Reinforce the Skills
Creative Schoolwide and Group Activities
Give students opportunities to incorporate SECOND STEP skills into a variety of activities. Reflecting on SECOND STEP skills and knowledge in personal and concrete ways helps students transfer the learning into their daily lives. Here are some tried-and-true ideas from your peers.
Schoolwide Activities
- Organize a school concert, assembly, or parent night where kindergartners sing SECOND STEP songs.
- Have students create posters highlighting SECOND STEP skills they've learned. Take digital photos of the posters, and display them on your school Web site.
- Ask older students to "adopt" kindergartners or first graders. As mentors, they can help the younger children create a booklet inspired by stories from Second Step lessons.
- Ask for student volunteers to highlight SECOND STEP skills or vocabulary words during the daily morning announcement.
- Send the SECOND STEP Family Overview video home with students in a special backpack with a bag of microwave popcorn.
Creative Group Activities
- Compile an ABC book about feelings using drawings or photos.
- Design a SECOND STEP bulletin board or mural for the hallway.
- Compose a song or rap that incorporates SECOND STEP concepts or teaches a new skill.
- Team up with another class to create a public service announcement about SECOND STEP concepts for a local radio station.
- Write an article for the school newsletter describing the SECOND STEP program and what the class has learned.
- Shoot a video showing how a problem is solved using SECOND STEP skills.
- Write a brochure about SECOND STEP skills and concepts for new students.
- Create photo lesson cards using SECOND STEP lessons as a model.
The goal of these activities is for students to use their SECOND STEP knowledge in creative and fun ways that will help them transfer the learning beyond the lessons.
Callie Rivas and Peggy Carey
Program Implementation Specialists
Committee for Children