Grace Allan
"Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" Control vs. Can't Control Activity
I found this activity on Pinterest, so I can't take credit for the idea, but I have implemented it a few times in my job as an elementary school counselor with a few 2nd and 3rd graders. The activity has been engaging and fun for the kids and it drives home the lesson that there are some things in life you can control and some you can't.
I start by reading the book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" by Judith Viorst. I tell the kids first to listen closely to all the bad things that will happen to Alexander throughout the day. At the end of the book, we go back through and list all of the bad things. I have them pre-written on little cards and I pull them out as the student lists them. Once we have gone through the book, I pull out a large piece of paper and draw a large circle with the words "Can Control" inside and then write the words "Can't Control" on the outside. We take the time to sort each card either in the circle or out of the circle and discuss why or why not Alexander could have controlled the action.
To take it a step further, we ca look at the cards in the Can't Control section and talk about responses Alexander could have had to each item. It is a great lesson for talking about perspective and getting students to think about what actions they have control over throughout the day!
