Posts Tagged ‘social emotional learning’
Smart Choices Start Early: How to Teach Elementary Students Good Decision-Making Skills
Helping children learn how to make good decisions is one of the most powerful life skills elementary school counselors can teach. Decision-making lessons not only build confidence but also lay the foundation for moral character, critical thinking, and personal responsibility. Elementary students make decisions every day—from choosing friends to deciding whether to follow the rules…
Read MoreGrowing Generous Hearts: How Elementary Counselors Can Teach Giving and Kindness
Elementary school counselors play an important role in shaping the social and emotional growth of students. One essential character trait to nurture is generosity—the ability and willingness to give time, energy, resources, or kindness to others without expecting anything in return. Teaching generosity helps students build empathy, strengthen relationships, and create a more positive school…
Read MoreSmall Groups, Big Results: A Counselor’s Guide to Group Work
One of the most powerful tools elementary school counselors can use is the small counseling group. Small groups create an ideal setting to build trust, provide targeted support, and teach meaningful lessons—all while maximizing your time by reaching several students at once. Students benefit from shared experiences, peer support, and practical strategies they can take…
Read MoreFriendship Troubles: Helping Students Navigate Tricky Friend Situations
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 treats you badly, is it okay to treat them the…
Read MoreResilience: Helping Students Thrive Through Challenges
What does a student do when faced with a challenging situation? Give Up Find an adult to fix the problem Attempt to solve the problem Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges, adapt to difficult situations, and keep going in the face of adversity. For elementary-aged students, resilience might look like staying calm…
Read MoreBuilding Self Esteem the Growth Mindset Way
Back in the day when I was a kid, (which I admit was long, long ago), no one worried about kids developing self-esteem. I’m not even sure the concept of self-esteem existed. What did parents worry about? Well, other normal stuff; kids behaving, kids being successful in school, kids getting along with each other. Then…
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