Friday 5: Five USEFUL and VALUABLE TPT purchases for School Counselors! (IMO)

I had a lot of positive feedback from my last "Friday 5" post  so I thought I would post another. This week's focus is my current TOP 5 TPT School Counseling purchases that I have made so far. I have a few favorite sellers from TPT so it was difficult to choose my top 5 purchases. 

The following purchases are ones that I use frequently and have been well-worth the money. If you are like me, you pay for most (if not all) of your counseling resources out of pocket; it is very important to make sure they are worth every penny! In my opinion, the following ARE! 

1. Emotions Posters and Writing Worksheets from Artrageous Fun

• Cost: $3.00 
• Reasons Why I love it: As a new counselor, I found that I needed some low cost items to "jazz up" my room. I found the posters to be fun AND functional. They are colorful and can be used to show examples of facial expressions and body language. One set includes descriptions of the feeling and the other set just has only the name of the feeling listed. I have both sets up in my room and refer to them often. I keep the "worksheet" that was included on my wall and use it as a "talking tool" to help students verbalize their feelings.

2. Social Skills Program from Crazy Days Counseling

• Cost: $2.00 
• Reasons Why I love it: I have referenced "Crazy Days Counseling" before as one of my favorite sellers in my last "Friday 5 post" AND in my Social Skills Group post. I LOVE this packet. I found it very useful for my students and really enjoyed the "Super Skills Challenge" page. The graphics are nice as well and it is an easy format to use for small groups. 

3. Positive Affirmations for Children from The Helpful Counselor 

• Cost: $3.50 
• Reasons Why I love it: I have also referenced this seller before in my last "Friday 5 post". I really do love these positive affirmations cards and find them useful not only in individual sessions but also small groups. The cards are also well designed and colorful. I find myself going to them quite often!

4. Social Skills Conversation Game from The Helpful Counselor 

• Cost: $5.00
• Reasons Why I love it: I know, I know, another product from The Helpful Counselor. I just love the products they make and this one is no exception. $5.00 is a lot to spend on something for me but I found that the design of the cards and the questions have been really helpful. I use them individually, within small groups, and also use them in my classroom guidance lessons in opening and closing activities. Another plus is that the kids like the cards because they are colorful and cute. They always ask to use them when they come to my room.

5. I Can Be a Pal from Kristen Smith

• Cost: $4.50
• Reasons Why I love it: I find the activities in this packet to be very useful. I typically use them with my lower elementary kiddos and have enjoyed using them in classroom guidance and small groups when focusing on friendship. The games listed are fun, interactive, and easy to implement. An added bonus of this packet is that it is tied into two different children's books as well which make it a quick an easy guidance lesson option.

Are you a TPT user? What are your favorite purchases for counseling? 

My TOP 10 First-Year Counselor Tools (Elementary)

When I first started out, I was constantly looking for resources and materials to keep on hand in the office. Currently, these are my top 10 favorite Elementary Counseling tools that I use! 

1. Balloons- Having a supply of balloons in my room has helped me tremendously. I have used them for teaching calm breathing techniques, anger management, group games, team building, stress balls, classroom guidance and SO much more. They have truly been a lifesaver!

2. Question Cards- I keep a supply of laminated question cards (business card size) in my room. These have been helpful in group when we are getting to know one another as well as one-on-one when I am working with a student who is a bit slow to warm. I recommend every first-year elementary school counselor have these on hand!

3. Yarn/String- You would be surprised at how much red yarn I go through. It is good to have on hand just in case you need it. Some of the things I have used yarn/string for include: paper cup phones, classroom guidance lessons about getting "tangled up" in lies, and as tops for bookmarks for Random Acts of Kindness week!

4. Chart paper- Chart paper is super handy when it comes to Classroom Guidance Lessons! Plus, a lot of the teachers want to keep the chart paper after the lesson and hang it up in the classroom.

5. Lanyards- I use lanyards for my Secret Service Agents and for my Lunch Buddy groups. The lanyard works as a hall pass as well as a reminder for students. I try to keep at least 10 lanyards on hand, the ones with the card holders work best.

6. Hula hoop- I keep a green hula hoop in my office and have found that I pull it out usually once a week if not more. I use the hula hoop during small group games and team building mainly. There are tons of things you can do with a hula hoop!!

7. Tissues- This seems like an obvious one...However, I have learned very quickly that it is a good idea to have multiple boxes of tissues around your office. I am very lucky to have such a sizable work space, that being said, I try to keep a tissue box at arms length at all times. I also keep some cinnamon-flavored tissues on hand, they are different and the students like the way they smell.

8. Mini dry-erase board- I have a larger dry-erase board in my room but also keep a small one on hand. Sometimes a student will write down something on the white board that they don't feel comfortable saying out loud and then they can erase it. This can be a very powerful tool.

9. Magic Wand- Ahh the magic wand! I have one magic wand now but hope to acquire more! I use the magic wand a lot during small group discussions and individual work. We use it with the magic question, "If you could wave a magic wand and change something, what would you change?" Plus, whenever some of my students see the magic wand, their curiosity is sparked and they are more inclined to open up.

10.  Clay/Playdough- Awesome to have on hand. I use clay with every group I run at one point or another and most of the students become very engaged! Plus using clay or playdough can be a great stress reliever!

What supplies to you LOVE to use in your counseling program? What would you have on your list? Comment below! 

Circle Statements

I found an activity to use in individual counseling that I adore. I found it from Child Therapy Techniques . I call them "Circle Statements". Through publisher, I created a document with eight circles. Inside the circles I wrote various statements. If the student agreed with the statement, they colored in the entire circle. If they disagreed they left it blank. If they agreed a little they could color in just a small part of the circle and so forth. I was amazed at how effective it was at getting students to share with me. I was surprised at some of the responses and how deeply they resonated with me. When processing the activity, I gained so much more insight on my students and their feelings.


Circle Statements:

• It is hard for me to talk about my problems. 
• I pretend that everything is okay even when I am upset. 
• I feel loved and cared for. 
• I feel I am a good person
• I like myself. 
• I get along well with my family.
• I get along well with other kids. 
• I am worried that I will not do well in school.