New Product :: Incentive Punch Cards - Bubble Design

If you've been around for a little while, you may have seen my Designer Behavior Incentive Punch Cards. Well, This past weekend I got around to making a bunch of other cool sets too!

Visual reinforcement is always best and these punch cards are a fun, easy way to encourage your students to do their best. Some ideas for use include homework completion, attendance, appropriate behavior during the day, reading logs – the possibilities are endless!

I also have the following designs available too, so you can match basically anything in your classroom!:
- Rounded Box Design
- Striped Design
- Chevron Design

Enjoy!

Fun Freebie :: Self-Esteem Rubrics

Recently, I designed a bunch of social skills rubrics covering a variety of skills:  school success, problem-solving, friendship, feelings, communication, and self-esteem goals.

Well, if you'd like to try some of them out for free, you can download the self-esteem pack! These rubrics were designed to help counselors, teachers, social workers, or SLPs keep track of a student’s progress on self-esteem goals. The set includes 5 rubrics in both a teacher and student version (for a total of 10 rubrics) in PDF format.

This pack contains the following skills:
- Positive Self-Talk
- Goal Setting
- Understanding Strengths
- Dealing with Peer Pressure
- Dealing with Mistakes

If you'd like to save a little money, you can download the Complete Social Skills Rubric Pack for a discount! It includes 42 rubrics in both a teacher and student version (for a total of 84 rubrics + 2 blank ones to customize).

Enjoy :)

New Product :: Social Skills Rubrics

These rubrics were designed to help counselors, teachers, social workers, or SLPs keep track of a student’s progress on school success, problem-solving, friendship, feelings, communication, and self-esteem goals. Each individual set includes 7 rubrics in both a teacher and student version (for a total of 14 rubrics + 2 blank ones to customize).

Rubrics are presented in PDF and editable Microsoft Powerpoint Format, so the wording can be customized to fit your students’ ability levels and needs. Also, you can use Powerpoint’s printing settings to print multiple rubrics per page. Great for when you have multiple students working on the same goal!

If you'd like to save a little money, you can download the Complete Social Skills Rubric Pack for a discount! It includes 42 rubrics in both a teacher and student version (for a total of 84 rubrics + 2 blank ones to customize). The following skills are included:

Enjoy :)



School Success Skills
- Following Directions
- Work Completion
- Remaining On-Task
- Asking Questions
- Being Prepared
- Attendance
- Following School Rules

Problem-Solving Skills
- Debugging
- Tattling and Reporting
- Compromise
- Point of View
- Fact and Opinion
- Dealing with Disagreements
- Dealing with Gossip



Friendship Skills
- Choosing Friends
- Feeling Left Out
- Being a Good Sport
- Apologizing
- Taking Turns
- Giving a Compliment
- Accepting a Compliment



Feelings Skills
- Feelings Identification
- Reading Body Language
- Responding to Negative Emotions
- Feelings Demonstration
- Expressing Feelings
- Dealing with Anger or Frustration
- Dealing with Anxiety



Communication Skills
- Introducing
- Having a Conversation
- Talking on Topic
- Interrupting
- Conversation Body Language
- Personal Space
- Mental Filtering



Self-Esteem Skills - some skills offered as a freebie
- Positive Self-Talk
- Goal Setting
- Understanding Strengths
- Dealing with Peer Pressure
- Dealing with Mistakes
- Self-Reflection (Complete Pack only - not in freebie)
- Working in a Group (Complete Pack only - not in freebie)

Enjoy!!

New Product :: Positive Thinking Cards

I admit I've been a little slow rolling out new products recently. My husband and I are expecting our first child in a couple weeks, so time has been diverted to assembling furniture, washing miniature socks, finding miniature socks ones they get lost in the washer, etc!

However, I've been thinking about this product for awhile and have had a few people requesting it, so I really wanted to make sure to get it out before the baby gets here. So, here it is!

This deck was designed to help students learn how to change negative thoughts into positive ones. It’s helpful for students who struggle with depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, or other mental health issues. Many times, the root of these issues is in a student's difficulty looking at a situation objectively or in a positive light - everything is bad or reflects poorly on them in some way. Most times, students don't even know they're doing it, so if we can focus their attention on their own thoughts, we can help them move past the negative feelings they experience.

The download includes 2 separate decks – a version for older students and a version for younger students – as well as an ink-friendly version of each deck! Blank cards are also included so you can customize your own. I've made something similar that I use with my students and what I like to do is to laminate the blank cards and have students come up with their own negative and positive thoughts. They're really good at it!



Enjoy!

New Product :: Feelings Activity Bundle

Some of the most common topics I see social workers and counselors teach is feeling identification and regulation. And it makes sense! Almost every student in need of counseling services could benefit ways to identify emotions in themselves or others, or learn ways to cope those feelings!

As a result, I put together this activity bundle which contains several of my most popular items and many new ones as well! It includes several different activities you can use to help teach emotional regulation and empathy skills to students who many be diagnosed with Autism, Mood Disorders, or other difficulties. It includes:

- Social Skills Feeling Pack (my most popular freebie!)

- Feelings Bingo Game


- Feelings Matching and Game Cards

- Feelings Crossword Puzzle (& answer key)
- Feelings Word Search (& answer key)
- Feelings DeBrief Sheet

- Stressed Body Activity*

- Feelings Journal

- How Would I Feel? Activity*
- I-Statement Building Cards

It also contains the following sheets, which are found in my Social Skill Activities for Boys and Girls
- Drawing Feelings Activity (2 different colors)
- Feelings Thermometer (2 different colors)

- Feelings Vocabulary Poster (2 different colors)
- I-Statement Reference Sheet (2 different colors)

*Designates editable items

Enjoy!

Blog Hop :: School Counselors on TpT

Just in time for the beginning of the school year, I got asked to be a part of my first ever Blog Hop! I'm really excited about this one because it gives me a chance to get to know some of the other counselor/social work-y people on the usually teacher-dominated awesomeness of TeacherspayTeachers. Each of us participating will list some of our favorite paid and free products as well as links to each other's blog where you can find more awesome free and paid products to help you get your school year off to a great start.

Fun Freebies:

My Counselor Activity Sheet

This product was made by Vanessa, a school counselor and I love it! I always struggle with a way to discuss my role with students and this activity sheet is a fun way to cover that things you should talk to a counselor about, reasons to see them, as well as the difficult topic of confidentiality and "secret keeping." Plus, just look at how adorable it is...and it's FREE!



Bullying Pledge

This freebie comes to us from Heather, also a school counselor. It's a great way to conclude a lesson about bullying with encouraging them to think of practical steps they can do to take an active role in reducing bullying in their school and community. I love that it can be used with small groups in my office, or with an entire classroom if needed!

Awesome Paid Products:

Listening Ladybugs: Following Directions

This was one of the first products I ever bought on TpT. It's created by Danielle, who's a speech-language pathologist, but I've found that it works wonders for all my social work kiddos that have a hard time following (especially verbal) directions. Basically, I spread all the cards out on the table and let a student pick one. Then, I read it to them and they have to follow the 1, 2, or 3-step direction it describes. Some of the cards are a little tricky, so I'll amend the direction or reduce the number of steps if I need to for that particular student. If they do it correctly, they get to keep the card. The download is only $4 and contains 69 different cards that contain 1, 2, or 3-step directions or game situations such as "your ladybug jar spilled. 2 flew away." The object is to be the person with the most ladybugs at the end. All of the kids love this game and have actually requested it before when I give them free time!

Social Skills Land Game

This last product is one of my own. It was actually my first product ever and it's by far my best seller. Quickly after becoming a school social worker, I learned that traditional "therapy" games just didn't grab my students' attention like their familiar favorite board games. So, I started adapting games like Jenga, Connect 4, and Candyland to teacher social and problem-solving skills! This game puts a fun twist on Candyland and features 144 different questions in categories such as Feelings, Friendship, Bullying, and Anger Control. You use the same Candyland game board and pieces your kids love, so you'll naturally grab their attention!

Interested in some other products on TpT that are great for counseling or school social work? Hop on over to these other great blogs and check out some of their favorites!

Heather - The Helpful Counselor
Vanessa - Savvy School Counselor
Tabitha - Scrapbook of a School Counselor
Melanie - Stylish School Counselor

Enjoy!

New(ish) Product :: School Social Work Forms

Happy August! Many of you will be getting back at it this month and with that comes new folders, new markers, and now, new forms! Whether you're a new school social worker just starting out or looking to update the outdated forms you've been using since the mid 90's, the pack is sure to meet your needs. It includes forms commonly needed for school social work practicing, including:

- Social Work Parent Consent Form
- Student Interview Form
- Classroom Observation Form


- Self-Esteem Questionnaire
- Functional Behavior Assessment Survey



- Teacher evaluation form for writing IEP goals (K-5 and 6-12)
- Daily Contact Log


- Social Developmental Study Interview Packet
- Social Work Referral Form

and several more. 13 forms in all!

Forms are presented in Microsoft Word format, so you can adjust them to meet your needs or simply put in your name and title and you're good to go.

So spend less time looking for the notes you scribbled on the back of scrap paper and spend more time helping your students! If you're looking for a bullying/harassment reporting form, check this freebie out!

Enjoy!

*UPDATE* I just added a whole bunch of new stuff. There's now 19 forms! Go check it out here.

Pinterest Find :: Free Movie Clips

Ever been in that moment when you've got a super visually-oriented or antsy group? (I know....NEVER, right?) I don't know about you, but I just don't have the time or memory to scale youtube or my own personal movie stash looking for a clip to demonstrate what I'm teaching.

Which is why I was very excited when I came across this movie clips website recently on Pinterest! You can sort by traditional movie topics such as editor, genre, actor, or my personal favorite....THEME!

From there, they have topics such as:

- Character- Aggression
- Grief
- Betrayal
- Compromise
- Distrust
- Equality
- Listening

and TONS more.

Now, I do have a disclaimer: not all clips are appropriate for all ages (obviously - this is Hollywood, people!), so make sure to preview anything you play for your students and/or obtain appropriate parent permission if necessary.

I've already used tons of clips and my students have loved them!

Hopefully this will help put a little spark in your lessons :)

New Product :: Positive Behavior Punch Cards - Designer Pack

I just posed some cute new punch cards that you can use to reward positive behavior! Great for teachers (and parents!)

Visual reinforcement is always best and these punch cards are a fun, easy way to encourage your students to do their best! Some ideas for use include homework completion, attendance, appropriate behavior during the day, reading logs – the possibilities are endless!







Enjoy!

New Product :: Spring Holiday Social Emotional Activity Pack

This activity pack contains 11 social skills, anger management, and social emotional activities in a fun spring theme to use around Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and the days in between! It contains the following:

- Social Skills Pragmatic Conversation Heart Cards (32 cards with decorative card backs)
- Shamrock Charades Cards (32 cards with decorative card backs)
- Fact & Opinion Cards (24 cards with decorative card backs)


- Cause and Effect Easter Egg Activity
- Cupid Friendship Activity


- Easter Egg Problem-Solving Activity (editable)
- Easter Egg Anger Coping Skills Activity
- Rain Goal Setting Worksheet
- Positive Thinking Garden Flower Activity


- Self-Esteem Flower Worksheet
- Leprechaun Problem-Solving Worksheet
- “I’ve Learned...” Spring Bulletin Board Activity

Forms are presented in PDF format (except for editable files in Microsoft Word format) in color and in black and white! Download the preview for low resolution images of a few of the activities!

Pinterest Find :: Printable Game Boards

I came across this today and got SO EXCITED! I've always strayed away from making lots of social skills games because of the whole board issue...now I won't have to! Printable boards, are you serious!?

Well, this website has all kinds of good ones: Candyland, Monopoly, Chess, Checkers, and several others. I guess I don't have an excuses anymore!

New Product :: Positive Thinking Pack

Often times, I find myself trying to explain cognitive distortions to some of my middle school kids. "The world will end if Johnny doesn't ask me out," "Nothing ever goes right for me," or "I just know the reason Sarah sat across the room is because she hates me" sometimes make me feel like pulling my hair out!

Well, after looking around for awhile, I couldn't find any colorful, easy-to-understand visuals or activities to help me teach healthy thinking habits that I liked....so...I made my own! Feel free to check it out at my TpT store here!

This activity pack features 10 common cognitive distortions people commonly experience. If left unaddressed, these flaws in thinking can make people more likely to experience stress, depression, and anxiety. The posters and activities are based on Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) principles and help students to identify their own irrational, negative thoughts and replace them with rational, positive alternatives.

Includes:

11 color posters:
- All-Or-Nothing
- Jumping to Conclusions
- Maximizing Negatives
- Minimizing Positives
- Overgeneralization
- Personalization
- Catastrophizing
- Comparisons
- Emotional Reasoning
- Shoulds & Musts
- STOP poster for reminding students to stop negative thoughts



Activities:
- My Thoughts Worksheet (students identify negative cognitive distortions and find positive replacements)
- Name the Patterns Worksheet (students determine what type of distortion a given thought is and find a positive replacement)
- 24 “Make It Positive” cards to use in games or discussions
- 24 “Name The Pattern” cards to use in games or discussions