Animal Choosers Teacher Guide
Pre-K school counseling
Stop, Think, and Choose
Teacher Guide & Lesson Plan
S T C
1. Sammy the Snail STOP & Breathe
2. Toby the Turtle THINK of Ideas
3. Penny the Puppy CHOOSE a Happy Path
Learning Objectives
- • Identify big emotions that require pausing.
- • Demonstrate the "Stop, Think, Choose" physical body motions.
- • Select helpful behaviors in school scenarios.
Materials Needed
- • Included animal friend read-aloud script.
- • Included sorting cards & sorting game board.
- • Green, Yellow, and Red crayons or markers.
Lesson Pacing & Steps
1
Gather & Warm-Up (5 Mins)
Gather students in a circle. Ask: "Have you ever felt so excited, angry, or sad that you wanted to run, yell, or grab a toy?" Explain that today, three animal friends are going to show us their secret superpowers for staying in control.
2
Meet the Animals & Motions (8 Mins)
Teach the physical gestures:
• Sammy Snail (Stop): Hold up a flat hand like a stop sign. Close your eyes and take one big breath: "Smell the flower, blow out the candle."
• Toby Turtle (Think): Cross arms over your chest like a safe turtle shell. Put a finger to your chin and look up.
• Penny Puppy (Choose): Put hands on your hips and wiggle your "tail" (hips) with a happy smile!
3
Interactive Read-Aloud (12 Mins)
Read the story on the next page. Invite students to act out the gestures every time you shout "STOP! THINK! CHOOSE!" during the story prompts.
4
Group sorting & Activity (10 Mins)
Distribute the Super Chooser Sorting Game cards. Have students identify "Helper Choices" (green) and "Sad Choices" (red). Wrap up by coloring their own My Choosing Hand Workbook.
Pre-K Facilitation Tip: Young children learn best through physical modeling. Practice the three animal poses multiple times a day when transitions get loud or chaotic to build strong muscle memory!
Interactive Read-Aloud Story
The Forest Playground Showdown
Character Education Story & Circle Time Guide
Directions: Gather students in a circle. Hold your hands up to transition into the story. Encourage children to physically act out the movements in the bold bubbles when instructed!
1
Scene 1: The Red Toy Truck
Deep in the Friendly Forest, Sammy Snail was having a wonderful morning. He was driving the big, shiny red plastic truck through the wood chips. Zoom, zoom, zoom!
Suddenly, Toby Turtle saw the truck. Toby wanted that truck so badly! He ran over, grabbed the shiny toy, and pulled hard. Sammy felt his shell get very hot. His face felt hot, too. He wanted to scream! He wanted to bite or push Toby!
Stop! (Sammy Snail's Move)
Teacher says: "Uh-oh! Sammy's body is feeling angry. Let's do Sammy's move! Hold up your hand like a stop sign. Close your eyes. Smell the flower... (inhale)... now blow out the candle... (exhale)."
2
Scene 2: Into the Shell
Sammy took his deep breath. His heart started to beat slower. His hands relaxed. Now, Toby Turtle looked at Sammy and realized he had made a mistake. Toby felt bad for grabbing the toy, but he didn't know what to do next. He wanted to run away and hide.
Think! (Toby Turtle's Move)
Teacher says: "Toby needs to think! Put your hands across your chest like a safe shell. Let's tap our chins. Ask your neighbor: What could Toby or Sammy do next? Can they share? Can they ask?"
3
Scene 3: Penny's Happy Choice
Just then, Penny Puppy came bouncing over, carrying a bright blue ball. "Hey! I see you both want that truck. Let's make a super helper choice!" Penny said, wiggling her tail. "We can share! Or we can take turns! Or we can play together!"
Choose! (Penny Puppy's Move)
Teacher says: "Sammy and Toby decide to play together. Toby rolls the truck and Sammy catches it. They are sharing! Let's wag our tails! Put your hands on your hips, shake your hips, and give a big smile!"
Post-Story Circle Questions:
- How did Sammy's body feel when he wanted to scream? (Heart beating, hot shell)
- What did Sammy do to cool down? (Stopped and took a big flower breath!)
- How does sharing make our classroom family feel? (Happy and safe!)
Super Chooser Sorting Game
Name:
Date:
Hands-On Activity
Super Chooser Sorting Board
Cut out the cards from the next page! Sort them into Helper Choices (things that make us happy) or Sad Choices (things that hurt our friends or bodies).
Helper Choices
Penny Puppy's Path
Glue Card 1 Here
Glue Card 2 Here
Glue Card 3 Here
Sad Choices
Needs a Sammy Stop!
Glue Card 4 Here
Glue Card 5 Here
Glue Card 6 Here
Remember! If you make a sad choice, you can always STOP like Sammy, THINK like Toby, and make a new CHOOSE with Penny!
Cut & Paste Pieces
Choice Cards
Teachers or students: Cut along the dotted lines! Then look closely at each cartoon icon and simple sentence. Decide where it fits on the sorting board.
Sharing Toys
Letting a friend play with the truck together.
Card A
Grabbing Toys
Pulling toys away from a classmate's hand.
Card B
Helping a Friend
Checking on a classmate when they fall down.
Card C
Yelling Indoors
Screaming when we don't get our way immediately.
Card D
Snail Breaths
Taking deep, quiet breaths to calm our body down.
Card E
Kicking Blocks
Kicking a tower down when we are frustrated.
Card F
Tip: Pair with safety scissors! Perfect for small-group therapy or counseling circles.
My Choosing Hand Workbook
Name:
Date:
Color & Trace
My Choosing Hand Workbook
Use your magic hands to make helpful and kind choices today!
Color Our Animal Friends!
1
Color it RED
Sammy says: STOP and breathe!
2
Color it YELLOW
Toby says: THINK of helper paths!
3
Color it GREEN
Penny says: CHOOSE a helpful way!
My Choice Pledge (Trace & Check):
I can take 1 big breath when I am upset. I can ask a teacher or friend for help.
Trace Your Hand!
Put your hand here and trace it with a green crayon!
Draw / Trace Box
"My hands are for helping!"
Super Chooser Award Certificate
I completed my workbook and promise to use my hands to Stop, Think, and Choose happy things!
