30-Minute Groups: Relationships and Belonging - by Amy Baltimore (Paperback)

About the Book

Teach crucial academic and social skills in thirty-minute lessons for small group instruction in grades 2-9. It's flexible, adaptable, and requires minimal prep time - no extra materials required! Topics include social awareness, empathy, communication, and understanding different viewpoints.

Book Synopsis

Are you looking for an engaging tool to help students cultivate healthy relationships and a strong sense of belonging?

This workbook will equip you with everything you need to do just that! Teach crucial academic and social skills in thirty-minute lessons for small group instruction in grades 2-9. It's flexible, adaptable, and requires minimal prep time - no extra materials required!

Recognizing that social interaction is a cornerstone of learning, this curriculum lays crucial groundwork for academic success and overall personal development. It helps students understand their own worth, build positive connections with peers, and establish healthy boundaries in their relationships.

Inside, you'll find:

• 10-12 Complete Lessons with ASCA(R) standards
• Comprehensive Action Plan
• Permission and Completion Letters to send to caregivers
• Attendance Logs
• Pre- and Post-Assessments for Program Effectiveness
• Results Report to share with interested parties

Topics include social awareness, empathy, communication, and understanding different viewpoints. The lessons and activities in this thoughtfully crafted resource are designed to help students understand their own emotions and perspectives, recognize social cues, and develop the crucial interpersonal skills needed to build and maintain positive, healthy relationships. They'll learn to improve their ability to connect with peers and enhance their overall learning experience.

This workbook's practical design allows students to empathize, connect with others, and translate their new knowledge into practice. Use 30-Minute Groups: Relationships and Belonging workbook to empower your students to build strong social connections and foster a lasting sense of belonging!

Review Quotes

I absolutely love a good 30 minute small group that has everything ready to go with minimal planning! Building relationships is so important for students to have that sense of belonging. Students who feel like they do not belong have a difficult time with academic success, deal with mental health issues and have a hard time building relationships.

Juliana Buchanan
Social Worker

I've been excited to get this book to start small groups with. A big issue in our school is students feeling a sense of belonging. In the world today with people struggling with mental health, this book helps students recognize their feelings about themselves, their social interactions and awareness, with the hope it will help them feel more connected to others with an increased sense of belonging. The group topics start with understanding your own strengths, appreciating the value in others, finding where you belong, achieving wellness and balance, and then moving on to how to define healthy relationships and recognize unhealthy relationships. Then moving into developing consideration for others, knowing your limits, and respecting others' boundaries. It is so nice to have a resource that is all put together for you and requires minimal preparation. I also like how it flows each week with the same starting mind map for each session, reading a short story, and offering a few different activities based on the amount of time you have. It also offers a would you rather game to play each time which I have seen kids really enjoy in the past. I can't wait to start using this resource!!!!!

Jennifer Wiater
School Counselor

Relationships and belonging are intertwined as we all go about our journeys. Within this book geared toward working with children, it offers the perfect blend of self-reflection and collaboration. It takes into account the importance of valuing oneself and setting boundaries, while being intentional about creating a space for meaningful connections. Looking forward to using this resource this school year!

Amber Nutter
School Counselor

About the Author

Amy Baltimore is a former missionary kid who grew up experiencing first hand what it is like to serve the needs of children with deep developmental trauma. With an undergraduate degree in musical theater and a masters degree in school counseling, she began her career by leaning into her passion for supporting the positive growth and development of students primarily in grades K-8 through musical theater programming and school counseling.

After 12 years of serving in schools as a school counselor, she realized the adults need just as much support as the students. So, after obtaining a specialist degree in Education Leadership, she stepped into the role of serving as a school counseling district leader and completed her personal educational journey by completing doctoral programming at Lipscomb University focused on the development of learning organizations, and strategic change.

Her professional experiences also include serving as Chair of the Board of Directors and legislative liaison for the Tennessee School Counselor Association, adjunct professor and frequent speaker at various higher ed events and state conferences, and advisory council for the Tennessee Department of Education school counseling department. She is a Nationally Board Certified Counselor and a certified trainer for Restorative Practices, Building Strong Brains (ACEs/PCEs), The 6 Pillars of Trauma-Informed Schools, and Youth Mental Health First Aid.

Amy has been happily married for 26 years and has two amazing children who have grown and flown. She loves any activity involving sunshine and warm weather. On any given sunny day you can find her at the lake on her paddleboard, or on a bicycle riding the greenway, or hiking with her husband toward one of the many waterfalls found in middle Tennessee.