This blog can be a little “big kid heavy” since I only service 2nd-4th, but my co-counselor does amazing work and I want to share some of her great ideas a swell. As part of the self-regulation theme she is using in 1st grade Life Skills lessons this year, she delivered a lesson using a book beloved by us both: No Biggy!: A Story About Overcoming Everyday Obstacles This book is an awesome tool we’ve used in every grade as a way to teach some basic cognitive coping.
The lesson starts with a video clip showing a really young girl getting pretty frustrated over her blocks falling over:
This video leads to a short discussion on the girl’s problem: Is it a big or small problem? Does her response match the size of the problem? Was it too small or too big?
Then my co-counselor read No Biggy!, asking:
- What was Kiki’s problem?
- What did her parents teach her?
- What was Kiki able to do once she told herself “no biggy”?
There are two different activities she created to use to apply the lesson of the book. For each class, she selected the one she thought was the best match to the class’s strengths and challenges.
Option A:
A piece of paper folded/divided in half. On one side it says: “I might feel frustrated when…” and on the other side it says: “But, I know it’s NO BIGGY!” Students draw a picture of the problem and their solution on each respective side.
Option B:
Create a powerpoint with images (muddy shoes, dropped food tray, etc.) and ask students to talk about what’s wrong in the picture. Then with a partner or their table group, have them discuss solutions to these “no biggy!” problems