I found these giant puzzle pieces at Oriental Trading Post and knew I had to use them because we have been talking about our uniqueness. I also wanted everyone to see how everyone’s special talents and abilities allow us to work together and become something great. The girls worked on
Let’s face it, we all have stress. It can wear us down, leave us in tears, or push us to making unhealthy choices. But, learning how to handle it makes all the difference. When we teach kids these skills the most important thing to do is introduce the topic, explain
Help! Our kids are stressing about the test! Have you heard this plea from the teachers in your building? I know I have! Because I don’t have my own classroom, it’s also hard to sometimes address this on a full-scale need. There are some kids that always seem to be
If you are like me, time is of essence and storing and searching for counseling materials needs to efficient, quick and easy. Any time searching for something is lost time, so materials need to be ready to go at all times. I’ll show you some of my favorite storage ideas
Mindfulness can help students increase their academic performance, develop social skills, and provide them with coping mechanisms to handle they stressors. Mindfulness can also help students become more confident because as they learn to control their emotions and learn to self-regulate, they feel better about navigating life’s difficult situation. I
Affirmations are words we say to ourselves to affirm our self-worth. What we tell ourselves reinforces our self-esteem and can be either positive or negative. It’s important to help our students build a positive mindset. Our mindsets becomes our belief systems about ourselves and if we work at telling ourselves positive affirmations,
I spend a lot of time teaching students coping strategies. One of the things I want to make sure they learn is how to self regulate their emotions when they are feeling stressed. I want them to know what to do when they are in class and they begin to
Each year I go into the 8th-grade classrooms for 3 days to talk about mindset, goals setting, and future planning. This year I wanted to throw a new twist on Growth Mindset, so I decided to challenge all the classes with an Escape Room. The evil Dr. Dread has broken
It’s important to help students understand the importance of empathy–especially with the recent natural disasters, the shootings, and the political climate. Teaching empathy to your students helps them to build a sense of security and stronger relationships with other children, and staff members. In addition, teaching empathy: Positions children
If I handed you a piece of paper, a pencil, and 13 small Lego pieces, would you think that you could teach team building, self-control, and listening during a lunchtime group? Not only is it possible, but it is a fun activity your kids will love. I did this activity
Fidget Spinners are all the rage these days. They are in every grocery store, gas station, and school. Kids can’t seem to get enough of them– mine included, but, do they really help? Pros of fidget spinners: Kids Feel Socially Accepted – If a student has a fidget spinner, they are
When I was in grad school a million years ago, we often used timelines when talking with clients. When I began working as a school counselor, primarily with juniors and seniors and concentrating on the college admission process, I rarely pulled out the timeline. Working again at a middle school,
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