--- title: 8 steps for helping third and fourth graders become self-advocates description: Third and fourth grade is a key time for kids to learn self-advocacy. Get tips on how to help kids ask for the help they need in third and fourth grade. slug: 8-steps-for-helping-third-and-fourth-graders-become-self-advocates author: Amanda Morin reviewer: Donna Volpitta, EdD published: '2019-10-16T11:51:41.192Z' thumbnail: https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/A4CFF0446F254F29AFCA1B0529B39120/4dd7ac8695a61e2f0e89c23f81b1f9ca/78773235.jpg source_url: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-steps-for-helping-third-and-fourth-graders-become-self-advocates lang: en --- # 8 steps for helping third and fourth graders become self-advocates As your third or fourth grader moves into a [new phase of learning](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-changes-in-teaching-between-third-and-fourth-grade), it’s a good time to start teaching [self-advocacy](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-self-advocacy) skills. Understanding and talking about challenges can help kids start to identify and ask for what they need. Here are some steps to begin that process. ## Define the issue. [Talk with kids](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-talk-to-your-child-about-learning-and-thinking-differences) about their learning and thinking differences. Help them find their own words to describe the issues so they can explain them to other people. ## Describe the difficulties. Ask kids to think about how their issues affect them in daily life. [Self-awareness](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-importance-of-self-awareness) — tuning in to what’s working and what’s not — is an important step to self-advocacy. ## Pinpoint issues and needs. Ask kids to try to describe exactly what they’re having trouble with. Are there specific things they can ask for that might help? The more detail they can give, the better they can self-advocate. ## Identify learning strengths. Help kids examine what helps them *feel* and *be* successful. Do they [learn best](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/different-learning-strengths-what-you-need-to-know) by listening or by reading? Or do they do better when there’s a video or demonstration to watch? ## Identify effective strategies. Help kids think about the learning strategies that work for them. Make a list of things that are helpful. Do they need to sit in the front of the class? Do they need to be able to take breaks? ## Create a script. Develop a script that kids can use to talk to teachers and classmates about their learning and thinking differences and the strategies that work for them. Practice it so they’re confident sharing with others: “Noise on the school bus is a problem for me. I wear these earphones to feel better.” ## Work through who to talk to. Once kids can identify a problem and some solutions, help them figure out who is the best person to approach for help. ## Discuss where and when to ask for help. Teach your child when it’s OK to ask for help in the moment — if they feel threatened, for example — and when it’s better to schedule a more private conversation (like if something comes up during class). Get more tips on [how to help grade-schoolers learn self-advocacy skills](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-tips-for-helping-your-grade-schooler-learn-to-self-advocate). --- ## Explore related topics and articles - [6 tips for helping your grade-schooler learn to self-advocate](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-tips-for-helping-your-grade-schooler-learn-to-self-advocate) - Self-advocacy is an important skill for kids with learning and thinking differences to develop. Being able to speak up for what they need helps them navigate challenges and get support. You can help your child build this skill by providing opportunities to speak up and ask for help. The process beg - [4 tips for helping middle-schoolers learn to speak up for themselves](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/4-tips-for-helping-your-middle-schooler-learn-to-self-advocate) - Middle school can be hard for kids. Most kids dont want to stand out from the crowd. They may hesitate to speak up for themselves, not only with other kids but with teachers, too. Kids who learn and think differently may be used to watching you advocate for them to help them get the support they nee - [6 self-advocacy sentence starters for grade-schoolers with ADHD](https://www.understood.org/en/articles/6-things-your-grade-schooler-with-adhd-can-say-to-self-advocate) - Grade-schoolers dont always have the words to explain what they need or to ask for help. But being able to self-advocate is especially important for kids with ADHD whose symptoms might make it look like theyre misbehaving. Help your child by going over sentence starters like these. 1. The teacher do --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-steps-for-helping-third-and-fourth-graders-become-self-advocates#webpage","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-steps-for-helping-third-and-fourth-graders-become-self-advocates","description":"Third and fourth grade is a key time for kids to learn self-advocacy. Get tips on how to help kids ask for the help they need in third and fourth grade."},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-steps-for-helping-third-and-fourth-graders-become-self-advocates","name":"8 steps for helping third and fourth graders become self-advocates"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","datePublished":"2019-10-16T11:51:41.192Z","description":"Third and fourth grade is a key time for kids to learn self-advocacy. Get tips on how to help kids ask for the help they need in third and fourth grade.","headline":"8 steps for helping third and fourth graders become self-advocates","url":"https://www.understood.org/en/articles/8-steps-for-helping-third-and-fourth-graders-become-self-advocates","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.understood.org/#organization","name":"Understood for All Inc","logo":"https://cdn-images.understood.org/p0qf7j048i0q/307jFAYQevghG8nQMCjh89/ccdbbec895765824db43f6d30b496e83/logo_lockup_navy.jpg"}}] ```