Here's the original post:
This #tbt is a little bit of a cheat because it only throws back to about 6 months ago. I have been working really hard on updating my products over on TPT and my Caterpillar Character Cards are the best example of this! Here's the original post: One of the most challenging things about working with kids is getting them to talk. I mean really talk. Like, not about minecraft. Kids aren't usually used to being self-reflective and that can make a counselor's job challenging. To help, I made an activity I call "character cards." I used 36 character words like "afraid" or "lonely." I then ask the student to sort them into three categories: like me, kind of like me, and not like me. This opens up a lot of discussion both during the sorting process and after. Because the character cards include both positive and negative traits, we can really see what a child thinks of themselves. It's a great activity and one I come back to again and again. Now to share what the cards look like now! I'm super proud of all the updates going on over there at Teachers Pay Teachers. It's so much fun to spend the extra time on making the products really great. Here are some other updates (click on the picture for the link):
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Do you use social stories? I love them. I use social stories for kids age K-1 or students with special needs K-5. A Social Story accurately describes a situation, skill, or concept according to defining criteria, with a content, format, and voice that is descriptive, meaningful, and physically, socially, and emotionally safe for the person for whom the Story is developed (www.thegraycenter.org). Social stories are one of my most requested resources. I thought I would share the process I use to create a social story, share some free resources with you, and update you on the Social Story Bundle at my Teacher Pay Teacher Store. When a teacher contacts me about a student with a repetitive social concern, I will often suggest a social story. I believe that social stories build an internal dialogue for small children or children with disabilities to be able to understand complex social situations. We often expect children to conform to an expectation when they don't really know how to obtain it. I begin by asking the teacher to detail the behavior they would like to see. I want Sarah to transition from the carpet with the rest of her class. I also ask the teacher to describe the context when the behavior would happen. I call the students to the desk by their row color. Sarah never seems to be listening and misses when her row is called. I ask the teacher what behaviors are impeding the student from being successful. Sarah starts to play with her shoes or her clothes when I am calling rows and completely zones out. I will then incorporate the expectations, context, and barriers into my story. I like to start out with some identifiers that help the child to connect to the story. My name is Sarah. I am in Mrs. Atkins' class in the 2nd grade. I like to read and learn about cats. Sometimes my class learns on the carpet and sometimes we sit at our desks. When we are on the carpet, Mrs. Atkins calls our rows by colors. It can be hard to listen for my row color. I might play with my shoes or my clothes and then I can be distracted by my thoughts. It's important that I am listening. I can put my finger on my ear to remind myself to listen. I can turn my head to look at the row color that is called. That will show Mrs. Atkins that I am listening to her. When my row color is called, I will stand up and walk to my desk quietly. When I show I am listening, Mrs. Atkins is happy. When I move with my class, we are able to learn together. My classmates are happy. I usually write the story content before meeting with the student. I then will place pictures or clipart in with the story to make it colorful and fun along with the student letting them choose the clipart they like. I am attaching a FREE social story about nice talk and friendly words.
I often use websites to find examples of social stories and then edit or change to meet my needs. Some great websites are: After I meet with the student, I print a color copy (make it enticing!) for the student, parent, and teacher. I attach a set of Social Story instructions to the copy. I ask that the child read daily at home and at school for 2 weeks. The student can either read to themselves or an adult can read to them.
I have seen social stories make a big difference in little lives. Parents have come to me to request a story for home after seeing the success their child has had at school. I even wrote a story for my two year old about going to bed without screaming! In case you don't have the time to sort through all the free resources included in this post, I have created a social story bundle over on my Teachers Pay Teachers store. Please check it out! What are your go-to social story topics? I have used my "picking your nose" story more times than I would like to admit! I had grand plans for a post on school counseling week and staff development but this is the last week at my school and I'm packing and transitioning and feeling all the feelings. So in the meantime, I thought I would share Just a Little Thing. When I meet with a kid for a long period of time, I like to end with a closure activity. One of the things I love to do is give them a encouragement card. Honestly, I have no idea where I got these cards but some quick googling tells me you can get something similar here. I pick a card that really matches their area of need and write a little note on it in Sharpie. They are always awed that they get to keep the cards and sometimes kids will come back months later to show me their battle-weary card that they've carried in their backpack or on their bulletin board at home. I'm giving a lot of cards out right now as I am transitioning out of my school and into my next journey. And, you know, feeling all the feelings. I think it starts in 2nd grade. The friendship drama. Sometimes I see younger kids that have drama but it seems to resolve itself after each occurrence. Like when a kid in my daughter's three year old class said that wearing two braids makes you Ana and not Elsa. Upset one day, over it the next. But in second grade, the drama episodes turn into a series and really weigh on some kids, especially girls. You may have read about The Girls group I do with upper elementary, today I'm here to share what I do with our small friends. This is a 5 session mini-group designed for 1st-3rd grades. We meet for about 30 minutes and sometimes will add a 6th session for a closure activity like lunch together. I typically have girls in these groups but the activities are not gender-specific. Session I: Getting Started: First Group Sessions Explain Group Purpose: Friendship Skills Icebreaker/Energizer: Feelings Bingo or Helping Sharing Caring Game: I use a prepackaged game as an icebreaker for the group that includes some skill based learning but is mostly fun. You can even use a game hack like Chutes and Ladders. Session 2: Friendship Puzzles Review: group rules Icebreaker/Energizer: brainstorm qualities of friendships Skill Building Activity: friendship puzzle- on a 5x8 index card draw a self portrait and write your top 5 friendship qualities around it. Counselor cuts the card with wavy lines to make a puzzle. Take turns completing each other's puzzles for fun and talking about one another's friendship qualities. Model this for students "I see that Michaela wrote 'caring' on her card, I see her caring when she opens the door for me in the mornings." Session 3: Connecting with Others Review: Friendship Qualities Icebreaker/Energizer: paper clips are like people: pass thru or connect Skill Building Activity: Body language roleplay- act out friendly body language and unfriendly body language. Talk about the perceptions of others in response to each type of body language. Session 4: Friendship Blockers Review: Body Language Icebreaker/Energizer: If/Then game with happy/sad sticks. Read each of the If/Then statements and ask students to think about the perception of others in response. They can flip their happy/sad sticks and describe how someone might feel in response.
Session 5: Handling Rejection Review: Friendship Blockers Icebreaker/Energizer: role play with puppets how you feel when you are rejected Skill Building Activity: did I do something wrong that wasn’t helpful in making friends? If Yes, fix it OR No, then Role Play with Statements:
I like this group because it combines fun activities with real moments for reflection. Most kids know what it means to be a good friend but don't take the time to reflect on how their actions are impacting others and their friendships.
I have created everything you need including role play card sorts, smiley sticks, everything! Check it out on my Teachers Pay Teachers store! Today's #tbt is an awesome game hack from a while back. Get ready, because I will be using it in an amazing friendship group post I have been working hard on. Expect to see that tomorrow! I just discovered the best counselor game hack- Chutes and Ladders. First of all, this game was one of my absolute favorites ever so I still love to play. The thrill of the ladders! The defeat of the chutes! Anyway, I have recently been using the game as a great tool for managing angry or sad feelings. Each time we go down a chute, we say something that makes us angry/sad. Each ladder is a strategy that helps us to calm down. The kids love it, I love it - win! What game hacks do you use? I've seen the Jenga conversation starters, but I am way too much of a neat freak to write on my Jenga pieces. I might have a problem. Maybe I should go see the counselor. |
Rebecca AtkinsWelcome to my blog where I talk about all things school counselor and encourage others to Counselor Up! This website uses marketing and tracking technologies. Opting out of this will opt you out of all cookies, except for those needed to run the website. Note that some products may not work as well without tracking cookies. Opt Out of CookiesInterrupting Racism: Equity and Social Justice in School CounselingLinks may be affiliate links. If you link and purchase, I may receive compensation at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support of Counselor Up.
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