Resources
Children’s Books
•
Alexander and the
Terrible, Horrible, No
Good, Very Bad Day
(Judith Viorst)
•
Airmail To the Moon (Tom
Birdseye)
•
Begin at the Beginning
(Amy Schwartz)
•
•
The Boy Who Drew Cats
(Arthur Levine)
The Giving Tree (Shel
Silverstein)
The Counselor’s Corner
Whitney Shelton, Daniel Wright Elementary
shelton_whitney@dublinschools.net
(614) 718-8900
Managing Impulsivity
This month we focused on our habit of the month: Managing Impulsivity. We focused
on a different aspect of this habit in each grade level to best demonstrate this habit!
Our Kindergarteners did the bubble test to see how well they can manage their
impulsivity. We first blew bubbles and let them pop all they want, then we tried another
round where they had to stay completely still and not touch a bubble or talk. The
students then reflected on how it felt to manage an impulse, where they should
manage impulses, and strategies they used to manage their impulses.
Websites
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=XkG711sbSaw a
kid friendly video that
explains impulsivity
http://move-with-me.com/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/
Yoga-Directory-.pdf Yoga poses
that help with focus
Since our first grade students just talked about cotton and sandpaper words last
month, we took the lesson a step further to introduce the “de-bug” system so they can
use it when they feel angry, sad, or frustrated (when we tend to act impulsively). We
practiced going through all of the steps in the “de-bug system” 1. ignore 2. move away
3. Bug and a wish (it bugs me when___and I wish_____) 4. Use your strong voice 5.
Tell an adult. By going through all of steps, our first graders are empowered to be
assertive problem solvers while still being respectful.
Our second graders discussed how bullying can be an impulsive behavior. How
we respond to bullying can also be impulsive! We discussed how to identify bullying,
and the steps to standing up to someone that is bullying.
http://www.childmind.org/en/
posts/articles/2012-4-9-powerof-mindfulness
Check out my guidance page
for more information about
the guidance program:
http://
www.dublinschools.net/
WhitneyShelton.aspx
Third and fourth grade learned about mindfulness as a tool to manage their
impulsivity. We introduced the concept of mindfulness by playing a game called pass
the cup to work on focus. We also introduced mindful listening as a tool to focus on
the speaker when others are talking, and mindful breathing as a way to cool down
when we’re feeling big emotions so that we can make responsible decisions.
Fifth grade discussed how we can be impulsive with social media and how to be a
responsible digital citizen. We talked about the good and bad parts of social media
and how we can protect ourselves when we see others being impulsive through
social media.