Have you ever been the subject of teasing by a peer or someone you didn’t know? If you have, you know it doesn’t feel good. You may even know ways of handling it when someone insults you.
Help prepare your child or student with the tools and social skills to handle when someone is trying to put them down and teach them how to be kind towards others so their peers don’t have to experience the same thing!
Don’t give the person who insulted you any power in the situation. They are likely saying something to get a reaction out of you so show them that you are unaffected by their words. Try one of these options instead:
- Question them – ask them what they are trying to get out of hurting your feelings.
- Spin it around into a compliment. If they comment on your hair, thank them for noticing and paying such close attention to the way you style it!
- Ignore them and walk away. They’re trying to get a reaction – if you don’t feel comfortable responding, simply ignore their insult and don’t give them the time of day.
- Use sarcasm – if they say something rude, act as if it’s the first time you’re hearing it and it’s a surprise to you. They may not expect a sarcastic response and that may shut down any further comments.
The most important thing is to stay calm and confident in yourself. No matter what anyone else says about you! It’s difficult to remember this in the moment so practice these responses and options with your child or student to help them feel prepared should they ever be in this situation.
Teaching students about kindness and how words can affect others is also a critical piece of this lesson. If you can encourage students to show respect and not put down their peers, your students will not need to put these tools to work!
Learn more about this social skills learning module and access the activities, homework assignments, mini-schedules, and other valuable resources!
The special education resources on this page were authored by Watson Institute’s special education consultant, Andee Morris, M.Ed.
Power Point Presentation:
I Can Handle Put Downs Facilitator’s Guide
Resource Materials:
I Can Handle Put-Downs Outline
I Can Handle Put-Downs Parent Note
I Can Handle Put-Downs Teacher Note
This Week I Might Try to Handle Put-Downs Homework
I Can Handle Put-Downs Activity
I Can Handle Put-Downs Magnet Cards
I Can Handle Put-Downs Mini Schedule
Pre/Post Assessment
A pre and post lesson assessment is included in each lesson. Use of the assessment is an instructor preference. Many of the ‘homework’ pages for a lesson can be used as a pre/post assessment device alone or as part of the provided assessment. Each homework page can be checked by the instructor as well as the student.
Review all included pages of the lesson to determine what ‘assessment’ method will meet your needs. If the student is able to achieve a + in the majority of items of the pre-assessment, or if the student has been observed to display the skill topic of the lesson often, then the lesson may not be introduced or can be taught with a group as review and/or reinforcement.
I Can Handle Put-Downs Pre/Post Assessment
If you have questions or concerns about the Watson Institute’s use of this information, please contact us.