KINDNESS BALL

For the month of February, my classroom lessons are focused on the topic of kindness.  I like to use this Kindness Ball as a way to make my lessons more interactive and engaging. I use this ball activity with my 4th-6th grade students. Here's how it works....

Directions:

Write description passages on ball with black sharpie. Using double sided tape, attach the kindness matters label to ball.
Have every student sit on top of their desks.
I start the process going by throwing the ball into the air and catching it. Where my right thumb lands, I read the closest statement on the ball (that way if their thumb lands on a blank spot, they know to choose the passage that is the closest) Passage Example:  Someone who is wearing stripes
I would scan the room until I found someone wearing stripes. I would give that person a compliment and throw the ball to them. Then, that person would read the passage of where their right thumb lands and give another person a compliment. Once each student has their turn, they sit back down in their chair. This makes it easy for others to see who in the class still needs a compliment. This process is completed until everyone in the class has a turn. I like to reinforce with my students the importance of giving thoughtful compliments versus saying things like "he's nice" or, "she's cool." This activity has been a hit with my students!

Click HERE to download the FREE Kindness Matters label and description statements to make your own Kindness Ball  I hope you find this activity useful in promoting kindness at your school!

Enemy Pie-Classroom Lesson

I spend a lot of my day helping students resolve conflicts. Finding good books on this subject is very important to incorporate in my school counseling program.  One of my all-time favorite books is Enemy Pie by Derek Munson. This book talks about how friends are supposed to treat each other and not repay a mean act with another mean act.

Here is an EASY, LOW PREP game you can use in the classroom setting or a small group counseling session.

Game Directions:
Have a mixing bowl of real/disgusting ingredients (plastic toys) used to make a pie.  Cover the mixing bowl with a kitchen towel so students CAN'T SEE in the bowl.

Divide the class into two teams.  Have one student from each team take turns picking out an ingredient from the bowl.  If they pick a positive ingredient, the student picks a card and answers the question. If they answer the question correctly, they get a point for their team. If the student picks out a negative ingredient, they don't get a point for their team. The team with the most points at the end, wins the game.

Examples of negative ingredients: plastic toys of beetles, centipede, frogs, already chewed gum, rocks etc.

Examples of positive ingredients: plastic toys of strawberry, cherry, banana, box of raisins, flour, sugar, egg, butter, vanilla etc.

Click HERE for the FREE download for this lesson. This game has been a hit with my students! I hope you find the same success with yours!

Mindfulness Coloring Sheets

Introducing Mindfulness in your school counseling program can be of GREAT benefit!  Mindfulness is a useful practice that is being taught all over the world.  Mindfulness is a technique to simply be fully present in the moment. It seems to be a daily occurrence that our students report feeling overwhelmed due to stress and worries. Mindfulness activities can help keep stress and anxiety under control and help create a more peaceful life.

The purpose of mindful coloring is to have students pay attention to applying color and design to help bring awareness to the present moment without allowing other thoughts, worries, or fears penetrate the mind.  Mindful coloring focuses the mind on a simple, relaxing activity which helps inspire creativity while reducing stress.

Taking the time to incorporate mindfulness activities such as this, in your counseling program, can help create a calm and inviting environment for your students.  These FREE coloring pages would be a great addition to a designated Calm Down Spot in your office or classroom.

Click HERE for your FREE download. Happy coloring!

Using Target Dollar Spot Items in Your School Counseling Program

The Target dollar spot is a gold mine for school counselors!  I'm always on the lookout for fun, interactive items to add to my school counseling program. Target always seems to hit the mark! Since my school budget is next to zero, I appreciate finding high quality items for a reasonable price. In addition to lower prices, I love that Target changes its merchandise frequently. This has given me the opportunity to update some of my older lessons and helps me avoid falling into a rut of doing the same old things over and over again.

I frequently use hooks or props in my school counseling program. A prop is an object that is introduced in a lesson that illustrates an important point or concept. Incorporating props in your school counseling setting can increase student engagement and can be a valuable resource in helping to add enthusiasm. The pressure to keep students attention is a daily struggle and can feel overwhelming, especially this time of the school year! It's amazing how small trinkets or props can make a huge impact with classroom lessons and individual/group counseling sessions. Here are 3 easy examples of using props from the dollar spot in your school counseling program.

Items bought at Target dollar spot

There were so many fun things to choose from, it was difficult to narrow it down! I loved ALL the bright, colorful items. My office is quite small, so I try to be really selective regarding what things I bring into my work space.

COOL DOWN CUBES

These colorful ice cubes come in a bag of 12 cubes for $1. The "Cool Down Cubes" have become a great interactive activity for my students.  My students have related well to the concept of completing a calming strategy to "cool down" when having negative feelings. You can write calming strategies on each ice cube or CLICK HERE for this FREE download. Place ice cubes in bucket, have students pull out one ice cube at a time and complete the calming strategy listed. 

STAY COOL MEMORY GAME

These "Stay Cool" drink coasters complemented the "Cool Down Cubes" perfectly! They come in a package of four coasters for $1. This activity brings good discussion of a variety of different calming strategies students can use when feeling anxious, angry or stressed. CLICK HERE for this free download. Cut out calming strategy circles and glue on back of coasters. Play like the game of Memory.  The student with the most matches, wins the game.

LEMONS TO LEMONADE-GROWTH MINDSET ACTIVITY

I have a soft spot for anything thing lemon related! How fun are these decorative lemon tags?? They come in a package of four for $1. I spend a lot of my time helping students reframe their fixed mindset to a growth mindset. CLICK HERE for a free download of this activity. Cut out circles and glue on back of lemon tags. Place lemon tags in cup. Students take turns pulling out lemon tags and reframe fixed "sour lemon" mindset statements to a positive "sweet lemonade"growth mindset statements.

Adding props to your school counseling program gives you a chance to have fun and be creative! Dollar spot items are an easy way to help increase student engagement and help make your lessons more memorable. Want to read more about using props in school counseling? I wrote an article for Confident Counselors on this subject.  CLICK HERE for more details.

What fun things do you use in your school counseling program?

3 Easy Ideas to Help School Counselors Learn Students Names

In elementary school, I was a very shy and quiet student.  I didn't like to stand out and I only participated in class when called on by my teacher.  I would say the majority of my elementary school years I felt invisible.  It wasn't until the fifth grade that I felt like my teacher really "got" me. My teacher, Mr. Bellon, invested his time and energy to develop a strong relationship with ALL his students. Every member of his class felt valued and appreciated. To this day (25+ years later), my heart is filled with such gratitude when thinking about him and the impact he had on my life.

School Counselors have A LOT of students.  It is difficult to know and memorize the names of every student at school.  At the end of my first year on the job, I thought back and reflected on who were the students that made it EASY for me to to remember their name? They were the students assigned to my caseload, the ones who raised their hand after every question asked, the ones with behavior challenging issues, and the ones who went out of their way to engage with me on a regular basis. Due to the large number of students at school, it's easy for the quiet and shy students to fly under the radar. Since my first year on the job, I have made it my goal to seek out those students and to do my best to get them engaged in my classroom lessons and to develop a positive connection with them. Although it may be unrealistic to know every student's name, here are 3 EASY IDEAS that can help with name recognition for the beginning of the school year.

1. Class List With Individual Pictures and Names: At the beginning of each school year, I print a list of every class which includes each student's picture and name.  When teaching classroom lessons, I pull out that particular class list and refer to it often as a way to help me memorize student's names. This has been a useful method to learn their names quickly and helps me avoid calling on my students like...."You, in the back with the blue shirt!"

2. The Name Game:  Have the class sit in a large circle. Tell the students you want them to pair an adjective that starts with the same letter as the first letter of their first name. Example: Joyful Jodi. One person starts by saying..."I'm joyful Jodi."Then, the student to their right goes next and says "This is Joyful Jodi, and I'm Rockin' Rachel." Then it's the third person's turn and he/she has to name the two prior students and so on around the circle. The last person has to see if he/she can remember the name of every class member. With younger aged students, I like to do the same type of game but use animals that start with their first initial of their name. Example: Jaguar Jodi, Rhino Rachel etc.

3. Name Tags:  The BIGGEST help for me to learn my student's names is having name tags. The first lesson of every year, I have students pick out a name tag that best resembles them.  I have them color and personalize their own name tag. I have my students place their name tags on their desk during my classroom lessons. When my lesson is over, they store their name tags in their desks until my next lesson.

This FREE download includes 30 different Name Tags from which students can select.

I would LOVE for you to use these editable name tags at your school as a way to help you get to know the names of your students. Click HERE to snag these name tags from my TpT store for FREE! Comment below any ideas you have found useful at your school for name recognition.

My Turn to Talk Cards

Last week I came home from school exhausted! My school went from a year round schedule to a traditional schedule.  This has had a HUGE impact on the behavior of my students.  Being on a year round schedule, students were never off track too long to forget about classroom procedures. After having the whole summer off, it has been a difficult transition back! I have never had so many classes with issues of blurting out and not listening. In one 2nd grade classroom, I noticed I had two extreme examples. I had a handful of students blurting out whatever came to mind and a handful of students that didn't say a word. I wanted that to change! So, I created these My Turn to Talk Cards to help teach the skill of self-control.  In addition, the cards serve as a visual reminder to me of which students need to be called on and invited to participate more in my lesson.  After using these cards, I noticed a HUGE difference in the reduction of blurt outs. When having to turn over a card, my students wanted to make their comment count so they really thought about what they wanted to say before speaking.

Here's how it works-

I give each student 2 cards for my 30 minute counselor lesson.  When a student answers a question or makes a comment, they turn their card over (or they hand it to me) indicating they've had a turn to talk.  If a student blurts out, I have them give me one of their cards. This helps them stop and think the NEXT time they are tempted to blurt out.

Before each lesson, I always comment about how as a class, we are practicing taking turns TALKING and taking turns LISTENING. When students have all their cards turned over, their turn to talk is over and it is now their turn to be good listeners. I don't use these cards in every classroom. I use these cards mainly in the classes that need reinforcement in this area.

This product can be found for $1.00 in my TpT store.  These cards come in color, ink friendly color, and black and white versions. Click HERE to see more details.

Have a great day!

Helping Students Transition to a New School

I'm so EXCITED to be joining Heather Thomas The Helpful Counselor in her Blog Hop on Fun Ways to Welcome New Students to Your School! Transitioning to a new school can be overwhelming to students. Helping students feel comfortable in a new environment can help reduce anxiety and worry.  I work at a school where a lot of new construction is being built. Newly developed neighborhoods bring a lot of brand new students! Last year, it seemed we were getting new students EVERY week.

Meeting and reaching out to new students can make a HUGE impact. It shows them you care and that you are interested in their well-being.  To help students become more comfortable at my school, I created a New Student Brochure.

 I included a boy and girl version

I do my best to meet with every new student within the first few of days of their enrollment. I like to introduce them to a couple of students in their class and have them take the new student around to complete The New Student Bingo.  This gives the new student an opportunity to spend some time with their classmates and learn the layout of the school. Once all 9 squares have an X, they come back to my office for a small treat.

Parents are almost as anxious about a new school as their child. I have received a lot of positive feedback from parents emailing me and expressing their appreciation in helping their child feel accepted and welcome at their new school.

***If you would like a FREE copy of this New Student Brochure click HERE to download.***

I can't wait to read other school counselor blogs in the Blog Hop to see what great ideas they have that I can incorporate in my school counseling program! Click HERE to see other fun ideas!

Happy New School Year!