Hello, Counselor! Word-for-Word Teacher Script

1. Welcome & Meet the Counselor (5 minutes)

Teacher (smiling, inviting):
“Good morning, friends! Come on over and sit with me in our circle on the rug. (Pause as children settle.)

Today we have a special guest—you do have a counselor here at our school. My name is Ms. Lopez, and I’m your school counselor. A counselor is someone who listens to you, helps you with your feelings, and keeps you safe.

(Point to the poster.)
Look at our Counselor Intro Poster. Can you all see my picture? (Wait.)
This poster shows my name, where I work, and how I help you. When you have big feelings—happy, sad, or scared—you can always come find me.

(Lift the tablet or point to the screen.)
I also made some slides to help us remember. Let’s take a quick peek at the Counselor Visual Aid Slides.”

Teacher (clicks to slide 2):
“This slide says what I do:
• Listen to you
• Help with big feelings
• Keep you safe
• Solve problems together

When you need someone to talk to, you can ask me!”

2. Sing the Hello Counselor Song (5 minutes)

Teacher (standing, excited):
“Now we’re going to learn a fun song so you remember my name! This song is called ‘Hello, Counselor!’

Let’s stand up, get ready to sing, and do some hand motions.

(Play Hello Counselor Song Audio.)

Teacher (leading motions):
🎶 Hello, Counselor, here we are! 🎶 (wave hands)

(Children echo.)

🎶 Hello, Counselor, you’re our star! 🎶 (point thumbs to chest)

(Children echo.)

Great job! Let’s sing the chorus one more time together!”

(Repeat chorus.)

3. Feelings Discussion (5 minutes)

Teacher (sitting on rug):
“Amazing singing, everyone. Now let’s talk about feelings.”

(Spread out the Feelings Cards Printable.)

Teacher (holding first card):
“What feeling is this?”

(Children respond: “Happy!”)

Teacher: “Yes—it’s happy! Can you show me your biggest happy face?”

(Wait; children practice.)

Teacher: “Tell me—what makes you feel happy?”

(Prompt 1–2 volunteers.)

Teacher (holding second card):
“And this one—what feeling is it?”

(Children respond: “Sad!”)

Teacher: “Correct, it’s sad. When have you felt sad?”

(Prompt 1–2 volunteers.)

Teacher (holding third card):
“Now this one—what feeling?”

(Children respond: “Scared!”)

Teacher: “That’s right. Sometimes we feel scared when we hear a loud noise or see something new."

Teacher: “Remember, when you have big feelings—happy, sad, or scared—you can come talk to me. I’m here to help.”

4. Role-Play Help-Seeking (10 minutes)

Teacher (standing, holding masks):
“Time to pretend! I have two masks from our Counselor Role-Play Masks PDF: one counselor mask and one student mask.”

Teacher (puts on counselor mask):
“Watch me first. (In a kind voice) Student, can I talk to you?”

Teacher (switches to student mask):
“Yes, Ms. Lopez? I feel sad because I lost my toy.”

Teacher (back to counselor mask):
“I’m sorry you feel sad. I’m here to listen. Would you like to tell me more?”

Teacher (removing masks):
“Now it’s your turn! Find a partner. One person is the counselor, the other is the student. Practice asking, ‘Can I talk to you?’ and then listening and helping. I’ll walk around to help you.”

(Circulate and support pairs. Offer sentence starters: “I feel…,” “Can I talk to you…,” “Yes, I’m listening…”)

5. Closing & Goodbye Routine (5 minutes)

Teacher (ringing a small bell or clapping a rhythm):
“Friends, it’s time to wrap up. You all did an amazing job learning about my job and practicing asking for help.

Who can share one thing they learned today?”

(Pause for responses.)

Teacher: “Yes! You can come find me any time you need to talk, and I will listen and help you.”

“Let’s say goodbye with our special wave. Everyone stand up, look at our Counselor Intro Poster, and on the count of three we’ll wave ‘see you soon!’ Ready?”

(Lead big wave: “One, two, three—see you soon!”)

Teacher (smiling):
“Thank you for being such brave, kind friends today. I can’t wait to see you in the hallway—don’t forget to say hi!”

Counselor Role-Play Activity

Purpose:
Help students practice asking for help and responding as a counselor in a safe, playful setting.

Time: 10 minutes

Materials:

• Counselor Role-Play Masks PDF

Instructions

1. Circle-Up & Explain (1 minute)

   • Gather children back on the rug.
   • Say: “Today you’ll pretend to be either a student who needs help or our school counselor who listens and supports.”

2. Model the Script (2 minutes)

   • Put on the counselor mask and a student mask yourself.
   • Role-play aloud:
     • Student (quiet voice): “Can I talk to you?”
     • Counselor (kind voice): “Of course! I’m here to listen. How are you feeling?”
     • Student: “I feel sad because I lost my toy.”
     • Counselor: “I’m sorry. Tell me more about it.”
   • Remove masks and praise attention.

3. Distribute Masks & Sentence Frames (1 minute)

   • Give each pair one counselor mask and one student mask.
   • Show these simple frames on a chart or board:
     • Student: “Can I talk to you?”
     • Student: “I feel ___ because ___.”
     • Counselor: “I’m listening. Tell me more.”
     • Counselor: “Thank you for sharing. How can I help?”

4. Pair Practice (4 minutes)

   • Invite students to find a partner.
   • In each pair, one child wears the student mask and one the counselor mask.
   • Prompt them to:
     a. Student asks, “Can I talk to you?”
     b. Counselor responds with a listening phrase.
     c. Student shares a simple feeling (e.g., happy, sad, scared).
     d. Counselor thanks and offers support.
   • After 2 minutes, have partners swap roles.
   • Circulate and offer help: gently remind children of the frames and encourage eye contact.

5. Group Debrief (2 minutes)

   • Gather everyone back in a circle.
   • Ask a few volunteers:
     • “How did it feel to ask for help?”
     • “What did our counselor say to help you feel better?”
   • Reinforce: “You can always use these words with me or another grown-up when you have big feelings.”

Differentiation & Extensions

• For children needing extra support:
  • Pre-assign pairs so shy students have a familiar buddy.
  • Provide one-on-one modeling.

• For advanced learners:
  • Introduce additional feelings (frustrated, excited).
  • Ask them to suggest possible solutions (“Would a hug help? A drawing?”).

• Extension at Circle Time:
  • Draw or write one thing you’d say to the counselor when you need help.
  • Post responses around the Counselor Intro Poster.

Feelings Cards Printable

Cut along the dotted lines to create three handy emotion cards. Use these during circle time to show how you’re feeling.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Teacher: Print this page, then cut along the dotted lines to separate each card.)

Hello Counselor Song

Sing to the tune of a simple, upbeat melody (like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” or a basic 4-beat loop)

Chorus (twice):
🎶 Hello, Counselor, here we are! 👋

Hello, Counselor, you’re our star! ⭐️

When we’re happy, sad, or blue,

We can always talk to you. 😊😢😨

Hello, Counselor, yes it’s true! 🎶

Verse (once):
🎶 My name is Ms. Lopez, that’s me!

I’m here to listen carefully.

Big emotions, small or tall,

I’ll help you talk about them all. 🎶

Chorus (twice):
🎶 Hello, Counselor, here we are! 👋

Hello, Counselor, you’re our star! ⭐️

When we’re happy, sad, or blue,

We can always talk to you. 😊😢😨

Hello, Counselor, yes it’s true! 🎶

Hand Motions & Suggestions:

• Wave both hands in front of you on “Hello, Counselor” 👋
• Point thumbs at chest on “you’re our star” 👍
• Flutter hands by cheeks on “happy” 😊
• Make a frown and hug yourself on “sad” 😢🤗
• Shake a little for “scared” 😨
• Place hand on heart for “we can always talk to you” ❤️

Play the song slowly the first time; pause after each line to let children echo. Repeat the chorus to build confidence and join hand motions.

Meet Your School Counselor Word-for-Word Teacher Script

1. Welcome & Meet the Counselor (5 minutes)

Teacher (smiling, inviting):
“Good morning, friends! Come on over and sit with me in our circle on the rug. (Pause as they settle.)

Today we have someone special here in our school. My name is Ms. Lopez, and I am your school counselor. A counselor is an adult who listens to you, helps you with your feelings, and keeps you safe.

(Point to the poster.)
Look at our Counselor Intro Poster. Can you see my picture? (Wait.) This poster shows my name, where my office is, and how I help you every day.

(Lift your tablet or point to the screen.)
I also brought some slides to help us remember. Let’s take a quick peek at the Counselor Visual Aid Slides.”

Teacher (advances to slide with bullets):
“This slide says what I do:
• I listen to you
• I help with big feelings
• I keep you safe
• I solve problems with you

When you feel happy, sad, or scared, you can always come talk to me.

Who can tell me one thing a counselor does? (Pause for 1–2 responses.)”

2. Sing the Hello Counselor Song (5 minutes)

Teacher (standing, excited):
“Now let’s learn a fun song so you remember my name and know I’m here to help! The song is called ‘Hello, Counselor!’

Stand up with me, and we’ll add hand motions to the song.

(Play Hello Counselor Song Audio.)

Teacher (leading motions):
🎶 Hello, Counselor, here we are! 🎶 (wave hands)
(Children echo.)

🎶 Hello, Counselor, you’re our star! 🎶 (point thumbs to chest)
(Children echo.)

🎶 When we’re happy, sad, or blue, 🎶 (flutter hands, frown/hug, shake)
(Children echo.)

🎶 We can always talk to you. 🎶 (hand on heart)
(Children echo.)

Great job! Let’s sing the chorus one more time together!”

(Repeat chorus with motions.)

3. Feelings Discussion (5 minutes)

Teacher (sitting back on rug):
“Wonderful singing, everyone. Now let’s talk more about feelings.”

(Spread out the Feelings Cards Printable.)

Teacher (holding first card):
“What feeling is this?”

(Children respond: “Happy!”)

Teacher:
“Yes—it’s happy! Show me your biggest happy face. (Pause.)
What makes you feel happy?”

(Prompt 1–2 volunteers: “I feel happy when…”)

Teacher (holding second card):
“And this one—what feeling do you see?”

(Children: “Sad!”)

Teacher:
“That’s right. Can you show your sad face? (Pause.)
When have you felt sad?”

(Prompt 1–2 volunteers.)

Teacher (holding third card):
“Now this one—what feeling?”

(Children: “Scared!”)

Teacher:
“Yes! Sometimes we feel scared when we hear a loud noise or try something new.

Remember, if you ever have big feelings—happy, sad, or scared—you can come talk to me. I’m here to help.”

4. Role-Play Help-Seeking (10 minutes)

Teacher (standing, holding masks):
“Time to pretend and practice asking for help! I have two masks: one counselor mask and one student mask from our Counselor Role-Play Masks PDF.”

Teacher (puts on counselor mask):
(In a kind voice) “Hello! Can I talk to you today?”

Teacher (switches to student mask):
(In a soft voice) “Yes, Ms. Lopez. I feel sad because I lost my toy.”

Teacher (back to counselor mask):
“I’m sorry you feel sad. I’m here to listen. Tell me more about your toy.”

Teacher (removing masks):
“Now it’s your turn! Find a partner. One of you will wear the student mask, and one will wear the counselor mask. Practice these steps:

1. Student asks, “Can I talk to you?”
2. Counselor answers, “I’m listening. How are you feeling?”
3. Student shares with, “I feel ___ because ___.”
4. Counselor says, “Thank you for sharing. How can I help you?”

I will walk around to help you. Let’s give it a try!”

(Circulate. Offer sentence frames quietly: “Can I talk to you?” “I feel…because…” “I’m listening.” “How can I help?”)

After 4–5 minutes, say:
“Great practice! Now swap masks and switch roles.”

After another 4–5 minutes, ring a small bell or clap:
“Time to come back to our circle.”

5. Closing & Goodbye Routine (5 minutes)

Teacher (ringing bell or clapping a rhythm):
“Friends, it’s time to wrap up. You all did an amazing job today!
Who can share one thing they learned?”

(Pause for a few responses.)

Teacher:
“Yes—I'm so proud of you! Remember, you can always come find me when you need to talk, and I will listen and help you.

Let’s finish with our special wave. Stand up, look at our Counselor Intro Poster, and on the count of three we’ll wave and say, ‘See you soon!’ Ready?

One… two… three… See you soon!”

Teacher (smiling):
“Thank you for being such brave, kind friends today. Don’t forget to say hi when you see me in the hallway!”

Counselor Role-Play Rubric

Use this rubric to assess each child’s participation during the role-play help-seeking activity. Circle or highlight the level that best describes the student’s performance.

Scoring guide:

• 16–14: Exceeds expectations (student is fully comfortable asking for and offering help)
• 13–10: Meets expectations (student can ask, listen, and respond with mild support)
• 9–6: Approaching expectations (student shows basic attempts but needs scaffolding)
• 5–4: Beginning (student is not yet able to use help-seeking language or listening skills)

Goodbye Wave

Time: 3 minutes
Materials:

• Counselor Intro Poster

Steps

1. Invite students to stand in a half-circle facing the Counselor Intro Poster.
2. Remind them: “Remember, you can always come talk to me when you have big feelings.”
3. Go around the circle and ask each child to wave and share one word about how they feel or one thing they learned today.
   
   
   
   
4. On the count of three, everyone waves together and says, “See you soon, Ms. Lopez!”

Teacher Note: Praise each share (“Great word!”) and reinforce that the counselor’s door is always open as students head out.