Coping skills worksheets are helpful in addition to other forms of support for children such as individual counselling, role modelling of appropriate and relevant behaviors, direct teaching, small group work and creative self expression activities. Worksheets provide students with something tangible which they can use to trigger their memory of activities, as well as a positive form of feedback which demonstrates to them that they can achieve in this area of learning. They are an important part of the larger role that teachers play in providing for the academic, physical and mental health needs of their students.
Coping skills worksheets do not take the traditional 'insert your answer below' form. Rather, these examples (which can be moulded into a structured lesson plan as outlined) show the scope of activities you can derive from coping skills worksheets. The examples listed are taken from Bonnie Thomas' book 'Creative Coping Skills for Children' - a helpful and insightful book on teaching coping strategies through the medium of art and craft.
Pirate for a day - worksheets which discuss moving frequently from port to port, dealing with grumpy pirate captains and getting along with other pirates in your pirate team who might behave badly because they have drunk too much rum and beer.
Taking care of me - ticking items on a list that help you get a good night's sleep, being physically active, caring for yourself when you are sick, and knowing what activities or objects help you to feel calm.
Making Wish Fairies - use a template of a pair of fairy wings and paste them onto the back of a wooden clothes peg to create your own wish fairy who can be a useful trigger for discussions about wishes, hopes and dreams for the future.
Unstructured time - use lots of simple activity suggestions which can be cut out and pasted into a book or displayed on a wall so that when there is unstructured time children are able to take an activity and do it themselves. This encourages children to self monitor their use of time, and self direct to begin an activity - just like they would do if there was no adult present to help them think of something to do.
Feelings pages - have children draw or color where in their body they feel different sorts of feelings - ensure that children are aware of the names and written words for various colors for this task, or have them draw their own picture of how feelings are felt in their body.
All these ideas are great to use as an add on to your art program in special education, as talking about feelings and coping strategies are an important part of your wider job a a special educator.
Remember that talking about feelings and strategies for coping with day to day life is generally a part of the role of most teachers in both mainstream and special education settings. But for some children where their difficulties are outside the skill set of a generalist teacher, it is okay to call in other supports such as a counselor or psychologist who can provide specific professional advice about individual children.