As I’m sure you know, school counselors mostly support general education students. As a school psychologist, I can assure you that school counselors can really be a great asset for supporting students with IEP’s as well. Students with disabilities need as much support as possible. Even when students with an IEP do not have counseling services from the school psychologist, they definitely can benefit from supports from the school’s counselor. Here are 5 ways that school counselors can support students with disabilities.

#1 Start by Getting to Know Students with Disabilities

Many schools have special education classrooms. From classrooms that are specific to students with autism, to classrooms that support students with learning disabilities for intellectual disabilities. As a counselor it is great to visit these classrooms and get to know the students end them. You can do this by just being present from time to time and helping the teacher or specific students who are struggling with working indepdently. You can also get to know the students by doing of fun activity with them as a whole class.

Some ideas for whole class activities could include leading a restorative circle, playing a game, or showing a video that can teach them a skill and lead a class discussion. This leads me to my next suggestion…

#2 Provide SEL Lessons on a Regular Basis in Special Education Classrooms

There is no rule saying that school counselors can’t provide SEL to both Gen Ed and special education students. If this is spreading you too thin, then try sending out a video of the week or low-prep activity that both special education and general education teachers can do easily.

As a school psychologist, I often provide my easy SEL video game activities to special day classrooms at my schools. Here are two of the video “game” SEL lessons that are on my YouTube channel and are free for counselors for teachers to use.

#3 Run a Weekly Game Club

This is something that counselors can do to benefit all students that need help with social skills and making friends. I started a game club at one of my middle schools 10 years ago with one of my school counselors. The students really loved it, and it was a great resource for teachers of both general education and special education students to refer students to who were struggling with making friends.

Many students are lonely out on the playground and feel isolated with not knowing how exactly to make even one friend. By providing a game club, you can provide that space for students to meet others, practice social skills through non-physical games (UNO, Jenga, board games, etc.), and have fun.

To start a game club, you do not have to buy games. Yeay! Start out by asking for teacher, parent, or PTO donations of pre-owned games, or even Legos. You can have the game club be in a classroom or the library if you are in colder climates. If you want the game club to be outside, designate an area of the lunch benches or get a few tarps or pre-owned blankets to zone out the spot.

#4 Provide SEL Resources

If you are short on time like I am, then providing SEL activities or resources to Special Education teachers can still be a big help. I’m often providing video links and worksheets to teachers that I can send in emails, especially when asked for specific topic, such as personal space, tattling, or making “good choices”. You can also start an SEL Google Classroom for your entire School where you can post weekly videos, activities, or lessons that are little to no-prep for teachers of both general education and special education students.

If you like the idea of providing weekly SEL Videos to your school, then check out these SEL and Counseling Video products in the Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun Store! They’ll save you tons of time with research and cover a load of topics!

#5 Start a Buddy-Space or “Buddy Bench”

Often students with disabilities struggle with social skills and/or making friends. This might be related to a part of their disability, such as Autism. It might also be related to low self-esteem or poor emotional regulation that keeps peers at a distance. Whatever the reason, it can be helpful to provide students with an opportunity to have a buddy. You can do this by making a “buddy bench” area, or by starting a weekly lunch-bunch where students in leadership (or other students who volunteer) can eat lunch or play with their “buddy” once per week.  

Need an EASY and Inexpensive SEL Curriculum for your school or classroom???

The Summit SEL Curriculums is a Low-Prep, easy to use curriculum for grades TK- 6th Grades. Each grade level is broken into 5 main topics and has over 50 videos, a classroom behavior system, restorative circles prompt cards, and printable SEL game activities and worksheets. Available for individual grade levels and as a BUNDLE in the Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun Store in TpT.

You Can Get SEL and Counseling Activities Today… for FREE!

If you are hoping to find not just inexpensive, but FREE Counseling Activities, then you are in the right place! Subscribe to CounselingFannyPack.com and gain access to the Free Resource Library! In it, you will get new counseling activities that are updated monthly for subscribers! Just Click HERE to sign up for access!

The post 5 Ways School Counselors Can Support Students With Disabilities appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

I’m beyond irritated today as I scrolled in my Google News feed to learn that the idiot school districts and politicians in Florida want to “ban” Social and Emotional Learning. It’s like children (who then turn into adults, by the way) in Florida don’t have behavioral issues, emotional struggles, trauma, grief, stress, or difficulties forming relationships with others???

Um, I’m pretty sure that Florida is often in the news for having a serious drug and substances abuse epidemic. Sure the weather is nice, but Florida is always in the news for it’s citizens doing crazy things on drugs or in a mental health crisis. My local morning radio station show even dedicates a segment to what crazy SH** a FLORIDIAN did in the news.

What EXACTLY is Social and Emotional Learning?

And What Can It Do?

If your a teacher, administrator, counselor, or school psychologist, like myself, you know that kids have behaviors. From screaming, crying, hitting, and even throwing chairs and desks, it can get WILD in the classroom. Social and Emotional Learning is the instruction and tools to help growing adults (a.k.a. “children”) learn how to manage their emotions, control their behaviors, learn skills for learning (a.k.a. the purpose of education), and learn how to get along with others so that they can become productive citizens of our society in… AMERICA and… The WORLD.

“SEL” is simply the information and practices related to learning about emotions and social skills that teachers and school-based counselors can share and provide their students at school. This is important because many children do not typically receive direct instruction about emotions or social skills in their home environments. Sure my children do, but I’m a damn school psychologist! Are your politicians or school beard members in Florida? I have my doubts.

Other Reasons to Provide SEL in Schools

Another reason SEL should be provided in school is that school is where children have daily challenging experiences that help them to develop cognitively, academically, socially, and emotionally, whether politicians like it or not. This is because school is CHALLENGING! School is where kids have to do hard things. In case your an adult reading this, school was hard for YOU TOO when you were a kid! School is where kids learn to navigate feelings stress, have conflicts with others, and develop work ethic and responsibility through their daily school experiences.

If children do not learn to use strategies to regulate their emotions or cooperate with others, they might not develop the skills needed for the work force of today. Even kids with trust funds can be unemployable Mr. Florida governor. Do we want our kids coping with their emotions by using drugs, committing crimes to fund drug habits, or even worse…living with us until their 40? I think not.

In contrast at home, children are typically provided minimal opportunities for having cognitive or other types of challenging demands placed on them. They also don’t often have frequent social interactions that require cooperation and problem solving, even for children with siblings. Sure they might have chores and have to follow home rules. But home is a place that is less structured and more relaxed, WHICH IS FINE! Home should be a place to feel comfortable and have less stressful demands placed on them. Yes, parents should definitely establish rules, have discipline, and have daily routines. In fact, homes without these three components often lead to the children who have behavioral difficulties at school, quite honestly. But, home should mostly be a place where there isn’t quite as much structure, stress, and routines as they have in the school environment.

Enough Ranting Suzy! On to the the FREE STUFF!

So, in honor of the low-lifes who think providing SEL instruction to children of ALL home, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, I am putting 20 FREE Social and Emotional Learning Products form my TpT Store (Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun) in my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY for the Entire Month of SEPTEMBER…Every year starting in 2023! So, (place your own profanity here) FLORIDA School Boards and Politicians who don’t know ANYTHING about how to improve our society.

You do not have to be a teacher or counselor in Florida to get my Free Curriculum Materials!

To join my FREE Resource Library ANYTIME, especially for the month of SEPTEMBER, Click HERE! You will receive the password for the Library and occasional emails about sales from my store, new blog posts, and apparently occasional rants about children being denied SEL or other mental health support. Enjoy!

The post How to Get FREE SOCIAL and EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) Curriculum Materials appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

The term “mindfulness” is very popular right now. But in reality, it’s just being mindful of your body, your thoughts, and your surroundings. Also, it can teach children methods for calming down when their emotions feel out of control. A straightforward and effective method for calming the mind and managing stress is “Mindfulness”. Kids are capable of doing it, frequently better than adults!

Who Can Mindfulness Instruction Help?

Any child who struggles with focus is an excellent candidate for learning mindfulness, but it is actually a great tool for all children, as we all experience moments of stress and anxiety in the game of life. Learning the skills of mindfulness can definitely help children in understanding their thoughts and feelings. This is because identifying our feelings is the first step in managing them when we are about to lose control.

Learning to manage our emotions is really an important life skill that will be helpful beyond childhood and into adulthood. Just think of all of those “Real Housewives” shows and the women that are continually losing control of their emotions. It makes good entertainment, but it can cost you your job, your marriage, and your friendships.

Mindfulness Can Also Help With Decreasing Behaviors

Developing mindfulness abilities in children at a young age might also make things simpler for both them and their teachers as they get older. With incorporating some mindfulness instruction into your classroom’s culture, behavior issues can be transformed into teaching opportunities for your students. This can be done with discussion questions, restorative circles, or a “Think about my emotions and behavior” worksheet.

Through mindfulness instruction and practices in the classroom, kids can also be reminded to take a moment to breathe, stretch, take a break, use a fidget, color a picture, or get a drink of water when they identify that their emotions are elevating…before a behavior occurs. When students and teachers speak the same language about mindfulness, it can become easier for them to use coping mechanisms to use in stressful situations indepdently with a little practice.

The ultimate goal of mindfulness is to help children become more conscious of their emotions so they may learn better ways to manage them.

The EASIEST and CHEAPEST tool…VIDEOS!

As a School Psychologist, I often use videos to teach a concept or provide instructional practice in a social-emotional skill. There are so many videos to choses from, however. So, how do you know which ones are best for your kids? Over the years I have compiled different lists of Social-Emotional Learning Videos (including Mindfulness Videos) for different age groups of videos for students. If you’d like to check them out, click HERE or on the pictures below!

Here are TWO of my favorite Mindfulness Videos!

Mindfulness Coloring Activities

Mindfulness Coloring is a great tool for helping children learn to manage their emotions. Coloring can be done during personal breaks, as part of an SEL lesson, or as a transition activity when students finish work early. They also make great decorations for your classroom or office. Pictures can be downloaded for free from various websites, but I have made my own that are more gender neutral pictures, less detail oriented, and positive affirmations pictures. This is because I’ve found that many mindfulness coloring pictures are either too feminine or too detailed for younger children.

Click HERE or on the pictures to check out these Mindfulness Coloring picture packets in my store!

Games for Teaching Kids about their Emotions

Mindfulness is about being fully aware of your own emotional state. But, what if your students do not know about emotions? This board game is tons of fun for teaching students about Emotions and helps them to learn to identify when they may need to regulate an emotion. It can be played in a small group or individual setting.

Click HERE for full video tutorial on this GAME!

In summary, Mindfulness does not have to be this complex or inexpensive thing that you are having your students do. There are many academic and behavioral benefits to teaching it, however. So, if you were on the fence, hopefully my ideas and products can make it easier for you to help bring a little calm and emotional awareness to your students’ school day.

To find more Social and Emotional Learning materials, please visit my TpT store, Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun. Also, check out my new SEL books for Elementary School Students. Just click on their picture so learn more!

How to Get Counseling Activities… for FREE!

If you are hoping to find not just inexpensive, but FREE Counseling Activities, then you are in the right place! Subscribe to CounselingFannyPack.com and gain access to the Free Resource Library! In it, you will get new counseling activities that are updated monthly for subscribers! Just Click HERE to sign up for access!

 If you are OK with spending $3-$5 on a few fun counseling activities for your students, please just click the pictures within this post and they will all link you to the product in my Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun store.

The post Easy Activities to Teach Your Students Mindfulness in the Classroom appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

Do you have students with behaviors???!!! The word, behavior, can include a number of things. From hiding under a desk, to shouting and throwing objects in your classroom. Determining the function, or reason, for a behavior is often the job of your School Psychologist, like my self. But, let me tell you a secret…It’s really not rocket science. It’s observations and a little knowledge of the reasons why a child might be exhibiting those behaviors.

Let me also start out by saying that children do not want to have these behaviors. It’s true. Your student who throws chairs does not do it because it makes him happy. Children only develop behaviors over time when they learn that they can get a need met when they exhibit them.

It’s just like when a baby cries when it is hungry. The baby probably cried and then was given its milk several times during it’s first few days before it learned that crying will result in what it needs…food. Behavior works the same way. The child needs something, and will exhibit behaviors until it learns which behavior will get his or her need met.

Here are 5 reasons (or needs) that can help explain why a child might be exhibiting behavioral challenges in your classroom:

1) They Have a Difficulty Communicating

There are a variety of types of communication deficits that children may have. When communication deficits are significantly delayed, the child is often diagnosed with Autism. But communication deficits can have a wide range of levels of severity. Often the more delayed the communication ability, the more likely a child will demonstrate behaviors in order to communicate his or her thoughts or needs.

I’ve found that hitting and other aggressive behaviors are a learned response for children that cannot communicate with vocabulary that they are in pain, afraid, worried, unhappy, or do not want to do something. These children have learned that if they yell, scream, hit, etc., they will often get out of the task, activity, or social situation that they do not want to do.

For these children, improving their ability to communicate, even if by picture cards, their behaviors will decrease over time. The secret to improving their behaviors is to reward the student (stickers, token chart, etc.) when they “use their words” (or picture card) to express themselves. For students with significant communication delays, providing Speech and Language services is also a must. These services are part of what will support them will learning vocabulary and other communication skills.

2) They Have an Unidentified Disability

This is a wide net of reasoning behind behaviors. However, students with unidentified disability tend to have behavioral concerns. These types of students may include with significant hyperactivity that have trouble staying seating, attending to instruction, or starting assignments. They may also include students with learning difficulties, who are always talking or start distracting others when its time for Math.

When a student has a disability, they are often exhibiting behaviors for one of two reasons. The first reason is to avoid tasks that are difficult and may be deflating their self-esteem. The other is to

. For example, students with ADHD may need movement breaks, seating away from visual distractions, or specialized seating, such as a T-stool, wiggle seat, or standing desk. Students with Autism may need sensory items, a weighted vest, or communication device.

3) The Academic Work is Too High

This may apply to a student with a disability or a student who is just behind academically in one or more area. Students are more behind these days, post COVID. I’ve talked to many of my teachers who are frustrated with how “low” their students are.

I’ve also had to work extensively with a teacher who previously taught Special Education Students in 1st through 3rd grade and is now teaching an SDC TK and Kinder class. This teacher kept complaining of how many of her students have “behaviors” in her classroom (yelling, throwing things, eloping, etc.). When I came to observe, however, she was having her students hold pencils, Copy SENTENCES, and sit at tables for up to 30 minutes! These tasks were neither academically age-level appropriate or developmentally appropriate for her students, which was leading to her own emotional difficulties as her students were increasing their behaviors in rebellion.

When evaluating reasons why students have behaviors, consider whether the tasks, instruction, and even the structure of your schedule are developmentally appropriate for your student or students. If this may be the root cause of behaviors, then you may need to adjust to meet your students where they are at.

4) They have Poor Self-Regulation

These students may have either difficulty regulating their impulsivity or their emotions. Students with poor impulse control may be disruptive constantly with their voice, bodies, or all of thee above. Just last week I can to get a student for counseling and he was literally jumping on the tables in the classroom when I walked in. This student is also continually touching others, yelling, and talking back to his teacher. This student has poor self-regulation.

Other students may have poor emotional-regulation. This may be related to low self-esteem, home or personal factors, or related to their Autism disability. For students with poor emotional regulation, this may look like poor anger control, over-reactions to typical situations, crying, eloping from the classroom, or physical violence.

Both of these types of students benefit from providing counseling services, whether at school or outside of school. They need instruction on how to use calming strategies, coping strategies, positive self-talk, empathy, social skills… and the list goes on. These students also can benefit from implementing personalized behavior and/or rewards charts. In addition, I will often provide them with a social story or classroom tool for helping them to regulate their emotions.

Here are some of the tools and social stories that I use below and are available in my store on Teachers pay Teachers. Click on the tool for the link to purchase if they sound like they would be helpful for you or your student.

5) They have a Need for Attention

These students are exhibiting behaviors that scream, “Look at me!” There are a few reasons why children engage in Attention-seeking behaviors. One may be a lack of attention at home. This may happen if the parents work a lot, are going through a divorce, or their is another cause for instability in the home environment.

Another reasons for attention-seeking behaviors is a lack of social skills. These students are constantly engaged in peer attention seeking behaviors, such as touching peers, acting silly or inappropriate, or calling peers names. While these behaviors invoke negative attention from peers most likely, it is the only way that the child may know how to get their peers’ attention at all. These students benefit from being provided Social Emotional Learning (SEL) or even Small Group counseling that focuses on building Social Skills. If this sounds like your student or students, then providing SEL for your classroom may be in order. Other options are a “lunch bunch”, game club, or counseling with your school counselor or psychologist.

If you are looking for games and other activities to help build social skills for your student or students, click on the products below that might help you out!

You Can Get Counseling Activities Today… for FREE!

If you are hoping to find not just inexpensive, but FREE Counseling Activities, then you are in the right place!

Subscribe to CounselingFannyPack.com and gain access to the Free Resource Library! In it, you will get new counseling activities that are updated monthly for subscribers! Just Click HERE to sign up for access!

 If you are OK with spending $3-$5 on a few fun counseling activities for your students, please just click the pictures within this post and they will all link you to the product in my Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun store.

If you have been looking for Social Emotional Learning Curriculum and Activities for your ENTIRE CLASSROOM, please check out my Videos for my SEL Activity Books Curriculum for grades TK- 2 and 3-5!!!

The post 5 Reasons Why Students have BEHAVIORS in the Classroom!!! appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

If you are a teacher or counselor providing “SEL”, or Social-Emotional Learning, to audiences of 10 or more children at a time, then you have quite an interesting challenge ahead of you this school year. Providing SEL is so important these days, as students have been significantly impacted by the past few years of additional stress, isolation, and trauma that are a consequence of the pandemic. So, I’d like to start this article by saying, “THANNK YOU!” Yes, thank you for caring about the mental health of your students, even if directed by your district, because you are reading this and making an effort to make a difference in their lives.

If you are reading this article, however, I suspect it is because you were tasked with providing SEL, but not given much guidance, curriculum, materials, or tools. I also work in education as a school psychologist, so I am very familiar with this issue unfortunately! It’s the… do this additional new magical support, but squeeze it into your already jam-packed schedule and try to do it with little to no money given to your efforts. Education can be so fulfilling, but so stressful all at once!

Here’s My Resources for Making SEL a Breeze for You and Your Students All School Year

I’ve created two grade-based SEL programs (Tk-2nd & 3-5) that are super easy to provide and are a great value, as they are enough activities to average between 15-45 minutes per week of SEL in your classroom. In my programs, I use videos on SEL Topics (YouTube links to mine and other great videos), and include tons of my games, restorative circle prompts, worksheet activities, and other engaging activities for the classroom from my store.

The packet essentially organizes each month by topic and has a collection of 6-8 videos for you to show. It also has corresponding activities to each monthly topic. The majority of the activities in each packet are for whole group instruction and practice. However, there are also some games included for small group rotation times in your classroom. Below is the index page with topics indicated for you to see. These topics include a focus on social skills, emotional regulation, and behavior, as improvements in these areas will help with both individual learning and classroom management. Yes, SEL is a great way to support students and whole classrooms with behavioral issues!

A Quick Overview of the Types of Activities Included…or Just watch the Video!

Provide your ENTIRE SCHOOL with Social and Emotional Learning for grades PreK/TK through 6th grades for under $250!

The Summit SEL program is a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum that is grade-specific and designed to provide developmentally appropriate SEL as a Tier 1 support for schools and classrooms. Each grade is divided into five essential topics that address areas of Social and Emotional well-being.

Students will have fun on their “hike” to the top of the summit of SEL Mountain every year as they learn important skills needed for success in school…and beyond!

These skills include:

1. Social Skills, such as making friends, playing with others, conflict resolution, communicating with others, teamwork and collaboration, and using empathy
2. School readiness and learning skills, including transitioning in the classroom, listening to the teacher, executive functioning skills, growth mindset, and academic motivation
3. Emotional Regulation, including skills such as using coping strategies, mindfulness, identifying emotional triggers, and anger management
4. Behavior regulation
5. Improving Self-Care and Self-Esteem

Click HERE To Learn MORE about the SUMMIT SEL Program

Daily Emotions Check-In

In the Tk-2nd grade packet you will find an Emotions Check-In. This Check-In system is an easy way to help students learn to pause and identify their own feelings during the school day. Check-Ins are generally used in the morning, but can be used at any time in the day when you want students to practice self-reflection. Emotional Check-ins are a great tool and can really help incorporate SEL into your class’ daily routine.

Check-ins are also a helpful tool for teachers because it is a non-verbal way for children to communicate when they might be feeling sad, tired, or grumpy by moving their name or clip to the emotion they are feeling. This way, their teacher can know to have a personal check-in discussion with them to help the student. As teachers, you are the first line of identification for mental health or family issues because you see your students daily. If there is a bigger concern or need for intervention beyond SEL, you are the person to likely make that referral.

SEL with Weekly Restorative Circles

These Restorative Circles activity cards are in both the Tk-2nd and 3-5th grade packets. Circles are a way for students to regularly interact with one another in a way that is respectful, supportive, and fosters a sense of community within a classroom. Circles can be used to build rapport amongst your students, teach them turn taking and listening skills, and help them to learn conflict resolution skills when there are incidents that can be addressed within the circle.

This is when the SEL Circle becomes the restorative Circle, as students learn to restore balance, fairness, and relationships when issues can be addressed as a class. Circles can address incidents of bullying, disputes between peers, and with making class choices.

Worksheets

Worksheets are an easy activity to do in combination with a related video. For example, this worksheet should be assigned during the month of February, and pairs well with one or more of the videos included for instruction that month.

Social Emotional Learning GAMES!!!

Games are another great way to support your students with their Social and Emotional Learning. Some games, such as Anger BINGO can be done whole class. Most games, however, are best done in a small group setting and can be incorporated during small group rotations. SEL games aren’t just regular old Candy Land. They are games that are designed to teach SEL skills, provide practice of skills, and/or facilitate discussion of a topic.

Social Stories can be great for individual students with SEL needs

The goal of this social story to share information in a way that makes sense to children in order to help them understand their own experiences. Stories are often is in first person, which encourages the development of empathy and understanding of how their behaviors make others (teacher included) feel.

Social stories can be for students who have specific issues or concerns, but some may also work for the whole class. Some stories that are available in my TpT store address SEL areas, such as controlling anger, personal space, making friends, and sharing. They are all coloring books, so they can be a fun and easy activity that can be personalized for each individual student that is struggling in a specific area of social skills or behavior.

Where to Start

Social-Emotional Learning does not have to be some rigid program. It is about giving children information and providing opportunities for growth and practice throughout the school year. With the variety of activities provided in either the Tk-2nd or 3-5th grade SEL Made Easy Packets, you will have plenty of activities to chose from. You can do some, or all. You can move around the month order as well, based on your needs. The months are just recommended and provide you with some structure, but I’m a big believer in flexibility when it comes to mental health. Provide first what your students need to be successful, and the rest is just gravy.

If you’d like to check out more of my SEL and Counseling books, social stories, and games, please visit my Teachers pay Teachers store, Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun! Just search the type of activity or SEL topic and hopefully I will have something for you at a great price. Most of my individual products are under $5 and there are new products every week…or month, depending on my hectic school psych schedule.

The post How to Provide Tier 1 Instruction for Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

Having confidence can be such an important factor in academic success. As a School Psychologist, I am constantly working with students on issues of self-esteem and negative thinking patterns when facing challenges. Many students develope anxiety about certain subjects or engage in avoidance behaviors because of their negative thinking patterns, which can be very powerful. Negative thoughts can lead to school avoidance, low self-esteem, aggression, and bullying.

When counseling students, it is important to retrain students to use positive thinking when facing challenges instead of negative thoughts. This will lead to them being able to better overcome academic difficulties and be patient with their learning. It takes time, instruction, and practice for children to learn to use positive thinking, as using negative thinking has become a habit that is hard to break. This is because jumping to the negative can feel much more comfortable than believing the positive for some people, not just kids.

One key to helping a student begin to believe in their mental ability to learn is to have them learn and use positive affirmations.

Finding affirmations that they can believe in and say to themselves daily can be a great practice, and can really help in battling off the “I can’t” monster. It can even be like a mantra, which is a statement repeated frequently that is typically used to overcome an obstacle. In order to help them find their own mantra or use daily affirmations, it is helpful to have them feel connected to a positive affirmation that they like and can believe. This will help them better make it a daily habit that will lead to positive results and a more positive attitude towards learning.

Here are 50 positive Affirmations that can help support building ACADEMIC SELF-ESTEEM:

1. I Eat Math Problems For Breakfast!
2. I Am A Focused Student!
3. I Am Getting Smarter Every Day!
4. A Positive Mindset Will Be My Path To Success In School!
5. Challenges Will Help Me Grow!
6. I Will Keep Trying Until I Succeed
7. I Can Do Anything If I Put My Mind To It!
8. I Am Awesome At Trying Hard Things
9. I Am A Responsible Student
10. I Won’t Stress. I’ll Try My Best!
11. Asking For Help Is The Path To Learning Success!
12. I am Creative!
13. Math Is My Friend!
14. Today’s Reader Is Tomorrow’s Leader!
15. I Defeat The “I Can’t” Monster Every Day
16. I Believe In ME!
17. I Will NOT Quit!
18. Learning Hurdles Are Awesome For My Brain
19. I am Doing My Best Every Day.
20. I Can Change The World
21. School Is Important To Me
22. I Welcome Challenges.
23. Learning Takes The Patience That I Have
24. I Am Intelligent!
25. I Am A Fast Learner!
26. I Can Learn To Read With Speed
27. I Am Brave Enough To Try Again
28. I’ll Only Learn From Making Mistakes
29. My Learning Journey Starts With The First Step
30. Accepting Help Shows My Strength
31. My Calm Mind Will Learn With Ease
32. I Am Proud Of My Effort Every Day
33. I Embrace Mistakes
34. Learning Is My Super Power
35. I Am Unstoppable!
36. I Always Try To Do My Best
37. I Won’t Just Try. I’ll DO!
38. I Am Going To Reach My Goals!
39. Learning Is Easy When I Try
40. It’s OK If I Don’t Know Yet!
41. I’m Going To Make Myself Proud Today
42. Happiness Comes With The Journey. Not Just The Result.
43. A Positive Attitude Is The Key To My Success!
44. I Deserve All Of My Success In School
45. I Won’t Stop Until I Reach My Goals
46. I Ride The Success Train Every Day
47. I Stay Positive No Matter What
48. I Believe That I Am Super Smart
49. I Am Exceptional!
50. School Feels Good To Me

If you are a School Psychologist, Teacher, School Counselor, or Parent and would like an activity to do with your students using these positive affirmations, please check out my product below. It is an arts and crafts project for students to make and keep that will help remind them of using positive thinking daily.

The post 50 Positive Affirmations for Academic Success appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

Are you a teacher or counselor providing general Social-Emotional Learning, or SEL, to your whole classroom? If so, videos are a fun, quick, and relatively easy way to provide SEL on a frequent basis! But, researching the perfect videos that are age appropriate and actually good takes time. If you are looking for an easy way to provide videos on a weekly or monthly basis, please check out my Videos list (seen above) for a school year’s worth of videos, organized by monthly topic.

With this list (seen above) you can provide SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) to your classroom or counseling group with YouTube video links, organized by topic and specifically for the 3-5th grade age group. There are 7 videos per monthly topic that can be used in any order that you like. This list is an easy way to provide your students with information that can help their social and emotional personal growth during the school year.

Here are 20 Videos from the monthly SEL Topics:

August & September: Learning Skills and Working in Groups

October: Classroom Behavior and Giving Others Respect

November: Social Skills-Conflict Resolution and Bullying

December: Social Skills-Empathy and Manners

January: Growth Mindset and Positive Thinking

February: Positive Thinking and Coping Skills

March: Mindfulness

April: Controlling Anger and Emotional Regulation

May & June: Transitioning to Middle School & Social Media

For Tons More SEL Activities for Your Classroom…

For a complete Activity Book for the school year that includes all of the Videos from the Videos list, plus tons of worksheets, games, and restorative circles prompts, please check out my new book, Social and Emotional Learning for the Classroom Made EASY (Grades 3-5)!

Included SEL Activities:

• 80 Videos lesson links
• 25 Worksheets
• 10 Games
• 7 Restorative Circles Themed Topics (80 questions)

The post Social-Emotional Learning VIDEOS for EVERY MONTH of the SCHOOL YEAR appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

Are you a teacher or counselor providing general Social-Emotional Learning, or SEL, to your whole classroom? If so, videos are a fun, quick, and relatively easy way to provide SEL on a frequent basis! But, researching the perfect videos that are age appropriate and actually good takes time. If you are looking for an easy way to provide videos on a weekly or monthly basis, please check out my Videos list (seen above) for a school year’s worth of videos, organized by monthly topic. There are 7-8 Videos per month.

Here are the topics themes organized by month:

• August & September: School Based Skills-Listening, Following Directions, behavior at school
• October: Learning about emotions
• November: Social skills: Playing with others and personal space
• December: Social Skills: Empathy, friendship & manners
• January: Growth mindset and positive thinking
• February: coping skills and Zones of Regulation
• March: Mindfulness
• April: Controlling Anger and Emotional Regulation
• May: Self-control
• June: showing respect and bullying

If you are looking for just 20 of my over 80 Videos recommendations for Tk-2nd Grades, here are some good ones from the list!

School Based Skills-Listening, Following Directions, & Behavior at School

Learning About Emotions

Social Skills: Playing with Others and Personal Space

Social Skills: Empathy, Friendship & Manners

Growth Mindset and Positive Thinking

Coping Skills and Zones of Regulation

Mindfulness

Controlling Anger and Emotional Regulation

Self-Control

Showing Respect and Bullying

For Tons More SEL Activities for Your Classroom…

For a complete Activity Book for the school year that includes all of the Videos from the list, plus tons of worksheets, games, and social stories, please check out my new book, Social and Emotional Learning for the Classroom Made EASY (Grades Tk-2)!

Included:

• 80 Videos lesson links
• 5 Social Story Coloring Books
• Emotional Daily Check-In (Ocean creature themed)
• 23 Worksheets
• 9 Games
• 7 Restorative Circles Themed Topics (80 questions)

The post 20 YouTube Videos for Social Emotional Learning in Grades Tk-2nd appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

What is a Calming Corner?

A calming corner is a designated small space that students can go to relax, use coping or calming strategies, and take a needed break. If you are a teacher, it can be a helpful tool that can be used for many purposes. This is because it does not have to be for just students with anger difficulties or behaviors. All of your students can benefit from a space in the classroom where they can regulate their emotions.

In a calming corner students can relax, take a break from work, take a reward break for finishing work, and/or regroup when having a bad day. It can also be more a more positive spin on having a time-out space for students having difficulty controlling behaviors that are disruptive, such as bothering peers or disrupting instruction.

If you are a school psychologist or counselor, a calming corner is definitely a useful space to have in your office. In my experience as a school psychologist, I have used it to work on coping skills and mindfulness during counseling, give students a break from their classroom, and have a soft location for aggressive students to calm down in. Yes, they may throw or punch pillows. That’s the nice part of having my own office, no other students to disrupt or injure when they are having a moment (aka meltdown.)

Your Calming Corner can be pretty basic and low cost and still be effective

I have been in classrooms where teachers have fancy chairs, small tents, and even a couch for their Calming Corner space. While I aspire to be fancy, I’m admittedly too cheap with myself to buy expensive things, especially for work. To make my office Calming Corner, I used an extra yoga mat from my home, old couch pillows, stuffed animals, and yes, floatation boat cushions. I admittedly have a slight cost-saving advantage, however, as I have my own children to “borrow” plush animals from.

If you are not able to scrounge up some old pillows or yoga mat from your home, try TJ Maxx or Marshals. The plushier the Yoga mat, the better. I’ve also seen teachers with small carpets, which can also be found inexpensively. Your corner does not have to be large at all. It should probably just be big enough to fit one student at a time. This will reduce situations of multiple students wanting to use it together and talking or disrupting the class.

The only purchased item in the picture above was the plush questions cube. It’s a nice addition that is functional as a rapport building activity while being an additional pillow. Pretty sure this was another August Target purchase, as back-to-school stuff is very seasonal. There’s also always Amazon too for some small, inexpensive touches.

Other Items to consider adding to your Calm Corner

Calming strategies poster or pictures

The calming strategies wall poster and pictures that I have are from Target several years ago. They helped me create a general theme of a pond for my Calm Corner and rewards system because they were frog and ocean themed.

Puzzles, Books, and Mindfulness Coloring Worksheets

While students can definitely lay down and do nothing in the Calm Corner, it is not likely that they will. Most kids need activity even when they are attempting to calm down. By providing some activities that can be distracting without being too stimulating, students can take their mental break and return to their work much easier. These puzzles were from the Dollar Tree Store. I’ve found that Dollar Tree has much more educational and sensory toy items than 99 cent store from what I have seen.

Social-Emotional Learning Themed Books ae also a good addition, but not completely necessary. For younger students, a social story book may be helpful because they can be specific to the issue if done right.

Here are some examples of Social Stories that can help with teaching calming and other other coping skills.

Mindfulness Coloring Worksheets

Mindfulness coloring helps children (and adults) become more present in the moment. They can distract while providing an opportunity to pause and reflect on our emotions. When completed, they usually look pretty nice as well. When counseling students who require a long or serious discussion, I will often use a mindfulness coloring activity to relax them and make them feel more comfortable. To do this, I will usually start coloring my own picture with them, which kids them feel like I am not just interrogating them, but am someone they can feel comfortable talking to.

Here are some of my hand-drawn mindfulness pictures that are mostly gender neutral. I made them because I noticed that most of my options for mindfulness coloring were very feminine in design, such as flowers or cats.

Sensory Items, Stress Balls, Liquid Motions, Writing Pad, and Fidgets

Other items that can be helpful to have in your calming corner might include sensory toys, kinetic sand, or liquid motion toys. These items are slightly more stimulating than books and puzzles, but can be used as more of a reward for students who are on behavior systems and finish their work. It’s all about multi-use spaces that help your life as a teacher be easier while helping your students’ mental health needs.

Its good to have variety of sensory items because kids all like different things…but they all like Kinetic Sand. This activity can be messy, however, and it also might not work on a floor space well, so it’s up to you.

Music?

Music can be another inexpensive nice addition to our calming corner. With headphones, providing calming music can be a good way for students to practice mindfulness or create a mental break from any stress. With headphones, they should not be distracting to their peers.

Last, but not least, use a timer

Use a timer of some kind when allowing students to use the calming corner. If you are a teacher, use a general time for all students, but individualize as needed if a student is having a hard day. If you are a counselor, your student may need quiet a bit of time depending on the issue, but still use a timer. Setting a time limit will help with establishing rules and expectations for using the calm corner. Yes, we want them to calm down and regroup, but we don’t want them to be there all day. It’s about implementing a strategy when stress, frustrated, angry, or over stimulated. It’s not about getting a location to avoid their schoolwork.

For more Counseling and Social-Emotional Learning Tips and Activities, please check out my Elementary School SEL Books and Counseling Activity Books for School Psychs and Counselors!

The post How to Create an Awesome Calming Corner… on a Budget appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.

If you are a teacher or counseling provider for grades Tk-2nd, you are brave! This age level is adorable, but can be challenging to teach. This is because children are making such huge emotional and cognitive changes during this developmental period. Everything is still so new and there is a lot to learn.

There are also so many new emotions and social situations to navigate, often for the first time. With those new experiences, there will be a need for learning what to do and how to manage those big emotions, as this knowledge is not exactly innate. It is learned through experience and through instruction with modeling by others (peers and adults) and direct information.

Students in this age range are also new to learning and school

Children ages 5 and 6 were previously at home or in a daycare prior to TK or Kindergarten. This means that they are going from settings with minimal academic stress or behavioral expectations to a highly structured day full of rules and academic work. They are expected to sit still for prolonged periods, interact appropriately with their peers, make mental effort with learning new skills, and follow the rules at all times. This can be a tough adjustment for some children.

Helping facilitate Social and Emotional growth through lessons, games, and structured skill practice can help all of your students. It can especially help the ones, however, with difficulty adjusting to the expectations in school. These expectations include social skill expectations, emotional regulation, and academic effort and achievement.

These skills are not often present for lots of younger children, however. Some may have difficulty with appropriate play and conversation skills, while others may have limited self-awareness of theirs or others feelings. These gaps can impact their ability to make friends, follow directions, complete tasks, and learn.

How can SEL in the classroom help children?

Providing instruction and practice with a variety of SEL topics related to personal growth, emotional awareness, and social skills can greatly support all of your students with learning academic information. There are many reasons why. One is because knowing how to identify and then manage feelings of stress, anxiety, or frustration can help children when attempting new or challenging tasks.

Another is that building social skills can help their self-esteem and confidence. This can also help their ability to learn. In addition, by addressing social and emotional topics consistently, you can support students with significant behavioral difficulties. This can help prevent loss of your instructional time that their behaviors will inevitably cause.

SEL Topics that are best for TK-2nd graders include:

School-Based Skills:

Listening

Following Directions

School Rules

Expected vs. Unexpected School Behavior

Learning About Emotions

Identifying Emotions in Self and Others

Regulating Emotions-Coping Skills and Mindfulness

Anger Management-Calming Strategies

Social Skills

Initiating Conversation and Play

Play Skills

Respecting others (including peers and teacher)

Personal Space

Empathy

Conflict Resolution

Manners

Self-Esteem

Coping Skills

Growth Mindset

Mindfulness

How to Provide SEL

There are several types of instructional activities that you can do to teach SEL to your students. For more specifics on 5 of these activities, you can visit my article on the 5 ways to make providing SEL easy. If you are looking for an organized and inexpensive way to provide SEL to your class for the whole school year, there are two SEL Activity books (Tk-2 & 3-5) that have each month organized into specific topics with games, circles prompts, video links, and social story coloring books. Both activity books were created to have activities that are specific to the developmental age level of the students. When it comes to SEL, it is really not one size fits all.

Here are the topics covered in each of these activity books (TK-2 Left & 3-5 Right):

Here is my Video from my YouTube Channel (Counseling Fanny Pack of Fun) all about the TK-2nd Grade SEL for the Classroom Activity Book:

The post 20 Social & Emotional Learning Topics that are Important for TK- 2nd Graders to Learn appeared first on The Counseling Fanny Pack.