A Personalized Coping Skills Plan for Kids

Let’s face it… life likes to throw our students curveballs from time to time! Whether it’s an argument with a friend, a lower-than-expected mark on a test, an unexpected injury or a constantly annoying sibling, our kids need to be able to regroup and bounce back when things don’t go the way they planned. That’s where a personalized coping skills plan comes in! 

A personalized coping skills plan is like a secret recipe that helps us regroup and recentre ourselves when times get tough. This one-page template has been designed in a comic book style to appeal to the imaginations of elementary school students. It contains five boxes where students can record the coping strategies that work best for them when they are facing a challenge.

• My support network
• Positive coping statements  
• A special place I can visualize
• Things I am thankful for in my life
• Activities that calm me

If our students find themselves in a tough situation, or if they find themselves feeling overwhelmed, they can draw upon the strategies listed on their personalized coping skills plan to help them calm down, then respond to the challenge with a greater sense of empowerment and control. 

The best thing about this resource is that every child’s coping skills plan will be different, as each child has the opportunity to focus on and document the coping skills that work best for them! 

Download the full-color version, or if color printing isn’t an option, we have a black-and-white version available too! 

With childhood anxiety on the rise, it is vital that our students develop emotional awareness coupled with emotional self-regulation. Coping skills are skills for life that will help our students to thrive both now and in the future!

Coping Skills for Kids

Not sure what skills your students should be including on their personalized coping skills plan? Here are some suggestions as to what students might like to include in each box of the template.

1. My support network – Talking to a loved one, a special friend or a family member can help when we’re feeling a bit lost. Encourage your students to think about who these people are in their own lives to add to their support network.
2. Positive coping statements – Positive self-talk is a powerful tool when it comes to negating negative thoughts and emotions. Simple statements such as “You’ve got this!” and “This too will pass!” can work wonders when it comes to calming an emotional storm.
3. A special place I can visualize – Transporting the mind to a place that holds special or happy memories can stop the flow of negative thoughts and, in turn, dial down the body’s physical response to emotions such as anger, anxiety or fear. 
4. Things I am thankful for in my life – The practice of gratitude is also a powerful tool when it comes to reducing negative thoughts and emotions. Have your students list things they are truly thankful for as a reminder that they always have something in their life to feel positive about!
5. Activities that calm me – When it comes to calming activities, there are some that will resonate with some students more than others. One child may love to draw, another may need to run and jump to feel calm! No one strategy is better than another… the best strategy is the one that works!

Download and Print This Coping Skills Worksheet

Use the dropdown menu next to the Download button to access either the full-color or black-and-white version of this resource.

Ensure that your students’ plans are kept somewhere safe and that they are readily available whenever the need arises.

More Coping Skills Activities for Kids

Looking for more activities to help develop your students’ emotional self-regulation? Click below for more teacher-created resources!

[resource:4994579] [resource:4805540] [resource:4820763]