Words That Hurt

This worksheet helps students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 strengthen social awareness, empathy, language analysis, emotional understanding, and decision-making by examining how words affect others. Students read short sentences and decide whether each example represents friendly joking, teasing, or bullying, helping them recognize the difference between playful interactions and harmful behavior.

Skills Reinforced

• Social Awareness (Grades 3-5): Identify how intent and tone influence how words are received
• Bullying Prevention Skills: Learn to recognize early signs of teasing and bullying before situations escalate
• Classification & Analysis (ELA Connection): Categorize behaviors using context clues and language cues
• Empathy Development: Reflect on how comments and jokes can impact others’ feelings

Instructional Support

• Teacher-Created Resource: Designed by educators to support SEL, health, and language instruction
• Clear, Student-Friendly Format: Short examples make concepts accessible and easy to discuss
• Flexible Use: Ideal for SEL lessons, health education, small groups, counseling sessions, or homeschool learning
• Discussion-Ready Design: Encourages thoughtful conversations about intent, impact, and respectful language

This Words That Hurt worksheet helps students build awareness of how language can harm or help relationships. By distinguishing between joking, teasing, and bullying, learners strengthen empathy, judgment, and social understanding. Whether used in a classroom or homeschool setting, this printable resource supports early recognition of unkind behavior and promotes kinder, more respectful communication.

This worksheet is part of our Handling Teasing and Bullying Worksheets collection.