I Made a Bully Hat!

This afternoon I was in Target perusing the dollar spot as usual, when I saw IT - a hat that looked strikingly similar to the "bully hat" Katie wears in Confessions of a Former Bully!

I've wanted to make a bully hat ever since I read Confessions of a Former Bully by Trudy Ludwig.

I had to get the hat, especially since it was a dollar.  I was so excited about my find that I made a bully hat it this evening!

You might be wondering, "What is a bully hat?" 


In Confessions of a Former Bully, the school counselor explains to Katie that people put on a bully hat when they do mean things to others and want them to feel bad.  I love this message because it condemns the bullying behavior, not the person. It is very empowering to be able to "take off the bully hat" and change your behavior.

I am so excited to take my bully hat into school tomorrow! I plan to use Confessions of a Former Bully in lessons with 5th grade this year, so my bully hat find could not have come at a better time! I will be keeping my bully hat in a visible spot in my office. I want to use it as a conversation starter about bullying.

How to make a bully hat

The hat I used was in the Target dollar spot with the Halloween items. It is called a Magician Hat.

To make the bully card I used a piece of red card stock that was 3 inches by 4 inches.  I printed out the word BULLY in all caps in size 72 font (I made a google doc if you want to use the same font!).  With my paper cutter I trimmed the bully paper to fit onto the card stock leaving room for a border. I used an adhesive dot roller to glue the bully paper onto the card stock.

About an inch away from the front center of the hat, I cut a slit for the bully card. I tucked the bully card inside the slit and used the adhesive dot roller to temporarily affix the bottom of the bully card to the inside of the hat.  (I plan to get velcro dots so I can make the card removable.)

I am so excited to share this with you and hear what you think!

How would you use a bully hat in your work with students? What props have you created to go with a book? Comment below, tweet, or contact Danielle, 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.  Connect with Danielle via email, follow her on twitter, add her on LinkedIn or Google+, and become a fan of the School Counselor Blog Facebook Page.