The Heart of Friendship: Nurturing Empathy in Young Hearts

kids on playground

In an elementary school, friendships play a pivotal role in shaping a child’s social and emotional development. As elementary school counselors, our mission is not only to address academic concerns but also to nurture the emotional intelligence of tomorrow’s leaders. One crucial aspect of this emotional intelligence is empathy—the ability to understand and share the…

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Three Ways to Support Shy Kids

Sad boy sitting on window

How to Support Shy Kids Recently at an outdoor concert, I watched a self-assured young boy spot twin girls playing nearby, walk up to them and ask, “Can I play with you?” He was quickly assimilated into the group and soon the three of them were happily playing together although they were never formerly introduced…

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Kids and tough friendship decisions

3 happy boys

Friendship Decisions and Self-Worth As a school counselor for twenty years, one of the most common problems that I talked to kids about was friendship. What do you do when a friend wants to do something that is unkind, thoughtless, or involves breaking the rules? What do you do when a friend is bossy, self-centered…

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The comparison trap and kids

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Kids and the comparison trap Is there a student in your life that is a people pleaser? Are they always looking for  approval and recognition? Do they worry too much about fitting in? Do they complain that they have no friends? Do they have trouble taking initiative, even in situations where they have experience and…

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Teaching the Perfectionist

boy-solving-a-physics-formula

Personality Style and Perfectionism Is there a student in your class who is an over the top perfectionist? Does everything have to be just so? Do they fall apart when there is the slightest mistake? This is a student who may fall into the C personality style. According to the DISC personality program, there are…

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Friendship Troubles

group of girls

Helping Kids See Problems as Opportunities Friends Making new friends. Handling  challenging situations. Knowing when to move on… What do you do when a friend wants to do something that is unkind, thoughtless, or involves breaking the rules? What do you do when a friend is bossy, self-centered and treats you unkindly? If a friend …

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