Making a Plan

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This session shows students how making a plan helps them succeed in school and take on new challenges by breaking a big goal into smaller steps. Through a short video, a discussion about planning small steps toward a goal like reading many books, and a quick sentence-finishing game, they explore how to break it down and check in with themselves. The takeaway: a clear plan makes big tasks feel more doable.

Created by Casey Reeves Curriculum Lead
Video modeling lesson
Extension activity
Topic
Self-Regulation
Focus
Executive Functioning
Grade level
Elementary School

Get everything you need to teach the skill

Each video modeling lesson is part of a no-prep session designed by our clinical team, with all the structure, scaffolding, and support you need to teach it.

Engaging materials

  • Video modeling lesson

    Making a Plan

    Making a plan can help learners succeed in school and tackle new challenges. This video lesson breaks down the skills needed to make a plan successfully.

  • Extension activity

    Interactive Worksheet: How to Make a Plan

    Learners are tasked with matching various scenarios with the correct skills needed to make a plan successfully.

Plus everything you need to teach them

  1. Warm-up

    • Video: Hot Cocoa Breathing2:05
    • Video: Daily Intention2:59
    • Video: Body Squeeze2:12

  2. Session Opener

    What are the steps in making a plan?

    • Break it Down
    • Check In With Yourself

  3. Practice

    • Discussion Question
    • Role-Play Activity
    • Mini Game
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How to use it with your students

  1. 1Watch Play the video modeling lesson so students see the skill in action.
  2. 2Practice Try the skill together with a discussion prompt, role-play, or mini game.
  3. 3Extend Use the extension activity to help students carry the skill further.

Example Session Notes

In this lesson, students learned how to make a plan by setting a goal and breaking it into smaller steps. They practiced deciding when to work on each step and checking in with themselves to see if they were getting closer to their goal.

Key Terms

Break it Down
Splitting a big goal into smaller steps you can do one at a time. Smaller steps feel easier and help you stay motivated.
Check In With Yourself
Stopping for a moment to ask yourself, "How am I doing right now?" Noticing how your body and feelings are doing helps you figure out what you need next.

Sample IEP Goal This Session Supports

  • Executive Functioning

    Given a multi-step task, learner will use at least one self-selected organizational strategy (e.g., visual planner, breaking the task into steps, visual timer) to initiate and work through the task with decreasing adult support in 4 out of 5 opportunities independently/given X prompt(s).

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Keep it going after the session

At home or in the classroom, when a student has something big they want to do, try asking what the first small step could be. You can also check in together later by asking how it is going.

Ready to teach Making a Plan?

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Frequently asked questions

Is this session free?

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What ages is this for?

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What's included in the session?

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