Surf the Angry Sea - A CBT exercise where you have kids picture their anger as a wave an teach them to "ride the wave" instead of letting it crash over them and wipe them out. In a later session (after we've talked about triggers), I have them paint or Draw their own Wave of Emotion or wave of anger, and write their triggers inside the wave. It's interesting to see how large they make the wave in relation to themselves, and how tame or violent it looks. In that top picture, you can barely see the kid's tiny body because it's so overwhelmed by the anger wave. Wow! |
Make Stress Fidgets -
$1 pool noodle + 1 serrated knife + 2 minutes = 52 stress fidgets for the upcoming school year. That's a time and financial investment even I could afford! Great idea from Danielle at School Counselor Blog. OR Use a funnel to fill round balloons with corn starch, flour, or sand. Fold the neck of the balloon over, and put inside of another balloon that you've snipped the neck off of. Repeat with a third balloon. Just double-check with your school nurse that there are no latex allergies in your building. |
I found a great Minecraft Incredible 5-Point Scale (Dunn Buron, 2003) on jabobsfamblog.com and tweaked it. I decided to add a third column for kids to fill in their preferred coping strategies. Click here to download two versions: the one to the left and one with all the boxes blank so they can fill in how each level feels and looks. |
The Scream - Show kids an image of Edvard Munch's painting and either have them draw or paint their own version, or color this one. Make a list of things that make them want to scream.
Angry Birds booklet - A couple of these pages are either a bit too advanced or aren't really appropriate for school, but it's easy enough to take them out. My younger boys especially like these.
Do a whole unit using Angry Birds activities; click here for an awesome site that has a bunch of food, craft, and game ideas you could easily incorporate into lessons. I especially like painting Angry Birds stress balls or stones, making Angry Birds out of little pompoms, and an Angry Birds knock-em-down game.
And here's one more idea from another site: Angry Birds Twister. I got a Twister game at my church fair for $1.00. Score!
Anger Map worksheet
What's Behind the Angry Mask? (from School Counseling by Heart) - I love this activity for 2nd or 3rd grade and up. It helps kids realize that behind anger there is usually another feeling. It's a sophisticated concept, but this activity really helps kids get it.
Behavior Volcano - self-regulation worksheet. The blogger at Yearn 4 Learning didn't post a blank, so here's one I made by just tweaking hers.
Volcano School Triggers worksheet. This site, www.do2learn.com, has a lot of really helpful free printable worksheets on emotional regulation, social communication, and behavior management.
Draw a Comic Strip about a funny moment in your life. It's hard to stay mad when you're laughing. Here's a blank one I made. As just one idea for a variation, copy some comic strips where someone is getting angry and cover or Wite-out the words in the thought and speech bubbles. Have the kids fill them in. Calvin and Hobbes comics often have some really great over-the-top facial expressions.
Frustration Triangle worksheet - Use with the book Zach Gets Frustrated by William Mulcahy (who also wrote Zach Apologizes, giving us the Four-Square Apology worksheet).
Do a whole unit using Angry Birds activities; click here for an awesome site that has a bunch of food, craft, and game ideas you could easily incorporate into lessons. I especially like painting Angry Birds stress balls or stones, making Angry Birds out of little pompoms, and an Angry Birds knock-em-down game.
And here's one more idea from another site: Angry Birds Twister. I got a Twister game at my church fair for $1.00. Score!
Anger Map worksheet
What's Behind the Angry Mask? (from School Counseling by Heart) - I love this activity for 2nd or 3rd grade and up. It helps kids realize that behind anger there is usually another feeling. It's a sophisticated concept, but this activity really helps kids get it.
Behavior Volcano - self-regulation worksheet. The blogger at Yearn 4 Learning didn't post a blank, so here's one I made by just tweaking hers.
Volcano School Triggers worksheet. This site, www.do2learn.com, has a lot of really helpful free printable worksheets on emotional regulation, social communication, and behavior management.
Draw a Comic Strip about a funny moment in your life. It's hard to stay mad when you're laughing. Here's a blank one I made. As just one idea for a variation, copy some comic strips where someone is getting angry and cover or Wite-out the words in the thought and speech bubbles. Have the kids fill them in. Calvin and Hobbes comics often have some really great over-the-top facial expressions.
Frustration Triangle worksheet - Use with the book Zach Gets Frustrated by William Mulcahy (who also wrote Zach Apologizes, giving us the Four-Square Apology worksheet).
Friendship Bugs - This is from the Creative Elementary School Counselor blog. You can either have the kids make bugs listing Things I Do that Bug Others or Things Others Do That Bug Me. I often do both (one each week for 2 weeks). |
Identify triggers - Explain that certain people, places, actions, or things can create strong emotions in us. What sorts of things make them angry? Note that what triggers me doesn't always trigger you. Everyone has different things that bother them.
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Instant Comfort/Coping Boxes - I saw this on Pinterest from Vermont artist Cynthia Emerlye. They are simple to make, appealing, and portable. Decorate the outside of a small matchbox, and inside write a coping mechanism or tiny "pep talk." I've used them so far with kids who are anxious, angry, or grieving, and they've all loved them! For more details, read my blog post here.
Emotional Regulation Task Cards - Available in my TpT store. These 72 task cards will help you reinforce concepts you're teaching (identifying feelings, size of the problem/size of reaction, expected & unexpected behaviors, and coping strategies) as well as gather data on how well your kiddos are learning them.