As school counselors and school psychologists, we know social skills groups can make a tremendous difference for students who struggle with friendships, behavior, communication, and emotional regulation. The challenge isn’t knowing what to teach—it’s finding the time to plan engaging lessons every week.
That’s why I created this simple 10-week social skills group sequence using ready-to-go fun and EASY activities in the Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun store. Each lesson includes a hands-on activity, game, or social story that keeps students engaged while targeting essential social-emotional skills.
Whether you’re running a lunch bunch, Tier 2 intervention group, counseling group, or special education social skills group, this sequence can help you spend less time planning and more time connecting with students!!! And, YES, some of these activities are FREE!!!
Week 1: Teaching Kids about What Makes a Good Friend?
Resource:
Friendship PIZZA Arts and Crafts Counseling & SEL Activity, Discussion Prompts (FREE)
Friendship is the foundation of most elementary social skills groups. Students create a friendship pizza by identifying the “ingredients” that make a great friend, such as kindness, sharing, honesty, and listening.
This activity naturally leads to discussions about friendship expectations and group norms while helping students get to know one another.
Week 2: Understanding Feelings
Resource:
12 SOCIAL SKILLS STORIES Coloring Books; Self-Regulation and Behaviors
Choose one of the emotions-focused social stories from this bundle to help students identify feelings, recognize emotional cues, and discuss appropriate responses to emotions.
The coloring component keeps younger students engaged while reinforcing key concepts.
Week 3: Learning Recess Expectations
Resource:
The RECESS Matters! Curriculum, for Students with Autism
Many friendship conflicts begin on the playground. This curriculum helps students understand playground expectations, following rules, taking turns, and interacting appropriately with peers during recess. It even has some print-out rules (with video links) for how to play specific games, such as four-square, handball, and magic-tag. Because this curriculum has several activities, it can actually turn your 10-week social skills group into a 12 or 13-week group!
Students can discuss situations they encounter at recess and practice positive alternatives.
Week 4: Appropriate vs. Inappropriate Behaviors
Resource:
Appropriate vs. Inappropriate BEHAVIORS Dice Game for Counseling Sessions
This interactive card game encourages students to identify expected and unexpected behaviors in school settings.
Students discuss why certain behaviors help build friendships while others may create problems with peers or adults.
This lesson is especially effective for students who struggle with impulse control and social awareness.
Week 5: Reinforcing Expected Behaviors
Resource:
Social Skills Story Coloring Book: Appropriate vs. Inappropriate Behaviors
After introducing expected and unexpected behaviors through the card game, reinforce the concepts with this social story and coloring book.
Students gain additional opportunities to discuss real-life examples and practice identifying positive behavioral choices.
Week 6: Making Good Choices UNO
Resource:
What Should You Do? Making GOOD Choices UNO for Counseling Grades 1-5
This is consistently one of the most engaging counseling activities for elementary students.
Students answer discussion prompts while playing Jenga, encouraging thoughtful conversations about problem-solving, decision-making, personal responsibility, and positive behavior choices.
The game format naturally increases participation, even among reluctant group members.
Week 7: Determining Kind vs Unkind Behaviors Worksheet Activity
Resource:
The Kind vs. Unkind Video & Cut-Paste Counseling & SEL Activity
This is a fun and easy lesson on KINDNESS vs. UNKIND Behaviors. Good for Social Emotional Learning, counseling for students with behavioral difficulties, poor conflict resolution, and BULLYING behaviors. Includes an excellent YouTube video link (see below) and then cut and paste activity for small group or individual counseling. You can pre-cut before your session, or include the cut and paste into the session to help build fine motor skills.
Skills/Ways to use:
– Fine motor- coloring, cutting, gluing, hand eye coordination
– Use as a center/activity on Valentines day or Pink shirt day
– Social emotional learning
Week 8: Kindness and Friendship
Resource:
KINDNESS vs. UNKIND Behaviors CANDYLAND
Kindness is one of the most important friendship-building skills students can learn.
This activity helps students differentiate between kind and unkind actions, understand how behavior impacts others, and develop empathy for peers…all while playing the fun game of CANDYLAND!
Students often enjoy sharing examples of kindness they have experienced or demonstrated.
Week 9: “Video Game” for Learning Social Skills
Resource:
Free Social Skills Counseling & SEL Game; Gameboard for YouTube Video Game
This is the FREE Gameboard for the Social Skills Superhero Game. You can purchase the game on TpT or use the gameboard with the pre-made video-game version on YouTube. The video is about 18 minutes long, and requires kids to Get ENGAGED…So Fun! Perfect for your 30-minute counseling session!
Week 10: Social Skills Celebration and Review with JENGA!
Resources:
- Social Skills JENGA or Beach Ball Game for Counseling Grades 1-5
Wrap up the group with a fun review session using one of your favorite game-based resources.
Students revisit key concepts learned throughout the group:
- Friendship skills
- Recognizing feelings
- Expected behaviors
- Making good choices
- Kindness
- Safety
- Problem-solving
This final session reinforces learning while celebrating student growth and participation.
Why Counselors Love This Sequence
Using these Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun resources provides:
✅ Minimal preparation time
✅ Engaging hands-on activities
✅ Built-in discussion prompts
✅ Developmentally appropriate lessons for K–3 students
✅ Opportunities for role-play and real-life application
✅ A complete 10-week counseling plan without creating materials from scratch
If you’re looking for a simple way to run effective social skills groups this school year, these activities provide a ready-made roadmap that helps students develop friendship skills, self-control, emotional awareness, and positive decision-making—all while having fun.
Browse the full Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun Social Skills collection here:
Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun Social Skills Resources