Heartly Meets the Counselor Story
TK Read-Aloud & Counselor Lesson
Heartly Meets the Counselor
An Interactive Story Guide for Introducing Big Feelings
Teacher Prep & Hook (2 Minutes)
The Goal: Introduce yourself as a friend who helps with feelings. Help students identify Happy, Sad, Mad, and Scared.
Warm-Up Activity: Ask students to pat their heads if they had a feeling today. "Feelings live inside us like little lights! Today, we are going to meet a little friend named Heartly who has some very bright feelings."
🦔 💖
Who is Heartly?
Heartly is a tiny, soft-quilled hedgehog who lives under the big oak tree on our school playground. Heartly's soft quills glow with beautiful colors whenever he feels a big emotion!
Part 1: Heartly's Rollercoaster Morning
Happy Scene 1
[Read aloud with a bright, cheerful voice]: "One sunny morning, Heartly ran to school. He was so excited to play with the colorful blocks! He built a tower that touched the sky. Heartly had a big, bright smile and his quills glowed warm yellow. He felt HAPPY!"
👉 Interactive TK Prompt: "Everyone, show me your biggest, happiest smile! Can you say, 'I feel happy'?"
Scared Scene 2
[Read aloud with wide eyes and a soft voice]: "Suddenly, *BOOM!* A loud thunderclap rattled the classroom windows. Oh no! Heartly pulled his tiny paws to his cheeks. His eyes grew wide, and his quills turned a cool lavender. He felt SCARED!"
👉 Interactive TK Prompt: "Put your hands on your cheeks and make a scared face! Can you gasp like Heartly?"
Page 1 of 2 • Heartly's Big Day
Heartly Meets the Counselor
Part 2: Meeting the Helper & Group Practice
Sad Scene 3
[Read aloud with a slow, drooping voice]: "Then, Heartly tried to eat his apple, but it slipped right out of his paws and rolled into a muddy puddle. Oh, no. Heartly's head drooped down. A tiny tear ran down his nose, and his quills turned deep blue. He felt SAD."
👉 Interactive TK Prompt: "Let's make a sad face. Can you pretend to brush a tiny tear away from your cheek?"
Mad Scene 4
[Read aloud with folded arms and a firm voice]: "To make things worse, a playful puppy dashed by and grabbed Heartly's favorite soft ball! Heartly squeezed his hands into tight fists. He stomped his little foot. His quills turned fiery coral red. He felt MAD!"
👉 Interactive TK Prompt: "Fold your arms and show me your grumpiest 'mad' eyebrows! Take a slow breath out."
The Counselor to the Rescue!
"Heartly's feelings felt so big and messy. But then, he saw a warm smile. It was the School Counselor! The counselor knelt down and said, 'It's okay to feel happy, sad, mad, or scared. I am your Feelings Helper! Let's take a slow breath together.' Heartly took a deep breath, and his quills turned back into a soft, calming rainbow. He knew he was safe!"
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Key Concept to Reinforce: "The counselor's room is a cozy, safe place. When your feelings get too big, you can talk to me, and we can find our calm together!"
Quick Post-Story Discussion (3 Minutes)
1. Spot the feeling Point to the "My Feelings Map Poster" and ask students to name which emotion matches how they feel right now.
2. Where is the Counselor? Ask: "Where can you find me if you have a big feeling today?" (In my cozy office!)
Page 2 of 2 • We Love Our School Counselor!
My Feelings Map Poster
TK Classroom Anchor Chart
My Feelings Map!
All of my feelings are okay. Let's look at how we feel!
☀️
HAPPY
Quills glow bright yellow!
"My body feels warm, and I want to laugh, jump, and play!"
☁️
SAD
Quills glow deep blue.
"My body feels heavy, and my eyes might have tiny tears."
⚡
MAD
Quills glow fiery red!
"My hands squeeze into fists, and my chest feels tight."
👻
SCARED
Quills glow lavender.
"My heart beats fast, and I want to run or hide."
Meet Your Counselor!
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Who is the School Counselor?
The counselor is your Feelings Helper! Their room is a safe, cozy space full of comfortable chairs, feelings toys, and warm smiles.
😊 To share happy news
😢 When you feel sad or mad
🧘 To take a calm breath