Flexible thinking may be a buzzword you’ve heard in social skills but what is it and what is an example of flexible thinking? Here is what you need to know about this important social/emotional learning topic.
What is Flexibility in Thinking?
What is a flexible approach to thinking is a common question.
Flexible thinking is defined most simply as the cognitive ability to think about something in a different way. Made even simpler, it is the ability to see different solutions or outcomes.
It is the ability to see problems having multiple different solutions. Not all solutions are good ones, but nevertheless, there are still several ways to handle the same situation.
This type of thinking is often compared to rigid thinking. (Some people refer to this as stuck thinking – they are used interchangeably often.) Rigid thinking is only being able to see something one way or to only see one solution to a problem.
If you’d like more specifics on the definition of flexible thinking, check out this post.
Why is Flexible Thinking Important?
So why is flexible thinking important then?
It helps us to solve problems or situations more effectively and in a more socially acceptable way. If someone is a rigid thinker they would get stuck in situations all day. They would struggle to stay on track with anything they are doing as any problem would likely deter them from the task.
Flexible thinking also helps people feel more positive. They feel like they are in control of things around them and in situations. Someone who thinks rigidly only sees one solution. This can lead to negativity.
Using a super simple example of a pencil breaking while being used can help to see this.
Rigid thought – I can’t do my work because my pencil broke. This would stop someone from completing the task. They would feel helpless in the situation because there is nothing they can do about it.
Flexible thought – I can sharpen my pencil. Or I can borrow a pencil from someone else. Or I can write in something other than a pencil. All of these thoughts would quickly get the person back on track to getting their work done. Additionally, it would help the person to feel in power that they are able to control their future. This person would also feel positive that they were able to get their task done in the end.
Flexible thinking is something that often needs to be worked on that is part of a behavior intervention plan. Students often get stuck and have a hard time moving on. When this happens, loads of tasks can go undone leading to a lack of learning. If you aren’t sure how to write an amazing behavior plan that actually works, grab this freebie. You’ll get an easy to follow 5 step guide to walk you through this process along with some helpful behavior tracking forms. Just tell me where to send this awesome freebie and it will be dropped into your inbox.
An Example of Flexible Thinking
Let’s go over what is an example of flexible thinking. Instead of just giving you one example though, I’m going to give a few to help you really understand this concept.
Flexible Thinking Example 1
Example 1 – Kendra left her lunch at home.
Rigid thought – She can’t eat lunch.
Flexible thought 1 – She can call her parents to see if they can drop her lunch off.
2nd Flexible thought – Kendra can eat hot lunch.
Another flexible thought – Kendra can see if her teacher has any food for her to eat during lunch.
Is it clear that in this case rigid thinking didn’t really solve Kendra’s problem and would lead to her staying stuck. But if she used her flexible thinking skills she could come up with 3 solutions to the problem. These solutions would get her food to eat for lunch and help her to have a more positive (and productive because we all know hungry kids struggle) afternoon.
Example of Flexible Thinking Number 2
Example 2 – Jerry was put in a group with kids he doesn’t like.
Rigid thought – Jerry refuses to work with them and sits by himself not getting the work done.
Flexible thought 1 – Jerry could ask the teacher if he could switch groups.
Thought that is flexible 2 – Jerry could use self talk and tell himself it is only for a little bit.
Flexible thought 3 – Jerry could ask the teacher if next time they need to work in groups if they can pick and decide to work with these group members this time as it might be the only time.
Yet another thought that is flexible – Jerry could work by himself completing the work.
In this example, you can see how Jerry would get stuck in his thoughts and not get his work done. He would also likely get stuck for quite some time, missing out on a good amount of learning – which could even extend past the group work time. But by using flexible thinking, he would be on task. Some of the times he is working with others and some he is not. But nevertheless, he is doing the work (which is usually the most important part). If Jerry struggles with working with others, he may need some social skills instruction in this area.
How to Teach Flexible Thinking
If you are looking for how to develop flexible thinking in students in your classroom, check out these steps.
Step 1
First, tell students what flexible thinking is. This is a great time to also introduce rigid thinking. It is also a great idea to have students find things around them that are flexible and hard (rigid). This provides a great visual.
Step 2
The next step in how to teach flexible thinking is having students notice flexible vs rigid thoughts.
Storybooks or scenarios help with this. Some ideas of great books to point this out are: Saturday by Oge Mora and Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall. Both of these books have some great examples of flexible thinking throughout. Have students practice pointing out the times that the characters show this type of thinking.
With scenarios, pose simple situations that would occur in the student(s) everyday life. These can be things like the examples above (a pencil breaking while working or being put in a group of peers that aren’t preferred to complete a task). Make sure to use situations from different settings such as the classroom, specials during the day, recess times, and even things that might happen at home. This will help students to see that flexible thinking can take place throughout the day in different settings and situations.
Check out these flexible thinking scenarios if you want some situations already written for you. You’ll find 20+ situations on task cards that are common in everyday life. Students will enjoy figuring out what is flexible thinking vs rigid thinking. There are even visuals to remind students which type of thinking is which along with a few different versions of response sheets in case you want to make this more of a write the room or scoot activity. Find this great flexible thinking scenarios resource here.
Step 3
The last step in teaching flexible thinking is to practice and reinforce.
Pointing it out in situations where the child is directly involved is an excellent way to do this. This will help them to see how situations in their own lives can apply to this type of thinking. When doing this, point out the situation, talk about different solutions, then discuss what the outcomes of those different solutions might be (whether good or bad).
Another way to reinforce this is to have students role play situations. You can have students practice being part of a situation. Have them first ‘make’ the problem. Then have them each share an idea of what a solution would be. They can ‘vote’ on the best solution to create some excitement with this activity. Then act out the solution. Finally, have them put the whole thing together with the problem and solution. This is an especially great activity for wiggly students as it gets them up out of their seats.
If you are short on time but have students who need practice, grab these flexible thinking worksheets. You’ll get a 5 page flip book that describes all about what flexible thinking is. Then there are 15 different worksheets. There are comic strip types, thinking strategy sheets, matching situations with responses, how thinking impacts feelings (of self and others), more than one way to handle a situation, and much more. Your students will love these interactive worksheets and you’ll love how engaging they were while all you had to do was print them out and go. Find this flexible thinking worksheets resource here.
Looking for More Ways to Teach?
If you are looking for more ways to teach this social skill, find 3 Helpful Flexible Thinking Exercises for Children here. You’ll find some more great ideas of how to work with your students to learn about flexible thinking and practice getting better at it.
Or if you don’t have the time to piece things together, check out this bundle of resources all about flexible thinking. You’ll find printable task cards, digit task cards (boom cards), worksheets, a fun flexible thinking game in the form of bingo that will keep students engaged in learning, and an awesome flexible thinking social story. All these resources are low prep so you either print and use or assign digitally. Amazing for the teacher who needs a time-saving solution for social skills instruction but knows reteaching and practice is key. Find this flexible thinking bundle resource here.
Happy Teaching!
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