Asking for Help Teaching Resources

Teach your students how to ask for help and when asking for help is appropriate with a teacher-created collection of social emotional learning resources!

Packed with activities for students to learn about trusted adults, words they can use when they know they need help, plus activities that help students differentiate between tattling on a classmate and telling an adult, this collection will help you arm your students with important skills for their futures.

New to teaching this portion of the SEL curriculum? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!

Teaching Kids How to Ask for Help

Asking for help isn't something that comes naturally to many of us — even adults — and it can be especially daunting when you're an elementary school student who is afraid their outreach will bother or annoy an adult. It can likewise be challenging for kids who don't want to seem unsure or unable to accomplish a task.

An important part of everything from decision making to relationship skills and even self management, asking for help comes down to understanding that it's Ok to ask for help when they meet certain challenges.

So how do you teach kids that asking for help isn't just OK, but it's often the best path?

Here are some tips from our teacher team:

1. Identify the different sorts of helpers who your class can turn to. Whether it's a teacher, a family member, a classmate or someone else, it helps students to understand what makes someone a good source of help.
2. Provide methods to ask for help. Get students used to asking for help in your own classroom with simple methods to do so, such as hand signals kids can use when they need assistance or providing a system for asking 3 classmates before turning to you for help. Offer visual cues to help reinforce these strategies!
3. Provide one-on-one support. Sometimes kids need individual support, and providing a chance to ask for help directly can take away a child's fear that they will be judged unfairly by classmates for seeking help.

When Should Kids Ask for Help?

Learning how to ask for help can be challenging, but just as important is knowing when it's appropriate to seek out that assistance!

Here's a look at some times when kids should be asking for help that you might share with your class!

• Educational Challenges — Whether they're struggling with a specific concept or an entire subject, kids should know they can ask for extra support. This is what we're here for, after all!
• Emotional Challenges — Identifying counselors and trusted adults who kids can reach out to if they are feeling sad or overwhelmed is key to helping kids with mental health struggles.
• Conflict Resolution — Some conflicts with peers can be dealt with kid to kid, but others are too big for little people to face alone. Discuss when it's appropriate to seek out help to resolve those conflicts.
• Safety Concerns — Encourage your students to ask for help when they encounter a potentially dangerous situation or worry that a friend may be in similar trouble.