Make cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) engaging and creative with these CBT Guided & Directed Drawing Activities for Kids! This digital and printable counseling resource combines drawing with thoughtful discussion prompts to help students explore the connections between their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Featuring a brontosaurus dinosaur, cat, and teddy bear, these three guided drawing activities include 27 CBT prompts that encourage emotional awareness, flexible thinking, coping skills, and more balanced self-talk. Students respond to questions as they complete each drawing, making this a fun, low-prep activity for individual counseling, small groups, and classroom SEL lessons.

📦 What's Included:

🦕 3 CBT Directed Drawing Activities

• Step-by-step drawing instructions for a brontosaurus dinosaur, cat, and teddy bear.
• Students answer CBT and SEL discussion questions as they work through each drawing.
• Nine discussion prompts per drawing, for 27 prompts total.

🧠 27 CBT & SEL Discussion Prompts

• Exploring connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Identifying helpful and unhelpful thoughts.
• Practicing flexible thinking and growth mindset.
• Discussing coping skills and self-awareness.
• Reflecting on responses to challenging situations.

✏️ Editable Google Slides Edition

• Editable version for adding your own questions or prompts.
• Customize the drawings for different counseling goals, classroom topics, or individual student needs.
• Reuse the activities with different discussion questions.

💡 SEL Pre-Teaching Slides

• Growth mindset.
• Grit and perseverance.
• Patience.
• Coping skills.
• Accepting mistakes as part of learning.

🖨️ Bonus Printable Directed Drawing Worksheets

• Additional printable worksheets to accompany the directed drawing activities.
• Opportunities for hands-on drawing, creativity, and independent practice.
• Flexible options for individual counseling, small groups, and classroom lessons.

💻 Digital & Printable Formats

• Interactive Google Slides activities for screen sharing or classroom projection.
• Printable PDF versions for hands-on learning.
• Flexible options for in-person and virtual counseling sessions.

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🎒 Quick Details: Elementary students | 👥 Individual, small group + classroom | 🖨️ Digital + Print, PDF + Google Slides | 🎯 CBT, emotional awareness + flexible thinking

🛍️ Bundle & Save:

Want a discount on these winter directed drawing activities? Check out:

🌈 SEL Directed Drawing Growing Bundle

• Includes a growing collection of 60 directed drawings with over 400 prompts>
• Features activities for feelings, empathy, communication, problem-solving, coping skills, and other SEL concepts.
• Includes editable versions and bonus printable resources.
• Offers engaging art-based activities for counseling sessions and classroom SEL lessons throughout the school year.

💜 CBT Guided & Directed Drawing Bundle

• Answer CBT prompts to unlock the steps to complete 10 directed drawings of a Brontosaurus, cat, and teddy bear, s a Plesiosaurus, goldfish, and sailboat, a robot, dog, and dinosaur hatching from an egg, and a doll
• Includes 90 CBT discussion prompts (9 prompts per drawing), giving you even more creative ways to reinforce cognitive behavioral therapy and social-emotional learning skills.
• Help students explore thinking patterns, emotional awareness, coping skills, and the connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Editable Edition to customize the prompts or create your own questions.
• Includes SEL Pre-Teaching Slides and bonus printable directed drawing worksheets

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🎯 Skills Addressed:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), emotional identification, self-awareness, understanding connections between thoughts, feelings, and actions, helpful and unhelpful thinking, balanced self-talk, flexible thinking, emotional regulation, coping skills, growth mindset, perseverance, patience, self-confidence, and responding to mistakes.

💡 Ways to Use It:

• Introduce CBT concepts through creative, art-based counseling activities
• Help students explore how thoughts, feelings, and actions are connected
• Practice recognizing thoughts and considering more balanced alternatives
• Use the drawings as conversation starters during individual counseling sessions
• Facilitate small group discussions about coping skills and flexible thinking
• Incorporate the activities into classroom social-emotional learning lessons
• Customize the editable prompts to target specific counseling goals
• Display the digital activities on a smartboard or share your screen during virtual sessions
• Use the printable worksheets for hands-on learning or independent reflection
• Encourage participation without requiring students to draw perfectly or share more than they feel comfortable sharing

👩‍🏫 Who It's For:

School counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, mental health counselors, special education teachers, classroom teachers, and homeschooling families.

Especially helpful for professionals looking for creative, low-prep CBT activities that combine drawing, discussion, and social-emotional skill development.

🖨️ Format & Download:

Includes printable PDF resources and digital Google Slides activities.

An editable edition allows you to customize the prompts and questions. Bonus directed drawing worksheets are also included.

Use the activities during in-person counseling, small groups, classroom lessons, telehealth, or screen-based learning.

📌 Important Notes:

• CBT activities are intended to help students explore their thoughts with curiosity, not to require positive thinking or dismiss difficult emotions and real-life challenges.
• Students can participate at their own pace. The focus is on reflection, creativity, and skill development rather than artistic ability.
• This is a digital download. No physical product will be shipped. Due to the digital nature of this resource, all sales are final and refunds are not available.