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CBT for Kids: Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors

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Lesson Plan

CBT Lesson Plan

Understand the connection between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors using CBT principles.

This lesson helps students recognize how their thoughts influence their feelings and actions, promoting emotional awareness and self-regulation.

Audience

1st to 3rd Grade Students with Special Needs

Time

15 minutes

Approach

Interactive activity and game

Materials

CBT Activity Sheet, Feelings and Behaviors Game, Markers or Crayons, and Whiteboard and Markers

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

  • Review the CBT Activity Sheet to understand the flow of the activity.
  • Gather markers or crayons for students to use.
  • Set up the Feelings and Behaviors Game in a designated area.
  • Ensure the whiteboard is clean and ready for use.

Step 1

Introduction to CBT Concepts

3 minutes

  • Briefly explain that our thoughts can be helpful or unhelpful, and they affect how we feel and act.
  • Use simple examples to illustrate helpful vs. unhelpful thoughts.

Step 2

CBT Activity

5 minutes

  • Distribute the CBT Activity Sheet to each student.
  • Guide students to identify and color-code helpful and unhelpful thoughts.
  • Discuss how these thoughts might make them feel or behave.

Step 3

Feelings and Behaviors Game

5 minutes

  • Introduce the Feelings and Behaviors Game.
  • Encourage students to participate in matching feelings with corresponding behaviors.
  • Reinforce the idea that changing thoughts can change feelings and behaviors.

Step 4

Conclusion

2 minutes

  • Recap the key points about thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
  • Encourage students to practice identifying their thoughts and choosing helpful ones.
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Activity

CBT Activity Sheet

Instructions:

  1. Identify the Thoughts: Look at each scenario below. Read the thought bubble and decide if the thought is helpful or unhelpful.

  2. Color-Code the Thoughts: Use your markers or crayons to color the thought bubbles:

    • Helpful Thoughts: Color them green.
    • Unhelpful Thoughts: Color them red.

  3. Discuss: After coloring, think about how each thought might make you feel or act. Be ready to share your ideas!

Scenario 1:

Picture: A child looking at a messy room.

Thought Bubble: "I can clean this up step by step."

Color:



Scenario 2:

Picture: A child sitting alone at lunch.

Thought Bubble: "Nobody wants to be my friend."

Color:



Scenario 3:

Picture: A child with a broken toy.

Thought Bubble: "I can ask for help to fix it."

Color:



Scenario 4:

Picture: A child with a difficult homework problem.

Thought Bubble: "I’m not smart enough to do this."

Color:



Reflection:

  • How did the helpful thoughts make you feel?



  • How did the unhelpful thoughts make you feel?



  • What can you do to change an unhelpful thought into a helpful one?



Remember, changing your thoughts can change how you feel and act! Practice choosing helpful thoughts every day.

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Game

Feelings and Behaviors Game

Objective:

Help students understand the connection between feelings and behaviors by matching them correctly.

Materials Needed:

  • Set of cards with different feelings (e.g., happy, sad, angry, scared).
  • Set of cards with different behaviors (e.g., smiling, crying, yelling, hiding).

Instructions:

  1. Setup:

    • Shuffle the feelings and behaviors cards separately.
    • Place them face down in two separate piles on a table.

  2. How to Play:

    • Divide students into small groups or pairs.
    • Each group takes turns flipping over one card from each pile.
    • The goal is to find a matching pair (e.g., "happy" with "smiling").
    • If a match is found, the group keeps the pair and takes another turn.
    • If no match is found, the cards are turned back over, and the next group takes a turn.

  3. Discussion:

    • After the game, discuss with the students why certain feelings match with certain behaviors.
    • Reinforce the idea that understanding our feelings can help us choose how to act.

Follow-Up Questions:

  • Why do you think people smile when they are happy?



  • What are some other behaviors you might see when someone is sad?



  • How can changing a thought change a feeling or behavior?



This game encourages students to think about the relationship between their emotions and actions, helping them to better understand and manage their own behaviors.

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CBT for Kids: Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors • Lenny Learning