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Self-Esteem

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Kindergarten - 2nd Grade

I often provide small group lessons to help students boost their self-esteem. Each small group gets 6 sessions. These lessons can easily be adapted for older or younger students.

Lesson 1:

We begin with a review of the rules and purpose of the group (building self-esteem). Then, to build group rapport, we play a get-to-know-you game that I created: Jungle Fun. I used cardboard, construction paper, and stickers to create the game. Game pieces are Legos.
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Directions
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Me Cards
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You Cards
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Lesson 2:

Our second session starts with a review of our rules. We also set a goal for the number of "happy cup" points we want to earn. I have students work on an activity from Colorful Counseling (whichever one I think best meets the group's needs). Students share their work. I keep a copy for my records.

Lesson 3:

After a quick review of our rules and goal-setting (points), we begin our third session. We read I Like Myself! Then, we reflect on the things that we do well. Students record their responses on their workpage. I keep a copy for my records.

Lesson 4:

After a quick review of our rules and goal-setting (points), we begin our fourth session. I have students work on an activity from Colorful Counseling (whichever one I think best meets the group's needs). Students share their work. I keep a copy for my records.
I Like Myself Workpage
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Lesson 5:

After a quick review of our rules and goal-setting (points), we begin our fifth session. The focus of this lesson is learning how to boost our own self-esteem by helping others boost their's. We discuss the concept of bucket-filling: We say and do nice things to fill other people's buckets and in the process, fill our own buckets as well; when we say or do mean things, we dip into people's buckets.  I give each student a bucket to decorate (with their positive characteristics) and then students give each other positive feedback (writing on paper and putting into other students' buckets).
Materials needed: plastic buckets, paper to write on, pencils
*I adapted this lesson from School Counselor Blog.

Lesson 6:

This is our final lesson. We look back on our work and reflect on how far we have come. I remind students about our rules and let students know that if they have more points in the happy cup, they not only get their regular rewards, they also get to pick a prize from my prize box. I have dollar store items (i.e. Playdough, markers, etc.) for students to choose in addition to "free" items like coupons to eat lunch with a friend in my office. We typically play Jungle Fun again to see how much we have learned about one another since the group began. Refer to Lesson 1 for more details.
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3rd Grade - 6th Grade

I often provide small group lessons to help students boost their self-esteem. Each small group gets 6 sessions. These lessons can easily be adapted for older or younger students.

Lesson 1:

We begin with a review of the rules and purpose of the group (building self-esteem). Then, to build group rapport, we play a get-to-know-you game called Whoonu. I pre-sort the cards to have the best matches for my group. Students may need help reading the cards, so I always jump in and help so that no student feels uncomfortable.

Lesson 2:

During the second session, I have students work on an activity from Colorful Counseling (whichever one I think best meets the group's needs). Students share their work. I keep a copy for my records.

Lesson 3:

For the third lesson, we focus on learning how to boost our own self-esteem by helping others boost their's. We discuss the concept of bucket-filling: We say and do nice things to fill other people's buckets and in the process, fill our own buckets as well; when we say or do mean things, we dip into people's buckets.  I give each student a bucket to decorate (with their positive characteristics) and then students give each other positive feedback (writing on paper and putting into other students' buckets).
Materials needed: plastic buckets, paper to write on, pencils
*I adapted this lesson from School Counselor Blog.

Lesson 4:

After a quick review of our rules, we begin our fourth session, which involves creating "self-esteem bottles." This is a two-part lesson. The first lesson involves students picking which confetti pieces (different shapes) that describe their positive qualities. After students select their shapes, everyone describes what each piece symbolizes. I write down their responses for my records and put the confetti into empty water bottles, labeling the top of each one with the students' initials.

Lesson 5:

Lesson 5 is a continuation from Lesson 4. Students receive blank strips of paper to create their self-esteem bottle labels. As students work, I use food coloring to dye everyone's water in their bottle (color based on student preference). I then glue the lids shut with rubber cement. When all the bottles are finished, labels and all, we shake them up as reminders of our positive qualities.
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Lesson 6:

For our final lesson, we look back on our work and reflect on how far we have come. As an extra reward, I have a prize box with dollar store items (i.e. Playdough, markers, etc.) for students to choose in addition to "free" items like coupons to eat lunch with a friend in my office. We play Whoonu again to see how much we have learned about one another since the group began. Refer to Lesson 1 for more details. If time allows, we stand in a circle and toss a beach ball to each other, sharing something we appreciated or learned about during the group.
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Additional Lessons

If you need more sessions or perhaps more of a variety, here are some additional lessons for you to try:

Cupcake

Designed for students in grades K-4
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Cupcake is an adorable book about a plain vanilla cupcake that isn't picked to eat. Cupcake decides that he must find a way to make himself more exciting, but ends up making a friend in the process. Students can learn about self-esteem through Cupcake, having to list things that they like about themselves. I have a worksheet that students can use. Also, you can bring in plain white cupcakes for students to snack on. There is a recipe in the back of the book.

For more information, refer to this blog post.
Worksheet
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Worksheet (with picture)
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Simple Worksheet
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Metaphor Basket

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I got this idea from Pinterest (I find myself saying that a LOT).

You can have students in your group pick objects that symbolize various feelings or situations they experience at school. Then, they share their interpretation with the group. Good opening activity.

Animal Projection Technique

The St. Louis Center for Play Therapy Training blog offers a lot of great information on play therapy techniques and credentialing.

This particular video shows an animal projection technique that can be used in small groups or during a classroom lesson (dividing the class into groups). The purpose of the activity is to help students identify their thoughts and behaviors and to reflect on how they interact with others.

View more play therapy instructional videos on Pam Dyson's YouTube channel.
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Boundin'

I know I say this all the time, but Pixar is one of the best resources for school counselors.

"Boundin'" is part of Pixar's short film collection. As described on Amazon: "A shearing leaves a dancing sheep humiliated until a jackalope passes by and demonstrates that it's what's inside that counts."
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WORD
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I use this short film with my small groups to help build positive relationships. After viewing the video, we discuss how the sheep felt and how the jackalope was a good friend. Then, I give each student a workpage (above). I write a group member's name on each student's paper, then explain that they must write and/or draw something nice about that person. In this way, they are acting like the jackalope, helping their group friends feel good about themselves. 

Once everyone has finished their work, we share our words and/or pictures one at a time. Then, I ask for the receiver to say how they feel after hearing the positive feedback - I record their response at the bottom of the paper. I make copies of the projects for my own documentation, but let the students keep their originals, which serve as a reminder of how valued they are.

The video is also great with individual students who may focus on the negative aspects of their life or have anxiety about the bad things that could happen. The jackalope shows the sheep that bad things happen and sometimes, you just need to keep moving forward until you feel better again; you can't let every little thing get you down.

Partly Cloudy

"Partly Cloudy," as you can see in the trailer below, is about a world where clouds create little bundles of joy (babies, puppies, kittens, and other adorable creatures) for storks to deliver to loving homes. However, within this sugary sweet world lives a gloomier cloud who likes to create more unique and, at times, unappreciated gifts, such as sharks, crocodiles, and porcupines. This cloud's poor stork is visibly exhausted and falling apart at the seams. One day, the storm cloud's stork friend flies to a neighboring cloud - when old gloomy sees this, his thundering anger builds and his rain tears fall. But, have no fear! The weakened stork returns with a bundle of his own: a helmet and shoulder pads to help make the journeys easier.

So, how could a school counselor use this story? I think there are two excellent ways.
1. The storm cloud has a hard time expressing his feelings, so this movie could spark discussion on how to positively manage strong emotions.
2. Sometimes students who are outside the mainstream are confused why the general population doesn't reach out to be their friend. I think "Partly Cloudy" could help these students reflect on the importance of the quality of their friends vs. the quantity. Being unique is great, but it can also make it more challenging to find great friend matches. It's hard being friends with someone you don't have anything in common with, so naturally, if you think and act outside the box, then you'll have fewer great friends at your disposal. Therefore, you need a plan for how to seek out the right peers.

I created two workpages (below) that could help students organize their thoughts and create a plan of action for finding and developing positive friendships.
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La Luna

La Luna is a beautiful story about a young boy learning "the family business." Both his father and grandfather try to push their views, but the boy learns to find his own way.
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This short film could help students reflect on the pressure they feel from others (friends, family, peers, strangers) to act a certain way. 

To facilitate the discussion, try using the workpage (left). It will you give a revealing look into the minds of your students. This came from a colleague - I'm unsure of the original source.

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