Anger Resources
There are many resources you can use that gives power back into the students' hands and helps them recognize that anger is a normal feeling. At the request of a School Counselor Blog Facebook fan, I have compiled some resources you can utilize in individual sessions, group sessions, and even classroom lessons with students.
Seeing RedI have written about Seeing Red: An Anger Management and Peacemaking Curriculum for Kids
a number of times and I can't express enough how much I love this book. I use Seeing Red with fourth through sixth graders. My colleague uses Seeing Red, with first through fourth grade. Each session has activities for younger elementary grades and older elementary grades. Seeing Red really focuses on what is behind the anger, how you have power over your reaction to angry feelings, and ways that you can cope with that anger. I really love the Seeing Red curriculum and I use some of the icebreaker activities in the book for other groups that I facilitate. Check out my previous post about Seeing Red. 
PBS has some really cool websites for children and teens with lots of great relatable information. On the
PBS Kids website, there is a section with videos of a variety of different topics including Dealing with Anger: The Fire Inside. The section includes lots of information for kids/teens for dealing with anger as well as some offline activities they can do to explore their anger. In the anger management video middle school aged students are asked about what makes them angry and how they deal with it. The video is slightly under 3 minutes.
PBS also has an In The Mix lesson about anger management and conflict resolution. It includes a videos and discussion. The clips include conflict resolution and peer mediation. To access these clips and more, visit the PBS In The Mix YouTube Page.
How to Take the Grrrr Out of AngerFree Spirit Publishing has great books on a myriad of different topics. They have two great books about anger. How to take the Grrrr Out of Anger
is one that I use with students in fifth and sixth grade. It is very kid friendly and relatable. You can download two free excerpts from of How to Take the Grrrr Out of Anger from Free Spirit Publishing. The first excerpt contains the table of contents, self talk, breathing, and relaxation tips. The second excerpt contains "how it feels to be angry," a "rage gauge," two cartoons about anger, and how your thoughts impact your anger.
MADThe other Free Spirit Publishing book, MAD: How to Deal with Your Anger and Get Respect
, is about anger is geared toward older middle school and high school students. MAD is about how anger can control you. MAD contains input and insights from real teens. There are two free excerpts from Free Spirit Publishing available for MAD. The first excerpt is a listing of the table of contents. The second excerpt is a Rage Gauge Quiz, which would be a great screening tool for a group.
When Sophie Gets AngryIf you are looking for resources for younger elementary students. I highly recommend When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry...
. This book would be a great addition to a group for younger students utilizing the Seeing Red curriculum. I created a tree activity to use with When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry.... Each time students thought of a positive way to deal with their anger, they got to put a leaf on the tree. It could be used in an individual, group or classroom setting. You can read more about the tree activity here.Children's Health Fund
The Children's Health Fund has a brochure called "What to do When I'm Angry." The brochure outlines what anger is, and ideas for dealing with anger. There is a free lesson plan available from the Children's Health Fund that utilizes the brochure.
I have written a variety of different posts about anger management. There many things you can use in your sessions to teach about anger including balloons, play doh, and bubbles. I also made a display of students suggestions of how to "chill out" when they are feeling upset.
For all of my previous posts about anger management, click here.
What resources do you use to talk to students about anger? Comment below, email me, tweet, or share on the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page!
Danielle is a K-12 Certified School Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and blogger at School Counselor Blog, a place where school counselors share innovative ideas, creative lesson plans, and quality resources. Contact Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.
