Using the Art of Origami in School Counseling

Have fun as you teach these educational, interactive lessons that require students to use their hands as well as their minds. A great addition to STEAM programs!

Origami has been shown to be a beneficial therapeutic tool and has many applications in the modern-day classroom. Students get a sense of excitement and accomplishment after they finish creating an origami structure. They also learn important skills such as patience (repetition of folding the paper), focus, following directions, listening carefully, sequence, and self-confidence.

This book includes fifteen origami and two foldable structures. Each structure includes directions for presenting a large-group/classroom lesson and one or more small-group and individual counseling sessions. Although the group size is specified, many of the lessons can be used with both smaller or larger groups and can be adapted for use with individual students.

The focus of each lesson/session is listed at the beginning of each section. Most of the lessons include an optional storybook reading for younger students. The lessons can be easily adapted to focus on additional topics, and creative Extra Ideas! can be found throughout the book.

60+ lesson/activity ideas on relevant topics including:

• Anger and Stress: Calming Strategies
• Belief in Oneself
• Conflict-Resolution Skills
• Empathy and Kindness
• Encouraging Self and Others
• Forgiveness
• Friendship Qualities and Traits
• Grit
• Identifying and Expressing Feelings
• Making Mistakes
• Mindfulness
• Positive Attitude
• Positive Character and Personality Traits
• Positive Self-Affirmations
• Positive Support Systems
• Preconceptions
• Resiliency
• Setting and Achieving Goals
• Uniqueness
• Worrying: Coping Techniques

Downloadable digital content includes level 1 Whiteboard compatible PDF files of all the reproducible pages.