Guess the Feeling
I wanted to share this great video created by Disney that allows you to “Guess the Feeling” of the characters from the movie Inside Out. It goes perfectly with what we talked about last week in the “Finding Feelings” lesson. Check it out and see if you can guess the feelings while you watch…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOkyKyVFnSs.
Worry Scale
There are a lot of frightening things happening in the world and sometimes it is hard for children to process their fears. Sheltering your child from fearful things doesn’t necessarily help them to learn to cope. Instead, you can try to help kids address their feelings of fear/worry. This worry scale is a great way to teach kids that talking about their worries is an excellent way to begin to cope.
https://media.centervention.com/pdf/Worry-Scale-Worksheet.pdf
Feelings Check-In
This is a great SEL activity for primary grades that is targeted towards isolation without being too specific.
https://media.centervention.com/pdf/Feelings-Check-In-Worksheet-Editable.pdf
Gratitude
Right now we’re all stuck at home with the people we’re stuck at home with. I imagine many of you have had a good days and bad days. You may have fought with siblings or parents.
It’s important to take time each day to focus on the good things. Like how you’re helping each other or maybe focus on how you could do more to help each other.
A really easy thing to do is either sit down as a family once a day and each person take a turn thanking somebody for something. Or just by yourself sit down and make a list of things that you are grateful for.
Here’s mine:
1. My daughters are doing an amazing job at entertaining themselves when my husband and I need to work.
2. I get to connect with students regularly.
3. I have been able to spend lots of time in the garden and it’s bringing me a lot of happiness.
What about you?
My COVID-19 Time Capsule
Take a moment and think about the fact that you are living through history right now. This activity is something you can fill out and show to future generations.
2020 Covid-19 time capsule sheets1
MindUP
The team behind MindUP (The Goldie Hawn Foundation) are offering free MindUP activities for students to use at home. There are two different guided brain breaks as well as activities that will be updated weekly.
https://mindup.org.uk/mindup-activities/
Anxiety Resource
EASE (Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators) is an excellent program that I highly recommend for teaching fun and practical strategies for managing anxiety. The team at EASE has adapted their classroom activities for use at home so that parents and caregivers can support their child’s mental health during the pandemic.
This link will take you to several activities grouped by grade level (k-3 or 4-7).
How Full is Your Bucket?
Move Your Body Mindfully!
Research shows that practicing yoga and mindfulness improves both physical and mental health in school-aged children. A great kid-friendly yoga practice is Cosmic Kids (https://www.cosmickids.com) which is also available on YouTube.
Another great option for mindful movement is Tai Chi. Slow, gentle, repeated movements are really good for the body. The trick is to go as slow as you can, and remember to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Tai Chi is really good for your circulation (moving blood around your body). If you spend a lot of time at a desk or in front of the computer, your body isn’t moving blood around as easily, and so different’ parts of your body aren’t getting the oxygen they need.
Give it a try!
Mindful Colouring
These “Colour by Emotion” pages are a fun way to practice some mindful colouring while identifying emotions.
/Users/laurahenderson/SpringColorByCodeEmotionsDistanceLearning.docx
Mindful Breathing
This “rainbow breathing” activity is great to introduce breathing techniques to younger students. They can colour the rainbow and then practice slow breathing while tracing their finger over each colour.
SEL Bingo
I created a Social and Emotional Learning BINGO for students to try at home. Click the link below.