I don’t recall ever being explicitly taught as a child that I could tell an adult “no” if I was uncomfortable with their touch. Chatting with a friend recently, she shared how she was tickled until it hurt, and her family all thought it was hysterically funny. Many of us have experienced tickles and hugsContinue reading “4 Personal Body Safety Books You Need to Add Your Shelf Today”
Category Archives: Social Emotional
25 Ways to Help Your Students Become More Confident
The Polk Mentoring Alliance has created an exceptional list of 25 confidence-building activities. Many of these activities can be done individually or in small or large group formats. Most of the ideas are low to no cost and often don’t require many supplies. I have outlined 7 of my favorites below. Positively imagining the futureContinue reading “25 Ways to Help Your Students Become More Confident”
Training Videos for Social Skills: “Taking Turns Speaking”
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Virtual School Counseling SEL Lessons for K-4 Students
Teaching an emotional vocabulary is the first step to helping children learn to manage their emotions. The Emotional ABC’s program has recently made their accounts to FREE to teachers and counselors. The online program provides a format for counselors to allow their students to access online lessons from home. Through the Emotional ABC’s program, studentsContinue reading “Virtual School Counseling SEL Lessons for K-4 Students”
Answering Questions About School Counseling Lessons From a Distance
Many school counselors and teachers are struggling to adapt their in-person lesson plans to the online format, but I think I have the solution. If you have not already used this resource in your classroom, you are going to fall in love! Last month, our tech guru, Gina McGhee, introduced me to PearDeck, which is anContinue reading “Answering Questions About School Counseling Lessons From a Distance”
5 Things You Can Do to be Happy Now
In 2011, Shawn Achor delivered his Ted Talk titled, “The Happy Secret to Better Work” and made the research of happiness a mainstream phenomenon. Given that 2020 has been one long and winding rollercoaster for all of us, it seems rather apropos that we have a reminder for how to adjust our happiness. If you’veContinue reading “5 Things You Can Do to be Happy Now”
Are You Tempted to Send Kids to the Hallway? Read This First
Do kids want to be sent out of the classroom? In counseling, we often ask, “What is the function of the behavior?” or “How is this behavior serving this student?” Our goal is not to take whatever is said or done personally, but to become curious about the behavior. During my school counseling internship, IContinue reading “Are You Tempted to Send Kids to the Hallway? Read This First”
Tired of fighting? Teach Kids How To Cooperate
I love that I have the opportunity to teach kids how to get along with one another. What a gift! This free lesson plan for cooperation can be adapted from 5th grade up through high school aged students and beyond. I’ll keep this post short because the bulk of the information about the lesson isContinue reading “Tired of fighting? Teach Kids How To Cooperate”
Fun Activities to Teach Kids About Self-Control
Learning to regulate emotions can be challenging for many students, but it is a critical component of development and one that can be taught in fun and interesting ways. Below are a few techniques to help your students develop these critical skills. USE BOOKS AS EXAMPLES I love starting a lesson with a story and Clark the SharkContinue reading “Fun Activities to Teach Kids About Self-Control”
When Should a Parent Let Their Kid Quit?
Parents regularly seek out my advice on how to handle a truly complex and sometimes serious issue; when should they let their student quit? The American culture of “dig in” and “stick with it” can leave parents fighting an intense battle with their child about work ethic and commitment. What happens when the child hasContinue reading “When Should a Parent Let Their Kid Quit?”
Do Social and Emotional Programs Really Work?
If you’ve been in the school counseling field for any length of time, you know the importance of social and emotional development. You understand that a kid who is flipping a desk cannot possibility learn math in that moment and those executive functioning skills must be taught first. But how can only one person, theContinue reading “Do Social and Emotional Programs Really Work?”
I Used Mindfulness in a Classroom Lesson and This is How It Went
I have been practicing mindfulness for a little over two years now and have discovered that through this daily practice, I’ve trained my brain to be more in tune with the world and have learned to focus my attention better throughout the day. I’ve realized that I’m more resilient and able to bounce back fromContinue reading “I Used Mindfulness in a Classroom Lesson and This is How It Went”
Worried About Your Kids Online? This Can Help
I was recently asked to speak to parents about online safety for kids and after reading the first safety article in my research, I felt compelled to crawl into the fetal position; the internet can be a scary place for kids. Let’s get the scary stuff out of the way first: online predators, identity thieves,Continue reading “Worried About Your Kids Online? This Can Help”
Work Smarter, Not Harder With These Free Lesson Plans
I firmly believe in the notion of working smarter, not harder, which is why I was so excited when I stumbled across The NED Show a character education program that provides a number of FREE lesson plans that you can print right from your computer. The list of lesson topics includes many of the sameContinue reading “Work Smarter, Not Harder With These Free Lesson Plans”
SCHOOL COUNSELING TRIBE 