Winter SEL Centers: Winter Counseling Activities for Classroom Counseling
Looking for engaging, hands-on winter counseling activities for elementary students? These winter SEL centers are designed for 1st–3rd grade and provide meaningful opportunities for students to build emotional awareness, self-expression, peer connection, and joy all through developmentally appropriate, winter-themed activities. Use the centers together for a winter classroom counseling lesson or separately for small group counseling or individual student support. Each center is easy to facilitate and encourages discussion, reflection, and collaboration.
Skills Students Practice:
- Identifying emotions and linking them to experiences
- Sharing personal thoughts and feelings
- Working cooperatively with a partner
- Practicing calming and regulation strategies
- Recognizing sources of joy and positive coping
Included Winter-Themed SEL Centers:
✔ Roll & Draw (Elf or Reindeer version)
✔ Settle Your Snow Globe: calming item & regulation exploration
✔ All About Me Gingerbread House: color-by-code activity
✔ Directed Drawing: Feelings Penguin
✔ Partner Brick Block Building Activity (collaboration & communication)
✔ DIY Joy Word Search
All materials are included in color and black/white for flexible printing.
What’s Included:
- Educator instructions
- 6 winter-themed SEL centers
- Student-friendly activity pages
- Color and black/white versions of all materials
Additional Materials Needed:
- Coloring utensils
- Pencils
- Glue and scissors
- Brick blocks (such as LEGO®)
- Calming items commonly found in a calm-down kit or corner
(e.g., stress balls, fidgets, sensory tools)
Time & Implementation:
- Use all 6 centers across two 40-minute counseling lessons for whole-group guidance
- Each center takes approximately 10–15 minutes
- Centers can also be used individually or in small groups
Perfect for:
- School counselors
- School social workers
- SEL teachers & coaches
- Classroom teachers (Grades K–3)
- Winter classroom guidance lessons
- Small group or individual counseling sessions
FAQS:
Q: Do I need extra materials?
A: You'll need the items listed above.
Q: How long will this take?
A: Students can rotate through all 6 centers over the course of 2 40-minute counseling lessons if using them in a whole group lesson. Each center takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.
Q: Can I use this in small groups or with an individual student?
A: Absolutely!
Please note: this is a digitally downloadable resource. You will not receive anything in the mail.