Kindergarten Coping Skills Activity – Play Doh Problems & Rock Problems

While learning ABC’s and 123’s is an important part of Kindergarten education, the more lasting and impactful lessons pertain to emotional regulation and your childs ability to cope with hard things. Identifying conflict as either a Play Doh problem or a rock problem proves useful regardless of if you’re a teacher looking for a kindergarten coping skills activity or if you’re a parent needing help with your kiddo at home.

I’m offering a kindergarten coping skills activity pdf free of charge (and no, you don’t have to sign up for anything) at the bottom of the page – so feel free to print it out and use it over and over again. It includes a few different pages specifically related to Play Doh and rock problems, and you’ll be able to utilize the info in this article to teach it effectively.

Kindergarten Coping Skills Activity – Rock Problems & Play Doh Problems

What is a Play Doh problem? What’s a rock problem?

When we talk about a “rock problem,” we’re really getting into the tough stuff. Imagine trying to push a giant boulder — it’s not going anywhere fast, right? That’s exactly what rock problems are like. They’re hard, they’re stubborn, and they don’t budge easily. Sometimes, they don’t budge at all.

The most important point when it comes to rock problems is these are not always solvable. This is definitely true for a kindergarten age child. As part of the lesson, it’s important to emphasize this, and talk about what coping skills the child can use to learn peaceful acceptance.

Now, let’s contrast that with “play dough problems.” These are the issues you can squish, mold, and reshape as needed—pretty flexible and open to creative solutions.

How to Explain Rock vs. Play Dough Problems

The following is an example on how you can word this explanation to your kindergartner.

When we talk about “rock problems,” think about a really big, heavy rock that you can’t move, no matter how hard you try. These kinds of problems are super tough and won’t just go away because they are hard like the rock.

Unlike “play dough problems,” which you can squish and shape any way you like, rock problems don’t change shape or move. They are like a big rock in your way when you’re trying to walk down a path.

Sometimes, even with lots of thinking and trying, we can’t make these rock problems go away. Instead, we might need to find a different way around them, like walking around the big rock on the path, or just learning to be okay with the rock being there. It’s not about making the rock problem go away but figuring out what else we can do when the rock is in our way.

Coping Skills – How to Handle Play Dough Problems

When teaching kindergarteners how to address “play dough problems,” which are problems that can be changed or shaped differently, it’s great to use simple strategies that they can easily grasp and apply. Here’s how you might explain and practice these strategies with young children:

1. Use Your Imagination

Just like when you play with play dough, you can use your imagination to think of different ways to solve a problem. For example, if you’re building with play dough and it keeps falling down, you might decide to make it wider at the bottom. Explain to the kids that when they face a problem, they can think of many ideas, just like when they are playing.

2. Ask for Ideas

Sometimes, two heads are better than one! If you’re stuck, ask a friend or a teacher for their ideas. It’s like when you’re playing with play dough together, and your friend shows you how to make a cool new shape. By sharing ideas, you can come up with new ways to solve a problem.

3. Try Different Ways

If the first idea doesn’t work, don’t give up — try something else! It’s just like when you play with play dough; if you don’t like what you made, you can squish it and start over. Teach the children that it’s okay to try several solutions until something works.

4. Be Patient and Keep Trying

Sometimes, working with play dough and solving problems can take time. You might need to squish and reshape your play dough many times to get it just right. Explain to the kids that solving some problems is similar and might need them to be patient and keep trying different things until they find what works best.

5. Celebrate Your Success

After you’ve solved a problem, be proud of your work! It’s like when you make something really cool out of play dough, and you show it to everyone. When kids solve a problem, they can celebrate what they’ve done and share their solution with others.

These strategies not only help kids understand how to approach flexible, solvable problems but also build their confidence in handling challenges creatively and collaboratively.

Coping Skills – How to Handle Play Dough Problems

Addressing “rock problems,” which are tough and can’t be easily changed, also needs simple, kid-friendly strategies. Here’s how you might explain and practice these strategies with kindergarteners:

1. Look for Help

Sometimes, if a rock is too heavy to move, you need to ask someone strong for help. Similarly, if a problem feels too big, it’s okay to go to a teacher, a parent, or a friend and ask for their help. Explain to the kids that asking for help is smart and brave.

2. Find a Different Path

If there’s a big rock in the way and you can’t move it, you might need to walk around it or find another way to go. Teach the children that sometimes, if they can’t fix a problem, they can look for different ways to go about their day without letting the problem stop them.

3. Be Patient

Just like waiting for your turn on the slide, some problems need time before they can be solved or before they don’t feel so big anymore. Encourage kids to be patient and to keep doing their best even if the problem doesn’t go away right away.

4. Talk About It

If a rock is in your way and it’s making you sad or mad, talking about how you feel can make things a little better. Help children understand that sharing their feelings with someone they trust can make a big problem feel smaller.

5. Accept It

Sometimes, no matter what you do, the rock won’t move. It’s okay to say, “This rock won’t move today, but that’s alright.” Teaching kids to accept that some problems may not go away can help them feel less worried or upset about them.

Using these strategies, kindergarteners can learn how to handle tough problems in ways that make sense to them. This not only helps them manage their frustrations but also starts building their resilience from a young age.

The Interplay Between Play Dough and Rock Problems

Recognizing the Dynamic Nature of Problems

You know, problems can be pretty sneaky and change their nature when we least expect it.

What starts out as a play dough problem, all squishy and malleable, might suddenly turn into a rock problem, tough and immovable. It’s kind of like when you’re playing a game where the rules keep changing. Sometimes you’re rolling along, solving problems by tweaking your approach or coming up with creative solutions, and then—bam!—you hit a wall, and no matter what you try, it seems like nothing changes.

The role of perspective in defining problems

That’s when you have to step back and reassess. Maybe it’s time to try a whole new strategy or maybe just wait it out and see if things shift on their own. Recognizing that problems can evolve helps us stay flexible and ready to switch up our game plan as needed.It’s all about staying on your toes and adapting, which honestly makes solving problems kind of an adventure.

Free Printable Download

Here’s that download I promised – it includes a worksheet printable for managing emotions via the rock and the play doh analogy, a “coping skills” menu and worksheet, and a printable copy of the lesson plan below.

Kindergarten Coping Skills Lesson Plan

Here’s a lesson plan designed to teach kindergarteners about handling “rock problems” using a simple, relatable approach. My mom is a kindergarten teacher (lucky me!), and approves of this lesson plan.

Lesson Title:

“Rock Problems and How We Handle Them”

Objective:

To help kindergarteners understand that some problems, like heavy rocks, can’t always be solved or moved, but we can learn to cope with them or find ways around them.

Materials Needed:

• A large, heavy rock (or a sturdy box decorated to look like a rock)
• Play dough
• Storybook about problem-solving (optional)
• Large paper and markers
• Scenario cards depicting different problems (some solvable, some not)

Lesson Duration:

30 minutes

Lesson Outline:

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Start with a short story or a description of a scenario where a character encounters a big, immovable rock on their path.
• Ask the children what they think the character could do if they can’t move the rock.

2. Demonstration (5 minutes)

• Show the children a large rock and a lump of play dough.
• Try to reshape the rock (unsuccessfully) and then easily mold the play dough.
• Explain that some problems are like the rock (hard and unmovable) and some are like play dough (easy to change).

3. Discussion (5 minutes)

• Ask the children to think of times when they faced a problem. Was it a rock problem or a play dough problem?
• Discuss that it’s okay if we can’t solve some problems right away, just like we can’t move the heavy rock.

4. Activity: Problem-Sorting (10 minutes)

• Give each child or pair a set of scenario cards that depict different problems.
• Have them sort the cards into two piles: rock problems and play dough problems.
• Discuss why they categorized them this way.

5. Coping Strategies (5 minutes)

• Discuss what we can do when we face a rock problem. Ideas might include asking for help, finding a different path, or being patient.
• Illustrate these ideas on large paper as a “Coping with Rock Problems” chart.

6. Conclusion (5 minutes)

• Recap what a rock problem is and emphasize that it’s okay not to have a solution sometimes.
• Encourage them to think creatively about problems they can change and to seek help or find new ways for those they cannot change.

Assessment:

• Observe the children during the activity to see if they can differentiate between rock and play dough problems.
• Listen to their explanations during the discussion to assess their understanding of coping strategies.

This lesson plan incorporates physical activities, creative thinking, and social learning, making it ideal for engaging kindergarteners in understanding and dealing with different kinds of problems.

Conclusion: Kindergarten Coping Skills Activity – Rock & Play Doh Problems