the progress of their goals.
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My Goal Setting Sheet
Support students in reaching a personal or academic goal by creating a customized achievement plan.
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Mindfulness - Learning From Home Pack
A collection of mindfulness related teaching resources and activities for parents to use with their children or teachers to send home with students during school closures.
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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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Goal Setting by Subject Templates
Help your students track their goals throughout the school year with these goal-setting sheets.
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Captain Yet Goal Tracker
A Captain Yet template for students to track the progress of their goals.
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Growth Mindset Upper Elementary Goal Tracker Template
A Captain Yet template for students to track the progress of their goals.
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Great Goals Gondola - Goal Setting Template
Encourage your class to set their intentions for the year ahead with our goal-setting worksheet for students.
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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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Affirmations - Classroom Display Cards
Brighten up your classroom and inspire your students with this set of 25 affirmation cards.
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Positive Self-Talk Bookmark
A bookmark with positive self-talk affirmations.
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Easter Bunny Coloring Page – Mindful Coloring
Practice mindfulness in the days leading up to Easter with this Easter bunny coloring page.
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Social and Emotional Learning - Self-Management Badges
A set of 8 badges that celebrate achievement in the area of self-management.
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End of Year Goal Setting Sheet
Create goals for the upcoming school year with this student template.
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Stegosaurus Mindful Coloring Sheet
A stegosaurus mindful coloring sheet.
- 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