Reaching Young Children

Counselors, teachers, occupational therapists, and activity leaders will have just as much fun teaching these lessons as their students have experiencing them. These activities appeal to a young child's sense of adventure and need to move by utilizing five active learning strategies to present the concepts of Movement, Visualization, Verbalization, Applications of the Senses, and Novel/Unique Connections. Appropriate for children pre-K through 3rd grade, lessons can be presented in either a 45-minute to 60-minute block or two sessions of 30 minutes or less. Each lesson is comprised of two parts. First, an introduction that presents the lesson concept with an attention-getting analogy, followed by discussion questions for the student, enabling the teacher to evaluate the lesson objectives; and then, a practice that provides active processing of the learned concepts through a game. Each lesson has a teacher follow-up section which includes classroom connections to children's literature or other academic subjects, as well as classroom management techniques. Aligned with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national standards, the curriculum has an evaluation component and reporting system for accountability. Chapters include: Self-Discovery, Self-Control, Problem Solving, Safety, Emotional Management, Communication Skills, Learning and Career.