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Counselor's Welcome Journey

Lesson Plan

Hello Feelings Plan

Introduce the school counselor and build a supportive classroom community; students will learn to identify and label emotions and practice sharing in a group setting.

This lesson fosters trust with the counselor, helps children recognize and communicate feelings, and creates a positive climate for future social-emotional growth and success in school.

Audience

Kindergarten

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Through interactive games, visual aids, and sharing.

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Welcome & Introductions

5 minutes

  • Gather students in a carpeted area
  • Counselor introduces themselves and explains their role
  • Pass out Welcome Name Tags and have each student say their name and favorite feeling

Step 2

Establish Ground Rules

5 minutes

  • Show the Ground Rules Poster
  • Read each rule aloud and discuss what it means
  • Invite students to repeat rules together to reinforce understanding

Step 3

Emotion Identification Game

10 minutes

Step 4

Feeling Share Circle

8 minutes

  • Form a sharing circle with all students
  • Model: “I feel ____ when ____.”
  • Invite each student to share one thing that makes them happy or sad, using feeling words

Step 5

Closing & Celebration

2 minutes

  • Recap what was learned and praise active listening
  • Hand out stickers as a celebration for participating
  • Encourage students to notice feelings throughout the day
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Slide Deck

Hello, Feelings!

Welcome to our first school counseling session!

Today we will:
• Meet our counselor
• Learn our class ground rules
• Explore our counseling space
• See our emotion cards and chart
• Play an emotion identification game
• Share how we feel
• Celebrate our time together

Welcome the students warmly. Introduce yourself as their school counselor and explain that today you’ll learn about feelings and how we’ll spend our time together. Point out the counselor’s role in the school and that this is a safe place to share.

Today’s Plan

  1. Welcome & Introductions (5 min)
  2. Establish Ground Rules (5 min)
  3. Counseling Space Tour (7 min)
  4. Emotion Flashcards & Chart (5 min)
  5. Emotion Identification Game (8 min)
  6. Feeling Share Circle (5 min)
  7. Closing & Celebration (2 min)

Briefly explain each agenda item so students know what to expect. Encourage excitement by asking “Who’s ready?”

Meet Your Counselor

Hi, I’m Ms. Lenny!

• I’m here to help you with feelings.
• I will listen and support you.
• We’ll have fun learning together.

Show a friendly photo of yourself or an avatar. Say your name, share your favorite feeling, and explain why you love being a counselor. Invite a couple of volunteers to share their name and favorite feeling.

Our Ground Rules

  1. Be a good listener
  2. Use kind words
  3. Keep our bodies calm
  4. Take turns sharing

Reveal the Ground Rules Poster visually if possible. Read each rule slowly. Ask students to repeat after you. Use simple language: kindness, listening, participation, respect.

Counseling Space Tour

Let’s explore our counseling area!

• Calm Corner: a quiet spot to relax with soft seats and pillows.
• Talk Spot: sit here when you want to share your thoughts and feelings.
• Feelings Wall: pin or draw your feelings to let others know how you’re feeling.

Show Counseling Space Photo Cards. Describe each area and why it’s helpful. Encourage students to imagine using them when they feel different feelings.

Emotion Flashcards Examples

Here are some feeling cards we will use:

• Happy 😀
• Sad 😢
• Angry 😠
• Surprised 😮

Hold up a few emotion flashcards. Name each feeling and ask students to repeat. Ask: “What feeling is this?” to check understanding.

Feelings Chart Prompt

Use our chart to find where your feeling is:

😀 Happy 😢 Sad 😠 Angry 😮 Surprised

Point to the chart. Explain how to use it during the game and share circle. Invite a volunteer to show where they would point if they feel happy, sad, etc.

Emotion Identification Game

• I will show you a feeling card.
• Name the feeling (happy, sad, angry, surprised).
• Find and point to that emotion on our chart.

Hold up one emotion flashcard at a time. Ask: “What feeling is this?” Then point to the matching face on the poster. Praise correct answers, gently guide if they struggle.

Feeling Share Circle

Let’s share! Use this sentence:
“I feel ___ when ___.”
Take turns sharing one feeling.

Form a circle. Model the sentence: “I feel happy when I play with friends.” Encourage each student to share one feeling. Keep it brief and positive to build confidence.

Closing & Celebration

Great job today!
• Recap: We met, learned rules, explored our space, saw our cards and chart, played a game, and shared feelings.
• Here’s your sticker for participating!
• Keep noticing your feelings.

Praise all students for participating. Hand out stickers personally and remind them to notice feelings throughout the day. Preview that next time they will learn about talking about feelings.

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Worksheet

Emotion Flashcards

Print and cut along the dotted lines to create flashcards. Use these cards to play the Emotion Identification Game in your counseling session.

Happy 😀

A smiling face that shows when we feel joyful and excited.
(Cue students to say “happy” when they see this card.)

Sad 😢

A face with a tear that shows when we feel unhappy or upset.
(Cue students to say “sad” when they see this card.)

Angry 😠

A frowning face that shows when we feel mad or frustrated.
(Cue students to say “angry” when they see this card.)

Surprised 😮

A face with wide-open eyes and mouth that shows when we feel surprised or shocked.
(Cue students to say “surprised” when they see this card.)

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Reading

Feelings Chart Poster

Hang this chart where everyone can see. Use it to help us name and talk about our feelings!

😀 Happy😢 Sad
I feel happy when good things happen, like playing with friends or getting a sticker.I feel sad when things go wrong, like losing a toy or missing someone.
😠 Angry😮 Surprised
I feel angry when things don’t go my way, like waiting too long or someone not sharing.I feel surprised when something new or unexpected happens, like a surprise gift!

Point to the face that matches your feeling during our class activities and sharing circle.

Use this chart during the Emotion Identification Game and whenever you want to talk about how you feel.

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Lesson Plan

Counselor Welcome Lesson Plan

Introduce the school counselor, explore counseling spaces, and help students identify and share feelings to build trust and a supportive environment.

This lesson builds rapport, familiarizes children with counseling spaces, fosters emotional recognition, and sets the foundation for future social-emotional learning and trust.

Audience

Kindergarten

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive intro, space tour, games, and share circle.

Materials

Hello Feelings Slides, Emotion Flashcards, Feelings Chart Poster, Welcome Name Tags, Ground Rules Poster, Counseling Space Photo Cards, and Stickers for Celebration

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Welcome & Counselor Introduction

5 minutes

  • Gather students on the carpet.
  • Show slide 1 of Hello Feelings Slides.
  • Counselor introduces themselves: name, role, and what they do.
  • Distribute Welcome Name Tags and have each student share their name and favorite thing in school.

Step 2

Establish Ground Rules

5 minutes

  • Display the Ground Rules Poster.
  • Read and discuss each rule using student-friendly language.
  • Have students repeat rules together and post the poster visibly.

Step 3

Counseling Space Exploration

7 minutes

  • Introduce the classroom counseling area or office.
  • Use Counseling Space Photo Cards to highlight stations (e.g., Calm Corner, Talk Spot).
  • Explain how each space will support their feelings and invite questions.

Step 4

Emotion Identification Game

8 minutes

Step 5

Feeling Share Circle and Closing

5 minutes

  • Form a circle and model: “I feel happy when I play with friends.”
  • Invite each student to share one feeling and when they feel it using: “I feel ___ when ___.”
  • Praise participation and hand out stickers for celebration.
  • Remind students these spaces and tools are here to help them.
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Worksheet

Counseling Printables

Use these pages to prepare materials for our first school counseling session. Cut out, color, and assemble as directed.

1. Welcome Name Tags

Cut along the outside lines. Fold in half and write your information on the front. Decorate on the back!

Name: ____________________



Favorite Feeling: ____________________


2. Ground Rules Poster

Cut out this poster and hang it where everyone can see. Color around the edges!

Our Ground Rules

  1. Be a good listener
  2. Use kind words
  3. Keep our bodies calm
  4. Take turns sharing











3. Counseling Space Photo Cards

Cut out each card to show different areas of our counseling space. Paste or hold up when we talk about that spot.

Calm Corner

[Space for photo/drawing]
Calm Corner is where I can: ________________________




Talk Spot

[Space for photo/drawing]
Talk Spot is where I can: ________________________




Feelings Wall

[Space for photo/drawing]
Feelings Wall is where I: ________________________




4. Additional Printables

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