Share These Wise Words on Social Skills

Editor’s Note: In our back-page advice column called Life Skills Made Easy, we tackle a different question each month, sourced straight from our Teen Advisory Board members—or your students! (They can go here to submit their questions.) The goal is to provide teens with the simple, doable strategies that will help them succeed in school and in life.

Declining an invitation is tough for everyone. But for teens, who tend to put a lot of energy into their social life, saying no can be particularly challenging. Teens feel pressure to achieve, and say yes to everything—like studying more, joining another club, participating in another sport, or completing volunteer hours—and this pressure only bleeds over into their social lives.

That’s why this month’s Life Skills Made Easy question from Joey, a high school sophomore in Massachusetts, is perfeclty on point!

We know this issue can seem complex, so we have you and your students covered! We’ve contacted expert Nancy Redd, who—in her career as a television and digital on-air host—has been invited to not hundreds, but thousands, of parties and social events. Read her advice here, which will reassure your students that it’s okay to say no sometimes! And don’t forget to download this Wise Words poster (just click on the image below) and hang it up in your classroom to remind others of this practical, empowering life skill. 

For more Wise Words, check out these other Ideabook posts: 

• Wise Words on Time Management
• Wise Words on Stress Management
• Wise Words on Group Projects