Ant Buddy worksheet illustrating common thinking traps with examples and corresponding insect characters.
A worksheet titled "Ant Buddy" with columns for "What They Do" and "Example," featuring various insect characters like Ollie the fly, Allie the dragonfly, and Lester the worm, each paired with a thinking trap such as overgeneralizing, all or nothing, labeling, filtering, blaming, catastrophizing, minimizing, jumping to conclusions, mind reading, emotional reasoning, shoulda, personalization, always right, not fair, and change 'em.
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Step-by-step solution for: Automatic Negative Thoughts - SEL Sketches
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Automatic Negative Thoughts - SEL Sketches
It looks like you've uploaded a worksheet titled "Ant Buddy" that is designed to help students understand cognitive distortions—common patterns of thinking that can lead to negative emotions or unhelpful behaviors. Each "ant buddy" represents a different type of cognitive distortion, and the goal is to fill in what each one does (the definition) and provide an example.
Let's go through each ant buddy and explain what they do (the cognitive distortion) and give a real-life example for each.
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- What They Do: Seeing a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
- Example: After failing one test, Ollie thinks, “I always fail everything. I’m terrible at school.”
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- What They Do: Viewing things in black-and-white categories (either perfect or a total failure).
- Example: Allie gets a B on a project and says, “I’m a total failure. I should’ve gotten an A or nothing at all.”
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- What They Do: Assigning a negative label to oneself or others based on mistakes.
- Example: Lester drops his lunch tray and says, “I’m such a loser. I’m clumsy and worthless.”
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- What They Do: Focusing only on the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive.
- Example: Freddy gets feedback on his essay: “Great effort, but your thesis needs work.” He only focuses on “needs work” and ignores the praise.
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- What They Do: Blaming oneself or others for something that isn’t entirely their fault.
- Example: Betty blames herself when her friend cancels plans, saying, “It’s because I’m boring and no one wants to hang out with me.”
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- What They Do: Expecting the worst possible outcome, even when it’s unlikely.
- Example: Cammie forgets to turn in homework and thinks, “I’m going to get kicked out of school. My life is over.”
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- What They Do: Downplaying one’s own accomplishments or strengths.
- Example: Maddie gets praised for helping organize the class party and says, “Oh, anyone could’ve done that. It wasn’t a big deal.”
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- What They Do: Making assumptions without evidence (mind reading or fortune telling).
- Example: Jazz sees a friend not smiling and assumes, “They’re mad at me. I must have done something wrong.”
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- What They Do: Believing you know what others are thinking, usually negatively.
- Example: Marty thinks, “My teacher hates me,” just because she didn’t smile during class.
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- What They Do: Believing that if you feel it, it must be true.
- Example: Elie feels anxious before a presentation and thinks, “I must be going to fail. I can’t do this.”
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- What They Do: Using “should,” “must,” or “have to” statements that create guilt or pressure.
- Example: Steve says, “I should’ve studied harder. I should’ve been more prepared. I’m so lazy.”
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- What They Do: Taking responsibility for events outside of one’s control.
- Example: Pete thinks, “My team lost the game because of me. I caused the loss.”
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- What They Do: Refusing to consider other viewpoints; believing one’s way is the only correct way.
- Example: Ron insists, “There’s only one way to solve this math problem, and my way is the best. Anyone who disagrees is wrong.”
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- What They Do: Feeling resentful or upset because things aren’t fair, especially when outcomes don’t match expectations.
- Example: Frank gets a lower grade than a friend and says, “That’s not fair! I worked harder. The teacher must hate me.”
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- What They Do: Trying to change others to fit your needs instead of accepting them as they are.
- Example: Charlie says, “If my brother would just stop being so messy, then I wouldn’t be so angry.”
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Here’s how the completed table would look:
| ANT BUDDY | WHAT THEY DO | EXAMPLE |
|---------------|------------------|-------------|
| Ollie – Overgeneralizing | Seeing one bad event as a sign of constant failure. | “I failed one test, so I’ll never pass anything.” |
| Allie – All or Nothing | Thinking in extremes: either perfect or a total failure. | “If I don’t get an A, I’m a failure.” |
| Lester – Labeling | Giving yourself a negative label based on a mistake. | “I dropped my lunch—I’m a loser.” |
| Freddy – Filtering | Only focusing on the negative, ignoring positives. | “My teacher said one thing was good, but I only heard the criticism.” |
| Betty – Blaming | Blaming yourself or others unfairly. | “It’s all my fault my friend is sad.” |
| Cammie – Catastrophizing | Expecting disaster or the worst-case scenario. | “I forgot my homework—I’m going to get expelled!” |
| Maddie – Minimizing | Downplaying your successes or strengths. | “I did well on the test, but it’s not a big deal.” |
| Jazz – Jumping to Conclusions | Assuming things without proof. | “My friend didn’t text back—they’re mad at me.” |
| Marty – Mind Reading | Believing you know what others are thinking. | “My teacher thinks I’m stupid.” |
| Elie – Emotional Reasoning | Believing your feelings reflect reality. | “I feel like a failure, so I must be one.” |
| Steve – Shoulda | Using rigid rules like “I should…” to judge yourself. | “I should’ve practiced more. I’m lazy.” |
| Pete – Personalization | Taking blame for things beyond your control. | “The team lost because of me.” |
| Ron – Always Right | Believing your opinion is the only correct one. | “My way is the only right way to do it.” |
| Frank – Not Fair | Feeling resentful because things aren’t fair. | “It’s not fair! I worked harder and got less.” |
| Charlie – Change ‘Em | Trying to change others to suit your needs. | “If my sister would just clean up, I wouldn’t be annoyed.” |
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This worksheet is a fun and engaging way to teach emotional regulation and cognitive-behavioral concepts to students, especially in SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) settings. By personifying cognitive distortions as insect characters, it makes abstract thinking patterns more relatable and memorable.
Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable PDF or want activities to go along with it!
Let's go through each ant buddy and explain what they do (the cognitive distortion) and give a real-life example for each.
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1. Ollie – Overgeneralizing
- What They Do: Seeing a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
- Example: After failing one test, Ollie thinks, “I always fail everything. I’m terrible at school.”
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2. Allie – All or Nothing Thinking
- What They Do: Viewing things in black-and-white categories (either perfect or a total failure).
- Example: Allie gets a B on a project and says, “I’m a total failure. I should’ve gotten an A or nothing at all.”
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3. Lester – Labeling
- What They Do: Assigning a negative label to oneself or others based on mistakes.
- Example: Lester drops his lunch tray and says, “I’m such a loser. I’m clumsy and worthless.”
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4. Freddy – Filtering
- What They Do: Focusing only on the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive.
- Example: Freddy gets feedback on his essay: “Great effort, but your thesis needs work.” He only focuses on “needs work” and ignores the praise.
---
5. Betty – Blaming
- What They Do: Blaming oneself or others for something that isn’t entirely their fault.
- Example: Betty blames herself when her friend cancels plans, saying, “It’s because I’m boring and no one wants to hang out with me.”
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6. Cammie – Catastrophizing
- What They Do: Expecting the worst possible outcome, even when it’s unlikely.
- Example: Cammie forgets to turn in homework and thinks, “I’m going to get kicked out of school. My life is over.”
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7. Maddie – Minimizing
- What They Do: Downplaying one’s own accomplishments or strengths.
- Example: Maddie gets praised for helping organize the class party and says, “Oh, anyone could’ve done that. It wasn’t a big deal.”
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8. Jazz – Jumping to Conclusions
- What They Do: Making assumptions without evidence (mind reading or fortune telling).
- Example: Jazz sees a friend not smiling and assumes, “They’re mad at me. I must have done something wrong.”
---
9. Marty – Mind Reading
- What They Do: Believing you know what others are thinking, usually negatively.
- Example: Marty thinks, “My teacher hates me,” just because she didn’t smile during class.
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10. Elie – Emotional Reasoning
- What They Do: Believing that if you feel it, it must be true.
- Example: Elie feels anxious before a presentation and thinks, “I must be going to fail. I can’t do this.”
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11. Steve – Shoulda
- What They Do: Using “should,” “must,” or “have to” statements that create guilt or pressure.
- Example: Steve says, “I should’ve studied harder. I should’ve been more prepared. I’m so lazy.”
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12. Pete – Personalization
- What They Do: Taking responsibility for events outside of one’s control.
- Example: Pete thinks, “My team lost the game because of me. I caused the loss.”
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13. Ron – Always Right
- What They Do: Refusing to consider other viewpoints; believing one’s way is the only correct way.
- Example: Ron insists, “There’s only one way to solve this math problem, and my way is the best. Anyone who disagrees is wrong.”
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14. Frank – Not Fair
- What They Do: Feeling resentful or upset because things aren’t fair, especially when outcomes don’t match expectations.
- Example: Frank gets a lower grade than a friend and says, “That’s not fair! I worked harder. The teacher must hate me.”
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15. Charlie – Change ‘Em
- What They Do: Trying to change others to fit your needs instead of accepting them as they are.
- Example: Charlie says, “If my brother would just stop being so messy, then I wouldn’t be so angry.”
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Final Answer:
Here’s how the completed table would look:
| ANT BUDDY | WHAT THEY DO | EXAMPLE |
|---------------|------------------|-------------|
| Ollie – Overgeneralizing | Seeing one bad event as a sign of constant failure. | “I failed one test, so I’ll never pass anything.” |
| Allie – All or Nothing | Thinking in extremes: either perfect or a total failure. | “If I don’t get an A, I’m a failure.” |
| Lester – Labeling | Giving yourself a negative label based on a mistake. | “I dropped my lunch—I’m a loser.” |
| Freddy – Filtering | Only focusing on the negative, ignoring positives. | “My teacher said one thing was good, but I only heard the criticism.” |
| Betty – Blaming | Blaming yourself or others unfairly. | “It’s all my fault my friend is sad.” |
| Cammie – Catastrophizing | Expecting disaster or the worst-case scenario. | “I forgot my homework—I’m going to get expelled!” |
| Maddie – Minimizing | Downplaying your successes or strengths. | “I did well on the test, but it’s not a big deal.” |
| Jazz – Jumping to Conclusions | Assuming things without proof. | “My friend didn’t text back—they’re mad at me.” |
| Marty – Mind Reading | Believing you know what others are thinking. | “My teacher thinks I’m stupid.” |
| Elie – Emotional Reasoning | Believing your feelings reflect reality. | “I feel like a failure, so I must be one.” |
| Steve – Shoulda | Using rigid rules like “I should…” to judge yourself. | “I should’ve practiced more. I’m lazy.” |
| Pete – Personalization | Taking blame for things beyond your control. | “The team lost because of me.” |
| Ron – Always Right | Believing your opinion is the only correct one. | “My way is the only right way to do it.” |
| Frank – Not Fair | Feeling resentful because things aren’t fair. | “It’s not fair! I worked harder and got less.” |
| Charlie – Change ‘Em | Trying to change others to suit your needs. | “If my sister would just clean up, I wouldn’t be annoyed.” |
---
This worksheet is a fun and engaging way to teach emotional regulation and cognitive-behavioral concepts to students, especially in SEL (Social-Emotional Learning) settings. By personifying cognitive distortions as insect characters, it makes abstract thinking patterns more relatable and memorable.
Let me know if you'd like this formatted as a printable PDF or want activities to go along with it!
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of automatic thoughts worksheet.
