Feeling Toolbox Lesson Plan My Feeling Toolbox
Individual Tier 3 Counseling Lesson
Time: 15 Minutes
Audience: 3rd Grade Student
The "Why"
Learning to understand and manage emotions is a crucial life skill. This lesson helps students recognize feelings and develop healthy responses, leading to improved self-regulation and fewer overwhelming moments.
Objective
Student will identify at least two emotions and describe one coping strategy for each, using the "feeling toolbox" concept to manage big feelings.
Preparation (5 min)
Review Slide Deck and Session Script.
Print and cut the Feeling Finder Game cards.
Prepare a workspace with markers and the toolbox worksheet.
Materials Needed
My Feeling Toolbox Slide Deck
My Feeling Toolbox Script
Feeling Finder Activity Pack
Whiteboard & Markers
Instructional Steps
1
Warm-Up: How Are You Feeling? (3 min)
Conduct a simple feeling check-in. Introduce the toolbox concept—just like a builder has tools, we have tools for our feelings.
Reference: Slides 1-2 & Script
2
Exploring Emotions (5 min)
Discuss happy, sad, angry, and worried. Help the student identify where they feel these emotions in their body. Reinforce that all feelings are okay.
Reference: Slides 3-5 & Script
3
Build Your Toolbox: Feeling Finder Game (5 min)
Play the game. Brainstorm coping strategies for specific emotions and add them to the student's personal "toolbox" worksheet.
Reference: Feeling Finder Game & Script
4
Cool-Down: My Favorite Tool (2 min)
Have the student pick one "MVP" tool they will try first. Reiterate that they are in control of their actions even when feelings are big.
Reference: Slide 6 & Script
Feeling Toolbox Presentation Workshop Session
MY FEELING
Toolbox
Building Your Emotional Toolkit
"Hi! Today we're going to talk about something super important: our feelings. Just like a builder has a toolbox, we can create our own 'feeling toolbox' to help us with our emotions."
What's a Feeling Toolbox?
A special place to keep all the ways you can help yourself when you have big feelings!
"Just like a real toolbox has tools for building, your toolbox has 'tools' for your emotions."
"Imagine you're building a LEGO castle and you need different tools for different jobs. Our feelings are like that! Sometimes we feel happy, mad, or worried. A toolbox is a collection of strategies to help."
Exploring Our Feelings
😊 Happy!
😢 Sad...
😡 Angry?!
😨 Worried...
All these feelings are normal, and it's okay to feel them!
"Let's think about some common feelings. What does it feel like when you're happy? What about when you're sad? Or angry? Or worried?"
Body Signals
How do you know when you're...
⚡️
Angry? (Tight hands, hot face?)
🌊
Worried? (Butterflies in tummy?)
"Knowing how our body feels can help us know what tool to use."
"When you're angry, do you feel hot? When you're worried, does your stomach feel squiggly? These are signals telling us it's time to open our toolbox."
Choosing Our Tools
Different feelings need
It's not about making feelings go away...
It's about choosing a helpful response!
Game Time!
We're going to find the best tools for YOUR unique toolbox.
"For each feeling, we can choose a 'tool' to help us. We'll play a game to find some tools for YOUR toolbox!"
Your Awesome
Feeling Toolbox!
You have special tools to help you
WHICH TOOL WILL YOU TRY FIRST?
"You've built a great start to your toolbox! Remember, you have these tools inside you. It's amazing how much you can help yourself!"
Feeling Toolbox Script Session Script
Topic: My Feeling Toolbox (Tier 3 Individual)
Part 1: The Warm-Up
Teacher:
"Hi [Student's Name]! Thanks for coming today. How are you feeling right now, on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is super sleepy and 5 is super excited?"
Action:
Acknowledge his response. Validating the current state helps build rapport.
Teacher:
"That's a great way to put it! Today, we're going to talk about something really cool: our feelings, and how we can be the boss of them. Have you ever heard of a 'feeling toolbox'?"
Part 2: Body Signals
Show Slide 3: Exploring Our Feelings
Teacher:
"Let's look at some common feelings. We have 'Happy,' 'Sad,' 'Angry,' and 'Worried.' What does it feel like in your body when you feel happy? Where do you feel it?"
Teacher:
"That's a great observation! What about when you feel sad? Where do you notice that feeling in your body?"
Teacher:
"And angry? Sometimes when I feel angry, my hands get tight and my face feels hot. How about you?"
Teacher:
"Finally, worried. What does worried feel like? Some people say their tummy feels fluttery like butterflies. Does that sound familiar?"
Teacher:
"It's important to remember that all feelings are okay. It's totally normal to feel happy, sad, angry, or worried. But what we DO when we have those feelings can make a big difference."
Part 3: Building the Toolbox
Show Slide 5: Choosing Our Tools & Prepare Feeling Finder Game
Teacher:
"Now, for the fun part! We're going to play the Feeling Finder Game to build YOUR very own feeling toolbox. For each feeling we pick, we'll think of a special 'tool' you can use to help yourself."
Instruction:
Pick an emotion card (e.g., 'Angry'). Ask the student for a strategy. If they get stuck, suggest options like breathing, counting, or squeezing a stress ball.
Teacher:
"Alright, let's pick our first feeling. If you're feeling angry, what's something you could do to help yourself feel a little calmer?"
Teacher:
"That's a fantastic idea! Let's write that on our 'tool' card for the Angry section of our toolbox."
Tip:
Personalization is key. If the student loves drawing, "drawing a picture" is a better tool for them than "counting to ten."
Part 4: The Cool-Down
Show Slide 6: Your Awesome Feeling Toolbox!
Teacher:
"Look at your amazing feeling toolbox! You've got some powerful tools in there. Out of all the tools we talked about, which one do you think you'll try first the next time you have a big feeling?"
Feeling Finder Activity Pack Feeling Finder Game
Activity Pack
How to Play
Pick: Select an Emotion Card from the pile.Describe: Share a time you felt that way or how it feels in your body.Toolbox Strategy: Think of a "tool" (action) that helps when you feel that way.Create: Draw or write that tool on a "Tool Card" and add it to your Toolbox!
Emotion Cards
😡
Angry
😰
Worried
😢
Sad
😤
Frustrated
🤩
Excited
😊
Happy
My Personal Toolbox
Place your feeling tool cards here to build your kit!
Tool #1
Tool #2
Tool #3
Tool #4
Toolbox Owner:
Tool Strategy Cards
Cut these out and draw or write your coping strategy on them!
Feeling Tool
When I feel:
I can use this tool:
Feeling Tool
When I feel:
I can use this tool:
Feeling Tool
When I feel:
I can use this tool:
Feeling Tool
When I feel:
I can use this tool:
