Have students working on social skills but need some engaging size of the problem activities for better understanding and more practice? Then check out these four ideas. These social thinking size of the problem activities are sure to get your students engaged in learning about this important social skill.
Size of the Problem Lessons
When teaching this important social skill, start by making sure everyone knows what a problem is. Define the term if they don’t already know.
Next, explain that there are 3 types of problems. These include big problems, medium problems, and small problems. Go into detail about these different sizes. Offer students examples of the different-sized problems for reference.
Last, give students an opportunity to develop their learning by posing situations with different problems. Have them identify which size it is and why. Students can take the lead by coming up with their own scenarios.
Looking for a done for you size of the problem lesson? Then check out this one. You’ll get a two-page, fully scripted lesson plan along with all the materials you need. The first lesson focuses on problem size and identifying big vs medium vs small. The other lesson focuses on reaction size. Simply print and teach. There is also a great size of the problem visual featuring a volcano that has problem size on one side and reaction size on the other. Perfect to help students fully understand and develop this social skill. Additionally, there are 10 scenario task cards included to help students practice their learning. Plus you’ll get 2 blank cards to really personalize their learning experience with problems that occur in their specific lives. Find this time-saving resource here.
Art Size of Problems Activity
Many kids love being creative.
Have students make a size of the problem visual free using paper and whatever art material(s) you have on hand.
Start by making a ruler of some sort (this could just be a vertical or horizontal line). Then label it with ‘small’ on one side, ‘big’ on the other, and ‘medium’ in the middle. Students could even put little tick markers or numbers to correspond with these.
Next, have them include different examples of the various problem sizes for quick reference.
Finally, have students personalize it. They could color the background, make frames around the different words, use fancy letters, write their name in a title at the top, anything goes!
They will love taking ownership over their work and it will help them in the future to connect what is going on with this social emotional learning concept.
Size Of My Problem Activities Featuring Games
Children love to play games. It is a great way to motivate children to learn. Here are a few different ways to tie games into learning and developing their social skills.
Board Games
Select a board game you have on hand that you know might be a bit tricky for the student(s) or one that you know how to force a win. Think something like Connect Four or Tick-Tac-Toe.
Play the game with them where they are losing the game or come to a difficult spot. During those moments of frustration, talk about and have students identify the size of their problem (these should be small problems). Then discuss how to handle that problem size (take a deep breath, take a break from the game, positive self-talk, etc.).
Scenarios Matching Game
Give students different scenarios that each have a problem in them. Make sure that the scenarios are applicable to students for optimal growth. Then have students read out the different situations one by one. Next, have them decide which size problem it is. For more, have them explain how they know.
You could even turn this into a more physical activity by having students find the different scenario cards around the room and bring them back to you. Or turn it into a write-the-room activity by providing a response sheet. Both these are great options to get students out of their seats and moving around the room.
If you are looking for a time-saving resource, check out this size of the problem scenarios. There are 70+ situations that take place in 7 different settings (home, classroom, lunchroom, with friends, etc.). Each situation is one that happens in everyday lives of children to act as an amazing connection tool. Simply print out the full color or money-saving black/white version. Save your time now by clicking here for this size of the problem activity free of prep.
Size of the Problem Bingo
Everyone loves a good game of bingo! For this size of a problem activity, make calling cards using different scenarios. Then make several different versions of bingo cards by either having an icon to match the scenario or writing “big/medium/small” on each box. Use the calling cards to read off situations and discuss the size of the problem then have students mark off their cards until someone gets a bingo.
Don’t have time to make this engaging game? Then grab this done-for-you version. There are 30 calling cards filled with real-life situations and 10 unique bingo cards so students can play over and over to really develop their skills. Find this great teaching resource here.
Using Books For Size Of The Problem Social Thinking Activities
Books are a great way to teach many social skills concepts, including size of the problem. Check out these books for an engaging size of the problem activity.
✮ The Problem with Problems by Rachel Rooney – Corresponds different problems with monsters who come in all shapes and sizes and can pop up at any time. It goes further into how to handle these problem monsters when they show up.
✮ Of Course It’s A Big Deal by Bryan Smith – This is a great story featuring a young boy. Throughout the book, he learns about reacting calmly and in an expected way to disappointments and difficult decisions.
✮ Size of the Problem: Dinosaur Birthday Party by Ryan Hendrix, Kari Zweber Palmer, Nancy Tarshis, and Michelle Garcia Winner – this book is part of a set all on social thinking. It features a boy who is getting ready for a birthday party and encounters problems. During these situations, he learns about problem size and how to react in a way that matches.
✮ Soda Pop Head by Julia Cook – About a young boy who is usually happy but when he becomes upset he blows his top. Throughout the book, the boy’s dad helps teach him techniques to stay calm in situations of frustration.
✮ Pause Power: Learning to Stay Calm When Your Buttons Get Pushed by Jennifer Law – This book is all about helping to reset your mindset to calm down and stop losing control when others push their buttons.
Looking for More?
Problem Size vs Reaction Size – great post on how problem and reaction go hand-in-hand.
5 Easy Ways to Teach Size of a Problem – even more ideas on how to teach this social concept including different books and games.
Size of the Problem at SEL Space – this post features some fun, interactive activities; check out the engaging basketball game!
Happy Teaching!
