How to organize your child

9 Exciting Games School Counselors Must Have

Play Therapy for Schools

Play Therapy is the number one way to reach students and facilitate working discussions.  Every counselor must have a stash of everyday, familiar games.   Play therapy is auditory, visual and kinesthetic (you know, the big word for hands-on!)

hands-on

Don't you find it frustrating to scour the catalogs for games on bullying, anger and self-control only to end up purchasing a game with too many parts and pieces and too complicated to figure out and play?   Why purchase an expensive overpriced complicated game when you could use everyday familiar games that kids know and love?  Games like Don't Break the Ice and Jumpin' Monkeys and Jenga.  They are inexpensive and FUN to play.  The counseling strategies can be integrated into the games and they can be used over and over.  Do not worry!  We show you how right here.

inexpensive

Video Introduction

Wouldn't you love to use everyday day to teach students about anger control, stress management, goals, making friends, communication skills, relationships, study and organizational skills, and much more.  It is what you do everyday and it can be FUN, memorable and make a difference in the lives of your students.  It is creative and engaging.

creative and engaging

9 Must Have Games for 

School Counselors

Jenga

Topple

Jumpin' Monkeys

Pick Up Sticks

Tumble

Perfection!

Don't Break the Ice

Barrel of Monkeys

Playing Cards

Here is a list of the games, what you can do with play therapy during your sessions, and approximate  cost at toy stores or local department stores: 

Jenga - relationships, career education, introductions, making friends, anger control, sentence completions  $12, Hasbro)

Topple - relationships, priorities, goals ($10, Pressman)

Jumpin' Monkeys - goals, getting assignments completed, priorities, project completion ($10 Pressman)

Pick Up Sticks - relationships, groups, dividing into teams, selecting volunteers, dependncies, communication skills ($2 - 7 depending on size and number, $7 Giant Pick Up Sticks, Pressman)

Tumble -  making friends, stress management, stress relief, causes of stress, getting A's and better grades, losing weight, being healthy, creating strategies, problem solving, 

and more ($10 Pressman)

Perfection! - organizational skills, teamwork, communication skills

and more and more and more!  ($ different sizes and prices ranging $8-27 Hasbro)

Don't Break the Ice - study skills, making friends, organization, stress relief, communication skills $8 Hasbro)

Barrel of Monkeys - team building, communication, building community, making friends, study skills, goals, decision making, any lesson involving a list of things to remember ($6-9, different colors and types of monkeys,  Hasbro)

Playing Cards - raffles, selecting teams, selecting students, fairness and equity

Purchase the Play Pack.  

 

Purchase the Play Pack Here

This will be one of the most effective and easiest programs to implement.  We show you how to integrate counseling strategies into the games.  Use simple play therapy techniques with everyday games.  

You get all this-

The Play Pack includes everything you need to get started:  

 Two DVDs, Volumes I and II: Games and Play to Enhance Counseling and Teaching Strategies. 

Jumpin' Monkeys, Tumble, Topple

Booklets are included with the DVDs.

Be Creative, Engaging and FUN!

      Grace Wilhelm is a National Board Certified Counselor with experience in mental health and school counseling.  She enthusiastically presents to counselors, teachers, youth workers, and parents on anger, stress, crises intervention, communication, data, counseling programs, play sessions, and more. 

      Grace's past achievements and awards include ASCA National School Counselor of the Year Semifinalist, RAMP, and FLDOE Parent Involvement Award and Teacher of the Year.  

contact Grace at grace@counselorgames.com


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Free Play Therapy Gift for Counselors and Teachers

 Get a Free Play Therapy DVD for Christmas

 You can learn more play therapy techniques with everyday games.  We show you how.  Everyone loves games.  Use simple familiar games that your students already know such as Don't Break the Ice, Ants in the Pants, Jumpin' Monkeys, and Pick Up Sticks.   We show you how to integrate the counseling strategies into the game.
      Counseling Strategies such as: Study and Organizational Skills, Making Friends, Anger Control, Stress Management, Decision Making, and much more!

 

There is so much more on the DVDs!   

Here is your free Christmas gift: Purchase DVD Volume 2 (the blue one) and get DVD Volume 1 absolutely free!  This is a $37 value!  This offer is good from now until December 31, 2014.  The DVDs will automatically come  together when you purchase DVD Volume 2.   

http://counselorgames.com/

Grace Wilhelm is a National Board Certified Counselor with experience in mental health and school counseling.  She enthusiastically presents to counselors, teachers, youth workers, and parents on anger, stress, crises intervention, communication, data, counseling programs, play sessions, and more.

Contact Grace at  grace@counselorgames.com

10 Sentence Completions to Help Students Learn About Each Other

    Let's Get to Know Each Other

    This is a great activity for one of the first sessions in a classroom or with a small group.  I like to use sentence strips for the sentence completion activity.  Sometimes I will copy this sheet and simply cut the sentences into strips.  Students can pull a sentence from a bag or jar.  

     I also use these sentences with Jenga or wood blocks.  Write  numbers 1 through 10 on the blocks.  Continue writing 1- 10 until all the blocks are used up.  Whatever block you pull, you must complete the sentence with that same number.   All the numbering should be the same color, for example, green numbers.  This way you will know that the green numbers are for games with 1 through 10.  (This is important because you may have another game where you number all the blocks 1 - 42 and they would be numbered with the color red, for example.)  So, for this game we will use the green numbers.

     Set up the wood block tower.  Each student has their own paper with all 10 sentences on it and each student has completed their answers.   Student #1 comes to the tower and pulls a block.  The block has the numeral 5 on it.  The student must read aloud sentence strip number 5.

     There can be many variations of the game.  Be creative and create a variation that works with your students.  Students will love to play the game over and over with different variations. 


   
     When students play this game, they really learn they are a lot alike with the same fears, family problems, similarities in school and home.  It is a teachable moment each time a different student participates.  Students learn to be supportive of each other when listening and sharing.  This eases anxiety and stress in the classroom and at school.  Students learn to make new friends, too. 

Know Yourself Activity

It is important to know about yourself.  Everyone is different.  You are unique, so you will have different feelings and you will express yourself differently.  Sometimes it is easy to know about others because you see them but it is much harder to know about your own self.  You may not see yourself as other people see you, especially when you do not know yourself.

Sentence Completion

Complete the following sentences, describing the situation:

1 1.    I worry that ___________________________________________________________

22.      I feel great when ________________________________________________________

33.    I get very angry when ____________________________________________________

44.      I feel lonely when _______________________________________________________

55.      I feel appreciated when ____________________________________________________

66.    I feel left out when ________________________________________________________

77.    I feel inadequate when _____________________________________________________

88.      I am calm when _________________________________________________________

99.      I am frustrated when ______________________________________________________

110.  I get excited when ________________________________________________________

Helpful hint:  Explain the word inadequate and give some examples.  Or make up a set of sentences that best fits the needs of your students. 

 

 Get a free gift for Christmas

 You can learn more play therapy techniques with everyday games.  We show you how.  Everyone loves games.  Use simple familiar games that your students already know.  We show you how to integrate the counseling strategy into the game. 

There is so much more on the DVDs!   

Here is your free Christmas gift: Purchase DVD Volume 2 (the blue one) and get DVD Volume 1 absolutely free!  This is a $37 value!  This offer is good from now until December 31, 2014.  The DVDs will automatically come  together when you purchase DVD Volume 2.   

http://counselorgames.com/

Grace Wilhelm is a National Board Certified Counselor with experience in mental health and school counseling.  She enthusiastically presents to counselors, teachers, youth workers, and parents on anger, stress, crises intervention, communication, data, counseling programs, play sessions, and more.

Contact Grace at  grace@counselorgames.com