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Craft Your CBT Toolkit

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John Crocker

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Teacher Guide Toolkit Showcase

Students will review prior CBT strategies, assemble a personalized toolkit with at least one calming strategy, one helpful thought, and one problem-solving step, and plan when to use each at school or home.

Building a tangible CBT toolkit empowers 3rd graders to self-regulate, generalize skills across settings, and take ownership of their emotional well-being through reflection and goal setting.

Audience

3rd Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Hands-on toolkit building with modeling, peer sharing, and reflection

Materials

My Strategies My Plan, Personal CBT Toolkit Folder, Toolkit Checklist and Reflection Rubric, Family Plan One-Pager, and Exit Reflection: My Next Try

Prep

Prepare Materials and Stations

10 minutes

  • Review My Strategies My Plan to refresh prior units’ strategies
  • Print and assemble enough Family Plan One-Pager, Toolkit Checklist and Reflection Rubric, and Exit Reflection: My Next Try for each student
  • Gather folders or envelopes labeled Personal CBT Toolkit Folder
  • Set up a materials station with markers, sticky notes, chart paper, and scissors

Step 1

Activate Prior Knowledge

5 minutes

  • Project My Strategies My Plan
  • Invite students to recall calming strategies, helpful thoughts, and problem-solving steps from Units 1–2
  • Brainstorm as a class and record ideas on chart paper to build a shared “toolbox” list

Step 2

Model the Toolkit

10 minutes

  • Use the slide deck to select one strategy from each category and place them in a sample Personal CBT Toolkit Folder
  • Complete a sample Family Plan One-Pager, explaining when you’d use each tool at school or home
  • Think aloud to show decision-making and planning

Step 3

Build Your Toolkit

15 minutes

  • Distribute Personal CBT Toolkit Folder materials and have students choose at least three strategies (1 calming, 1 helpful thought, 1 problem-solving)
  • Students assemble their folder pages, label each strategy, and note a use-case scenario
  • Complete the Toolkit Checklist and Reflection Rubric for self-assessment
  • Teacher circulates for one-on-one conferences and guidance

Step 4

Share and Gallery Walk

10 minutes

  • Students display their finished toolkits around the room
  • In pairs or small groups, conduct a gallery walk: each student explains one strategy and its intended use
  • Peers ask questions or offer positive feedback to reinforce understanding

Step 5

Set Goals & Exit Reflection

5 minutes

  • Hand out Exit Reflection: My Next Try
  • Students write one goal for using their CBT toolkit at school or home this week
  • Collect reflections and encourage students to revisit their goals daily
lenny

Slide Deck

My Strategies, My Plan

Welcome! Today we’ll:

  • Review our four strategy categories
  • Learn about cognitive restructuring and behavioral activation
  • Brainstorm our own examples
  • See a sample toolkit
  • Build our personal toolkits
  • Plan when to use them!

Welcome students and explain that today we'll review our CBT strategies, including new techniques, and plan how to use them.

CBT Strategy Categories

  1. Calming Strategies
    • Ways to feel centered (e.g., deep breathing)
  2. Cognitive Restructuring
    • Change unhelpful thoughts into helpful ones (e.g., “I’ve got this!”)
  3. Behavioral Activation
    • Do positive activities to boost mood (e.g., take a quick walk)
  4. Problem-Solving Steps
    • A plan to work through challenges (e.g., break into smaller steps)

Briefly recap each category including the two new ones. Use questions to engage.

Deep Dive: Cognitive Restructuring

This is about noticing unhelpful thoughts and changing them into helpful ones.

Examples:

  • “I’ll never get this right” → “I can learn with practice.”
  • “Everyone’s watching me” → “People are focused on their own work.”

Explain what cognitive restructuring is and give examples.

Deep Dive: Behavioral Activation

This is about doing an activity that helps you feel better.

Examples:

  • Take a short walk or stretch break
  • Draw or listen to a favorite song
  • Talk positively with a friend

Explain what behavioral activation is and give examples.

Brainstorm Together

Let’s think of our own examples for each category:

Calming Strategies:
• ______
• ______

Cognitive Restructuring:
• ______
• ______

Behavioral Activation:
• ______
• ______

Problem-Solving Steps:
• ______
• ______

Prompt students to share ideas for all four categories and record on board.

Sample Toolkit: Model

Calming Strategy: Deep Breathing
Cognitive Restructuring: “I can handle learning new things.”
Behavioral Activation: Drawing a quick doodle when stuck
Problem-Solving Step: List three steps to solve a problem

Use-Case Examples:
• Take three deep breaths before a test.
• If stuck, doodle for 2 minutes, then return to work.

Model selecting one example from each category and explain why.

How to Build Your Toolkit

  1. Choose at least one from each category:
    • Calming Strategy
    • Cognitive Restructuring Thought
    • Behavioral Activation Activity
    • Problem-Solving Step
  2. Write or draw your strategy on its page
  3. Add a sentence: When will I use this?
  4. Check off the Toolkit Checklist
  5. Put everything in your CBT Toolkit Folder

Explain step-by-step, highlighting all four categories.

Share & Gallery Walk

  1. Display your toolkit pages around the room
  2. Walk and stop at three classmates’ work
  3. Ask: “Which category is this tool from?” and “When would you use it?”
  4. Give one positive comment

Show or point to rubric/checklist. Encourage partner feedback.

Reflection & Next Steps

On your Exit Reflection sheet:

  1. Write one goal for using a toolkit tool this week
  2. Describe where and when you’ll try it
  3. Keep it somewhere you’ll see it daily

Encourage students to set a realistic, specific goal.

lenny

Project Guide

Personal CBT Toolkit Folder

Use this folder to keep your CBT strategies handy. Follow the steps below to assemble your toolkit and fill in each page. Once complete, place all pages inside your folder or envelope.

Instructions

  1. Decorate and label each page as directed.
  2. Complete the writing and drawing prompts on every page.
  3. Check off each step as you go.
  4. Place each finished page in your Personal CBT Toolkit Folder.

Pages to Complete

1. Cover Page

• Title your folder “My CBT Toolkit” and write your name below.
• Decorate with drawings or colors to make it your own.


2. Calming Strategy Card

  1. Strategy Name:





  2. How I Do It (steps or drawing):





  3. When I’ll Use It (school or home):





3. Helpful Thought Card

  1. Helpful Thought (e.g., “I can handle this”):





  2. What I Say to Myself:





  3. When I’ll Use It (school or home):





4. Problem-Solving Step Card

  1. Problem-Solving Step (e.g., “Break task into smaller parts”):





  2. How I Do This Step:





  3. When I’ll Use It (school or home):





Final Check

  • Cover Page decorated and labeled
  • Calming Strategy Card complete
  • Helpful Thought Card complete
  • Problem-Solving Step Card complete

Place all pages together in your folder. Keep it somewhere you can easily grab when you need a CBT tool!

lenny
lenny

Rubric

Toolkit Checklist and Reflection Rubric

Use this rubric to self-assess your CBT toolkit and written reflection. Score yourself from 3 (Excellent) to 1 (Needs Improvement) for each criterion.

Criterion3 - Excellent2 - Satisfactory1 - Needs Improvement
CompletenessIncludes all three strategy cards (Calming, Helpful Thought, Problem-Solving) with titles, steps, and use-case scenariosMissing one strategy card or one card lacks steps/use-caseMore than one card is missing or lacks required information
Clarity of DescriptionsStrategy names and steps are very clear and detailed; a reader can understand and follow them easilyDescriptions are understandable but contain some vague languageDescriptions are unclear or too brief to explain how to use the strategy
Thoughtfulness of ReflectionReflection shows deep thinking about why and how each tool will help in real situationsReflection shows some thinking but is general or lacks connection to real-life examplesReflection is minimal or off-topic; does not show understanding of strategy application
Plan Usage ExplanationGoal is specific and realistic, clearly states when and where you will use a strategy this weekGoal is stated but missing details about time, place, or is somewhat generalGoal is too vague or missing; does not indicate when or where the strategy will be used

Scoring Guide:
• Total possible: 12 points (4 criteria × 3 points)
• 10–12 points: Outstanding work! You have a complete, clear, and thoughtful toolkit with a strong plan.
• 7–9 points: Good effort! You meet most expectations but can add more detail or specificity.
• 4–6 points: Keep improving! Revisit your toolkit and reflection to add missing information and clarify your plan.

After you score yourself, check off the box next to your total score on your Toolkit Checklist sheet and set a specific goal to improve one area next time.

lenny
lenny

Worksheet

Family Plan One-Pager

Use this one-pager to share your CBT toolkit with a family member. Together, fill in ideas and practice a plan for using your strategies at home.

1. My Three Strategies

Write the name of each strategy from your toolkit below and explain it in a sentence.

Calming Strategy:





Helpful Thought:





Problem-Solving Step:





2. Family Feedback Chart

Ask a family member to read each strategy and share an idea or way they can help you remember to use it.

  1. Calming Strategy: _________________________________
    • When I’ll Use It: ______________________________
    • Family Suggestion or Support: ______________________________







  2. Helpful Thought: _________________________________
    • When I’ll Use It: ______________________________
    • Family Suggestion or Support: ______________________________







  3. Problem-Solving Step: _________________________________
    • When I’ll Use It: ______________________________
    • Family Suggestion or Support: ______________________________







3. Practice Scenario

Together, write a short scenario when you will try one of your tools this week. Describe the situation, the tool you will use, and how your family member will remind or support you.

Situation or Problem:









Tool I’ll Use: ___________________________________________



How My Family Can Help:









4. Family Commitment

Thank you for helping me practice my CBT toolkit! Please sign below to show you’ll help me remember and check in this week.

Family Member Name: ____________________________________


Signature: ______________________________________________


Date: _________________________________________________

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lenny

Cool Down

Exit Reflection: My Next Try

Before you leave, reflect on how you’ll use your new CBT toolkit. Answer the questions below:

  1. Strategy I will try first:






  1. When and where I will use it:






  1. Why I think this will help me:






  1. If it’s hard to remember or use, my plan B is:






lenny
lenny