5 Behaviour Reflection Tools That Build Accountability and Emotional Literacy

Jun 19, 2025

Let’s be real — asking students to “think about their behaviour” often gets you one of two responses: a blank stare… or a defensive shrug.

Been there. But what if we stopped expecting instant insight and instead gave students the tools to reflect properly?

Because reflection isn’t a magical switch — it’s a skill. A skill our students need to be explicitly taught, modelled, and scaffolded. And when we do that? That’s where the change happens. That’s when students start taking responsibility, naming their emotions, and making a plan to move forward. That’s when you stop having the same conversations over and over again.

So if you’re tired of the blame game and want to feel more confident guiding behaviour chats, these five simple but powerful strategies will help you lead those conversations with clarity, calm, and purpose — and support students to actually learn from their choices.

1. Problem-Solving Baseball

Let’s take a student through a tricky situation, baseball-style:

Home Base: What’s the problem you’re facing?
First Base: What are your options?
Second Base: Which is the best choice?
Third Base: What’s your next step?

This format gives structure to behaviour chats — especially when students feel stuck or overwhelmed. It keeps them in their thinking brain, fosters problem-solving skills, and supports long-term behaviour change.

2. What I Can and Can’t Control

Sometimes our students (and us!) get tangled up in all the things we can’t change — what someone else did, what a teacher said, how unfair something felt. This activity helps shift the focus.

Draw two circles. One for “What I Can Control” and one for “What I Can’t.” As students sort through their thoughts, they start to feel less helpless and more empowered to take ownership of their response.

It’s simple. It’s powerful. And it builds resilience every time you use it.

3. Storyboarding: Telling Their Story

For students who struggle to articulate what happened — particularly those with speech, language, or processing challenges — storyboarding is a total game changer.

You sketch out the story as they talk, scene by scene. You might pause to clarify: “What happened before this?” or “Have I got this part right?” It slows things down and gives them a way to see their behaviour in context.

Perfect before a restorative conversation, or any time you’re trying to unpack what’s really going on beneath the surface.

4. Visual Emotion Check-Ins

Let’s talk emotional literacy. If students can’t name how they’re feeling, how can they manage it?

I use visuals like emoji thermometers or “How Are You Really Feeling?” posters to help students put language to their internal world. These simple check-ins teach kids that emotions aren’t bad — they’re just signals. And it’s what we do with those feelings that counts.

Visuals like the Blob Tree are also brilliant for this. “Which blob are you right now?” opens the door to conversations you might never have otherwise.

5. The Behaviour Think Sheet

This is my go-to scaffold when I need to guide a behaviour conversation with more structure.

It prompts students to reflect on:

What happened
What they were feeling
What choice they made
What a better choice could have been
What support or skills they need to move forward

It’s not about shame. It’s about insight and accountability — with you as a calm, supportive guide beside them.

Want to Make Reflection Easier? I’ve Got You.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. Honestly, most of these strategies can be done with a pen, some paper, and your presence. But if you'd like ready-to-use tools you can just grab and go, I’ve bundled all of these strategies into one resource pack for you.

Download the Behaviour Reflection Sheet Bundle

Are you struggling to get students to take accountability for their behaviours?

These 7 behaviour reflection sheets embed social-emotional learning to gain student buy-in and help you lead conversations that create real, lasting change.

With a range of strategies to suit different needs and scenarios, this bundle helps you:

✔ Confidently guide student behaviour chats
✔ Promote accountability and self-awareness
✔ Communicate clearly with parents or caregivers
✔ Build a proactive, reflective classroom culture