School Counselor Survival Kit

Ideas For Your School Counselor Survival Kit

These items will help you along the way in your career as a school counselor, whether you are a school counseling intern and have to schlep your stuff around a school, a new school counselor trying to fill an office. or a veteran looking for additional ideas.  Having your own School Counselor Survival Kit will help you on your journey.

Cart on Wheels - a cart on wheels such as the Rubbermaid Collapsible Cargo Crate can make getting from place to place a breeze. I highly recommend this item! I use mine all the time to lug my stuff around, and in and out of school.

Art supplies - You don't need to have a ton of art supplies, but I do recommend you have the basics, including crayons, colored pencils, markers, paper (lined, unlined, and construction paper).  I recommend Crayola brand, especially the twistable crayons and colored pencils.

Play-Doh - Play-doh party packs are great for groups and individual sessions. I like to give kids their own play-doh so they can take it home after group. Clay is another great option; and it is typically gluten free!

Stress Balls - Stress balls are helpful for teaching students about managing anger. You can get stress balls at many places for free. I have stress balls in the shape of everything from a computer to a baseball bat.  I got most of my stress balls from exhibit areas at conferences.

Stress Ball Making Supplies - If you don't mind getting a little messy, students LOVE making their own stress balls.  All you need is all purpose flour, balloons, scissors, and a funnel. For instructions check out my post, creating a stress ball.  You can also use a pool noodle to create a stress ball.


Bubbles - Children and adults alike LOVE bubbles. They are great to use for teaching relaxation techniques and to help students calm down.


Puppets - Finger Puppets are a great addition to your survival kit. Finger puppets are small so you can fit lots of them in your kit. Students love to act out situations or just play with the finger puppets. I have found great deals on finger puppets at  Amazon, Etsy, Ikea, Target, eBay, and Ten Thousand Villages.

Jenga - Jenga makes a great addition to a school counseling survival kit. There are many ways you can use Jenga in counseling. You can have each student ask a question as they pull out a block. It is great to talk about patience and frustration. With a colorful version of this game, you can have students pick emotions/feelings to represent each color. You can then have students talking about a time they experienced that feeling or how they could cope with that feeling when they pull the particular color.

Uno - Uno is a fun game to play with students the original way, or it can be used to talk about feelings and experiences. Allow students to pick feelings or rules for each color. Each time a someone lays down a color, they can talk about that feeling or experience. 


Portable Sand tray - One of the most used items in my office is my portable sand tray. I actually did not have this during my internships and wish I would have. It is great and inexpensive to make.  Cornstarch or cornmeal are great alternatives to sand.
 

Plastic Tube Animals - Plastic tube animals work great in a portable sand tray, or by themselves. I recommend getting dinosaurs and jungle, farm, or zoo animals to start your collection. *Other places to get plastic tube animals includes: craft stores such as Michael's, Ross/T.J.Maxx/Marshalls, and department stores, and Amazon.


Army People - Army people are a great addition to your school counseling survival kit, especially if you create a portable sandtray. Students play out scenarios and conflict using army people. They are super cheap and you can even find them a the dollar store!

Animal Crackers - Animal crackers make a great icebreaker! I have used animal crackers in groups for new students and as ice breakers in other groups. I have students pick an animal and identify how they are like that animal. It is a fun and tasty way to for students to get to know each other. I use gluten free animal crackers made by Kinnikinnick Foods, as many children (and adults) have food allergies and intolerances. 

Basketball Hoop - An Over-the-door basketball hoop is a necessity! It is great because you can put it up wherever you go. Both boys and girls love to use my basketball hoop. I use it often in individual and small group sessions with students. Sometimes we play a game where we answer a question then make a shot. Other times, students just talk to me about what is going on for them while shooting the basketball.

Balloons - Balloons have a variety of uses.  Balloons can be used to make stress balls (with sand or flour), teaching students how to calm down, remembering a loved ones through a balloon release, discussing tension, etc.   


Tissues - Nothing is worse than searching for tissues when a student requests one. I like to keep tissues in my school counseling survival kit just in case.

All of the items mentioned in the School Counselor Survival Kit will help you in your role as school counselor! You do not need all of these items at once. The great thing about these items is that the majority of them are multifunctional ; so you can use them for more than one activity.

I will be updating the School Counselor Survival Kit as I think of more ideas and places to buy items. I am always on the lookout for great items to share with other school counselors!


What items do you have in your "School Counselor Survival Kit?" 

Email me with your input!

Kristine Kilgour is a Pre K-12 Certified School Counselor, Mediator, Coach, and Blogger . Contact Kristine via email or at 512-704-5265.