May is a month full of celebrations! Not only is spring in full force, but it’s also Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and for many students - the last month of school.

All of those celebrations can be so much fun, but to be honest, I’m overwhelmed just by naming them all. If you also feel overwhelmed by everything going on this month (or burned out and ready for summer!), then this post is for you. These 3 May school counseling lesson ideas will make planning easier, while you help kids learn about important social emotional learning concepts!

May Lesson Idea #1: Mental Health

This chart is part of a mental health awareness lesson for grades K-2.

Teaching kids about mental health is of the utmost importance. Almost 1 in 5 children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, developmental, or emotional disorder. Rates of completed suicides are also increasing rapidly.

Educating kids on this topic not only works to reduce stigma and increase awareness, it’s also a chance to help students become more familiar with what to do if they are struggling.

Mental health is a great topic for your May school counseling lessons, because it is Mental Health Awareness Month. Plus, we’re coming up on summer break - a time when students may struggle more with their mental health due to lack of structure, adult supervision, etc.

Activity Idea: Mental health can seem abstract to kids - especially young ones. It can be helpful to talk about mental health by comparing it to something they are more familiar with - physical health. Explain to students that just like there are things that we can do to help our bodies stay healthy (i.e., get enough sleep, eat nutritious foods, drink water), there are also things that we can do to keep our minds healthy.

I love this conversation because not only does it make the topic easier to understand, I have found that it also can reduce the stigma of mental health. Kids can see that just as someone wouldn’t usually be blamed for having a physical illness, we shouldn’t blame people for mental illness either.

Additional Resources:

Pre-made Mental Health Lessons For Grades K-2 and Grades 3-5.

Blog Post: 5 Ways School Counselors Can Promote Mental Health Awareness Month
For grades 4-12, check out the resources from Erika’s Lighthouse

May Lesson Idea #2: Celebrating Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Culture

May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! This is a month that is set aside to honor the contributions, heritage, and accomplishments of Asian Americans, Pacific Islander Americans, and Native Hawaiians.

Thankfully, there are many ways that you can incorporate this mission into your counseling lessons. One idea is to use books written by AAPI people that will help students learn about different cultures, as well as important SEL topics.

Some of my favorites read-alouds are:

Paper Son by Julie Leung
- Topics It Covers: Perseverance and Growth Mindset
The Many Colors Of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar
- Topics It Covers: Friendship & Feelings
Eyes That Speak To The Stars by Joanna Ho
- Topics It Covers: Diversity & Self-Esteem

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center also has many lessons and activities on their website that are accessible for free!

May Lesson Idea #3: Summer Safety

Summer break can be a time of fun and freedom. For many kids, it also means more time at home, outside, and in the water. These activities can present kids with new dangers, especially if the kids aren’t being supervised by an adult. Help your students manage these risks by teaching about summer safety in your May counseling lessons.

Activity Idea: Not all students have the same summer experiences. Help your students learn about summer safety in a way that applies to them by asking them to share the things they will be doing during the summer. Then, go through each thing and have them work together to come up with a list of safety rules. Here are some examples:

Water Safety Rules:
- Never swim alone
- Don’t play games that involve dunking or holding your breath
- Jump in feet-first
Staying Safe Online
- Never give out personal information
- Only play with people you know
- Take breaks to do other things

If you have enough time, play this fun summer safety game after the activity to review what you’ve learned!

My hope is that these 3 ideas will make it easier to plan your May counseling lessons, while still teaching about important topics! If you’re looking for more time-saving tips, make sure you sign up below for my weekly e-mails. Each Monday, you’ll get practical ideas and activities delivered directly to your inbox.