Identifying Helpful and Unhelpful Strategies for Managing Stress

Along with your class, join Amber, who identifiably is experiencing some common stressors as a young person. Help Amber and her friends cope with stressful situations for kids by determining if their chosen strategy will be helpful or unhelpful.

To play, students will practice identifying which stress management coping strategies to use when by completing ten interactive story prompts. 

Through this activity, students will show their ability to describe healthy and unhealthy self-management strategies for stress.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

Our team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource and understand that each student is on their own social and emotional learning journey. 

To assist students who are struggling with identifying which are helpful strategies, work in a small group and demonstrate through nonverbal communication or through acting how each response might look in real life. 

Easily Prepare This Interactive Activity 

Use the Download button to save your editable copy of this Google Slides resource. 

Assign this interactive activity in Google Classroom. Please be sure to open in Presentation mode, as this will enable students working independently to continue through the slides with feedback on their answers. Students click to submit their answer. 

Alternatively, use this activity as a whole-group learning activity and ask students to help the kids in the stories to solve their stress management problems using effective strategies!

This Health resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

For more curriculum-aligned resources for your Health lessons, take a look at these:

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Managing Stress Game Show Interactive

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Responding to Stress: Small Group Skit Project

This small-group project lets students apply what they've learned about combatting stress by demonstrating practical coping skills.

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Stress Management Toolkit for Kids

Practice stress management techniques with your students with this set of 4 worksheets, which form a stress management toolkit for reference.