The attached worksheets focus on social skills at the elementary school level.  As adults, we may think of social skills as something we inherently learned over time.  This is not necessarily the case.  All children benefit from being explicitly taught social skills.  

Luckily, there is a benchmark of standards that school districts can use when developing a curriculum based on social skills.  The National Health Education Standards (NHES) focus on what students should know by second, fifth, eighth, and twelfth grades in order to be healthy physically and socially.  Each worksheet in the collection relates back to a particular standard.  

The worksheets focus on topics such as empathy, friendship, teamwork, and reflecting on behavior.  Below is a list of the title of each worksheet, the associated National Health Education Standard, the appropriate grade level, and a brief description of the skills taught by the worksheet.  

Worksheet #1: Behavior Reflection

NHES Standard 4.5.4 – Demonstrate nonviolent strategies to manage or resolve conflict.

Grades: 3-5

This worksheet is a behavior reflection sheet.  Students will write about what happened in a situation, how they were feeling, how they reacted and what their consequence was. At the end, they reflect on how they can have a more positive, appropriate behavior next time.  This worksheet directly relates to NHES standard 4.5.4 because it helps children focus on how they resolve issues using nonviolent methods.

Worksheet #2: Character Traits

NHES Standards 4.2.2 – Demonstrate listening skills to enhance health; 4.5.1 – Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills to enhance health.

Grades: K-5

This worksheet has students identify the meaning of the six character traits.  These traits are citizenship, trustworthiness, responsibility, fairness, respect, and caring.  The two associated standards have to do with listening and communication skills. Understanding what it means to have good character is a crucial first step in getting children to be able to communicate with peers and adults in an appropriate manner.

Worksheet #3: Decision Making 

NHES Standard 5.5.5 – Choose a healthy option when making a decision.

Grades: 3-5

This worksheet helps students understand how to make a decision.  It teaches the process by analyzing the pros and cons of the different potential outcomes.  Students practice on an example decision and then write about the pros and cons of an important decision they are trying to make.

Worksheet #4: Empathy – Identifying Emotions

NHES Standard 4.2.2 – Demonstrate listening skills to enhance health.

Grades: PK-2

Empathy is a very important social skill to teach students at a young age.  Having empathy will help student learn to become better listeners.  This worksheet focuses on identifying and reading different emotions that people may be feeling.  

Worksheet #5: Identifying Feelings

NHES Standard – 4.2.1 – Demonstrate healthy ways to express needs, wants, and feelings

Grades: PK-2 

This worksheet provides students with the opportunity to identify feelings that would be associated with certain situations.  It also allows students to write about times when they felt a certain feeling.  Being able to identify feelings is the first step to being able to express feelings to others in a healthy way.

Worksheet #6: Being a Good Friend

NHES Standard 4.5.1 – Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills to enhance health.

Grades: 3-5

This worksheet focuses on how to be a good friend. Students brainstorm traits of a good friend, things to do with friends, ways to be a better friend, and how to manage conflict with a friend.  All of these things related back to the NHES standard on verbal and nonverbal communication because friendship is based on appropriate communication skills.

Worksheet #7: Goal Setting

NHES Standard 6.5.2 – Identify resources to assist in achieving a personal health goal.

Grades: 3-5

Goal setting is a very important skill to have.  This is a skill that will stay with children for their rest of their lives.  This worksheet has students think of three academic and three personal goals that they may have.  Students should be encouraged to make their personal goals related to their health such as “I will exercise every day” or “I will eat a piece of fruit every day for lunch”.  After setting the goals, the students list out strategies and resources they need to achieve their goals.

Worksheet #8: Identifying Adults Who Can Help Me

NHES Standard 4.2.4 – Demonstrate ways to tell a trusted adult if threatened or harmed. 

Grades: PK-2

Before students can develop their social skills, they need to feel safe in their environment.  This worksheet helps students identify qualities a trusted adult should have and three adults at school and three adults outside of school whom they can trust.

Worksheet #9: Identifying Goals

NHES Standard 6.2.2 – Identify who can help when assistance is needed to achieve a personal health goal.

Grades: PK-2

Another important part about setting goals for kids is them understanding who around them can help them achieve their goals. This worksheet encourages students to identify people who can help them with their academic and personal goals whether it be parents, siblings, teachers, or any other trusted adult.

Worksheet #10: Listening Skills 

NHES Standard 4.2.2 – Demonstrate listening skills to enhance health.

Grades: PK-2

Listening skills are at the foundation of the social skills that children need to learn.  Listening to others is extremely critical when forming relationships.  Without solid listening skills, children will struggle to form and maintain relationships.  This worksheet provides students with the opportunity to identify behaviors that demonstrate good listening skills and then to draw a picture of what it looks like to be a good listener.    

Worksheet #11: Managing Anger

NHES Standard 4.5.3 – Demonstrate nonviolent strategies to manage or resolve conflict 

Grades: 3-5 

An important social skill for children to learn is to demonstrate their emotions using nonviolent strategies.  This is especially important when it comes to the emotion of anger.  This worksheet teaches students how to recognize the physical signs of anger and then brainstorm some calming strategies to help them deal with situations in a nonviolent way.

Worksheet #12: Qualities of a Good Friend 

NHES Standard 4.5.1 – Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills to enhance health.

Grades: 3-5

This is another worksheet that focuses on how to be a good friend.  Students fill out a graphic organizer with words that represent qualities of a good friend.  When teaching this topic, teachers should stress the importance of appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication when interacting with friends. 

Worksheet #13: Responding with Empathy 

NHES Standard 4.2.2 – Demonstrate listening skills to enhance health.

Grades: PK-2

A significant part of being an empathetic person has to do with listening skills.  Students need to learn how to listen to others and pick up on cues as to how another person may be feeling.  This worksheet teaches children the process of listening to what a person is saying, get clues from their body language, and then respond with empathy.  

Worksheet #14: Understanding When to Tell an Adult

NHES Standard 4.2.4 – Demonstrate ways to tell a trusted adult if threatened or harmed. 

Grades: PK-2

A social skill that many children struggle with is to understand when to tell an adult about a situation.  Many kids lean toward tattling where they tell an adult every little thing that happens when it is not necessary.  This worksheet helps students understand to tell an adult if someone is threatened or harmed in any way.  It also helps students realize certain situations where they can practice conflict resolution skills on their own and do not have to tell an adult. 

Worksheet #15: Working with a Team 

NHES Standards 4.2.2 – Demonstrate listening skills to enhance health; 4.5.1– Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills to enhance health.

Grades: PK-2

Being a good teammate is one of the most important social skills to have.  From elementary school to college and beyond, there are always situations where teamwork is necessary.  This worksheet teaches students about compromise and listening as two good skills to have when working with a team.  

Conclusion 

This packet of worksheets is geared toward elementary school students ages PK-5.  The worksheets focus on social skills that benefit all children and set them up for success as they go through the rest of their childhood and adulthood.  

The worksheets tie back to the National Health Education Standards providing teachers and parents with assurance that the topics discussed are in line with a national set of benchmarks.  Social skills lessons should build upon each other and be reviewed frequently to properly be absorbed.