Friday, February 14, 2020

As School Adjustment Counselors at Abbot Elementary School, we (Ms. Newton and Ms. Wendler), go into the classrooms 9-10 times throughout the school year to teach and facilitate 30 minute guidance lessons based on a variety of social-emotional topics, brainstorming different ways to problem solve, discussing and role-playing how to effectively communicate with others, and identifying supports and adult “helpers” to turn to when in need.

We begin each guidance lesson with a “mindfulness moment” to teach different mindfulness exercises and to help focus the students prior to the guidance lessons.  Different mindfulness exercises may have different goals. One activity that we have incorporated in our lessons this year is “Walk-Stop-Wiggle-Sit”. This activity aims to help with impulse control and encourages children to pay attention to the moment using different directions (and then reversing the directions!).  It may remind you of a slightly more complicated version of “Simon Says”.  

Click the link below to see a 6 minute video of “Walk-Stop-Wiggle-Sit” - you might even want to try this at home!