Apologies: Lesson and Activities on How, When, and Why to Say Sorry - The Helper Squad

This social skills lesson contains multiple parts that you can use to help students create genuine apologies by developing the social-emotional skills to do it independently (i.e., without an adult making them). You can easily break these activities into multiple sessions or weave them with other activities.

What's Included?

• Lesson Plan: Building an Apology
• Saying Sorry Anchor Chart
• Fantastic Fix-It Poster in Color and Black & White
• When to Sorry Situation Cards (12 Cards as well as 12 Blank cards for personalization)
• Fake and Real Apology Sort
• Apology Prep Work Sheet
• Build an Apology Organizer
• How to Apologize Anchor Chart
• Exit Tickets
• Book List
• Certificate of Completion
• Reward Charts 

Students will be able to 

• Recognize when a situation requires an apology.
• Differentiate between fake and honest apologies.
• Look at a situation to see what went wrong.
• Write a complete apology that addresses what happened.

This resource is ideal for school counselors, psychologists, or social workers. It can be used in small group or individual counseling to target social-emotional (SEL) skills developing slower. Classroom teachers, special education teachers, and speech and language pathologists working on social skills in small groups will also find this helpful. It can be used by a classroom teacher working with individuals or small groups.

The Helper Squad

The Helper Squad game came to life because I always struggled to find counseling materials that incorporate CBT and social-emotional learning. I needed flexible and reusable materials. Most importantly, I wanted materials my students could connect to and use even when struggling. 

1. The Chief Emotional Officer helps us identify how we are feeling, how strong our feelings are, what triggers certain feelings, and when a feeling may become too big to handle.
2. Doctor Positive helps us change negative thoughts by using facts. Her goal is realistic, positive thinking!
3. The Coping Captain helps us use coping strategies when we are overwhelmed. He teaches us ways to calm down and ensures we are prepared for tough situations.
4. Impact Inspector helps us understand how our actions affect others. She shows us how to see the situation from other perspectives and see if different choices would have led to a better outcome.
5. Fantastic Fix-It helps us find ways to solve problems and improve situations. He helps us apologize and come up with real solutions.
6. Goal Gardener: She is the mentor for ambition and persistence. Her role is to inspire students to turn wishes into plans, overcome obstacles, and celebrate success.

Meet The Helper Squad!