Teaching Kids How to Identify Anger Triggers.
Triggers are things that cause an emotional reaction. They can make someone mad/angry/sad/etc. Triggers are inevitable and reacting to them is common. Teaching kids how to recognize things that cause certain responses will benefit them in the long run because then, you can teach them how to manage their reactions.
Anger is common and is something all kids experience. I try to teach my students how to recognize things that make them angry which will cause a reaction, also known as a trigger, so that they are aware and will be able to respond differently. To do this, I use the story “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a story about a little boy named Alexander, who is having a terrible day because several things happened that made him angry. The things that happen in the story to Alexander are common and could actually happen to any child, which is why this story is perfect to teach from. Take a look at this lesson I created for my students. Feel free to use if you would like!
- To begin the lesson, I would explain what a trigger is.
- Next, I will let them know that we will focus on the feeling “Anger” and what triggers an angry reaction.
- Read the story, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- Have a whole group discussion. During this time, have students identify what caused/triggered Alexander in the story to become angry. You could create an anchor chart that lists his anger triggers and reactions from the story. Sample triggers and reactions from the story are listed below…
| Trigger | Reaction |
| When Paul said Alexander wasn’t his best friend anymore | He yelled at Paul and said “I hope you sit on a tack” |
| Nick calling Alexander a cry baby | He punched Nick |
- After the discussion, have students work together to complete the following worksheet:
- Once you have students complete the worksheet, have them share aloud or with each other some things that make them angry and the reason why.
The goal of this lesson is to help students recognize anger triggers. Once they are able to identify their own triggers, you can teach ways to manage them.
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