I have received a lot of questions regarding what new school counselors need for their offices. Here are my Top 10 supplies for elementary school counselors, which expands upon this list that I made in July. I'm sure I missed some of your favorites, but like I always say, every building is different.
10. Behavior Management
For classroom lessons, you need a way to manage student behaviors. It's hard being the "guest." 8. Movies
Movie clips are a great way to illustrate concepts. 6. Play-Doh
Students use Play-Doh as a fidget while talking or as a way to show me how they are feeling. 4. Video Camera
Every school counselor needs a camera! I create a lot of videos for my school: i.e. Red Ribbon Week, Teach To's, Mix it Up at Lunch Day | 9. LEGOs
Students love building with LEGOs. It's fun and I learn a lot about their thoughts and feelings. 7. Books
I use books ALL the time to teach specific concepts. 5. Whoonu
3. Happy Cup and Sad Cup
This is great way to manage small group behaviors! |
2. Portable Sandtray
| Everyone should create a portable sandtray! All of my students, including my moody, "too cool for school" 6th graders, love working with the sand. The best part is that I can take a picture of the final product; I give one copy to the student and keep one for myself. It's an easy way to help document my individual counseling sessions! Plus, my students love having a picture of their work. |
1. School Puppet
| Tim, my school puppet, is probably the best idea I've had since starting my school counseling career. Tim teaches students positive school behaviors, livens up school-wide programs, and is a wonderful incentive for students on behavior plans. He even helped with my 2012-2013 office tour! To learn more about Tim, click here. |
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