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Emotional Control Mini Lessons - Jacinta

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Emotional Control Mini Lessons - Jacinta

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Age Group: Secondary - 16-18 y/o

Main Theme: Mitigating Stressors

Lesson 1: Self-Reflection Activity

Allow students individual, private time to reflect and journal about their feelings about upcoming assessments, their role in the classroom, interactions in a school environment. It is important to recognise students as more than just 'students,' but as people, who have lives outside of the classroom. This activity promotes self-efficacy and emotional literacy.

Lesson 2: Reflect, Pair, Share

Within pairs, compare and contrast your experiences. This helps students realise they are not alone, and can relate to their peers who may be experiencing similar situations. This creates a bond between peers and builds connections within the classroom which can translate into the playground, or beyond school.

Lesson 3: Release Activity

Provide students a period of time to 'release,' and provide examples of how to do so - they could go for a short run, somatic shaking, or jumping up and down to create awareness about the connection between our mental and physical and provide an outlet for overstimulation and exerting stress.

Lesson 4: Cool Down Activity

After releasing stress, participate in mindfulness activities such as colouring in, yoga, breathing exercises to calm down and relax after movement. This provides time for students to reflect again to improve regulation.

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Age group: Primary (Years 2-3)

Theme: Recognising emotions in different scenarios

Learning goals: Recognising emotions and how it may be presented.

Activities:

1. Matching emotions with different specific characteristics.

2. Forming small groups and giving them scenarios specific to them on paper and discussing what emotion is present.

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Age group: Year 3-4

Main theme: Identifying Different Emotions

Learning Goal: How to identify and understand how to deal with emotions

Lesson 1: Identify how they feel through the emojis before they've come to school by circling them

Lesson 2: Show them random characters from media e.g. Disney films or any general animated films e.g. Shrek and use them as examples of positive or negative emotions (e.g. Discuss why Shrek is an angry ogre? What makes him behave this way?). This can be structured by playing a game similar to Bingo using the emojis and show them specific scenes and emotions.

Lesson 3: Role palying scenarios to practice diffrent calming and support strageties to teavh them how to cope.

Lesson 4: Teach the students about tools to help them cope withe their strageties for example a mind map (breathing, meditation).

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Age group - years 2 and 3

Main theme - three lessons on understanding emotions and one lesson on a scenario and putting those emtions into real life examples

Learning goal - first three emotion lessons: break down emotions and understand their causes, effects and social implications. Scenario lesson: pairing groups with students to discuss control strategies and how they think their emotions would make others feel

Activities- Group sharing on how emotions make each student feel. Share control stratagies. Class discussion and identifying emotions using prompts on the board.

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Age group: Year 5-6

Plan:

1. (this will space out over 3 different lessons). Each table group has a different Inside Out character, and identifies similar feelings (e.g. joy = happiness/excitement), and strategies on how to respond to that emotion, using a mindmap or sticky notes. Students will go around the classroom and add different ideas to each different emotion, then come together to discuss how that emotion is present in the classroom, and how to manage the emotion in the class. Children have agency, by choosing which emotion to focus on.

2. Drama; groups of 3-4 students perform a short play of someone getting hurt, and different responses to the emotions that arise from it. Repeated with different groups, and discussion.

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Age group: Year 3 - 8-9

1. Draw a picture of a frustrating situation

2. Come to together as a class and discuss the picture and what kids find frustrating. Talk about what feelings and actions that occur when feeling frustrated.

3. Learning and practicing meditative practices like deep breathing and mindfulness.

4. Cosmic yoga to practice further mindfulness but also being fun

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Target: Year 7s just moving into high school

Theme: transition to high school and the emotions which come with it, such as stress and struggles with making new friends

'Take home' message: be confident in yourself, don't be afraid to take risks

Activities: group based - getting to know others, activities which 'force' them to talk to others. This allows them to meet new people and find others who enjoy the same things.

Study Plan making

'Find someone who...' bingo

Lessons on what to expect with high school to reduce the anxiety

Strategies: check in with students to see how they are progressing with the transition. this will help guide future lessons.

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Age group: year 1

Main theme:

Identifying emotions

Take home message:

There is other ways to regulate and communicate your emotions, like drawing.

Activity:

Each child will be instrcuted to draw and make their own 'emotion monster' (which can be a combination of emotions). Students are encouraged to use colour, linking their previous lesson on colour meotions

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Age Group: K-2

Main Theme: Building Love and Friendship

1. What is Love?

Explain to children the importance of having loving relationships that foster into lifelong friendships.

Activity: Draw what they think about when they hear the word love

2. What does love mean?

Explaining unconditional love (give examples; JESUS, rope analogy). What it means to receive it.

Activity: have kids split into pairs or threes and demonstrate unconditional love

3. How do you show love?

Explain different love languages and how to show people you love them

Activity: Have them think about their own possible ways they show love

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Age Group: Year 3 - 4

Main Theme: "Bounce Back" (Sadness and Recovery)

1. Provide story/ role play to explain a situation where sadness is the main theme.

2. Then break students into groups and allow them to come up with a response on how to address the situation and to understand what sadness looks like. And also brainstorm what makes them feel happy when they are feeling sad.

3. Then get students to create a comic script on their techniques and response to the saddening situation.

4. Students present to the class to receive feedback and allow the teacher to summaries and provide positive reassurance what students have presented.

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Age Group

Primary--> Years 3-6

Theme

Understanding other individuals' emotions

Take home message

The way an individual expresses their emotions can affect other people

Activities

Sharing situations where each individual feels a different emotion through role play

Strategies

Individuals use different facial expressions and gestures to express emotions

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Primary - Level 2 (Primary)

-Students learn about different emotions and share their own experiences to gain a better understanding.

-In each class, students will be split into 4 different groups to focus on the main emotions (happy, anger, sadness and calm). They will be instructed to break down their current understanding and share experiences with regulating emotions.

-Over the 4 mini lessons, the same groups will switch their focus onto a different emotion and later share with their group and discuss with the class. This will promote socialisation, understanding of emotions and group activity.

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Context: Primary - Age: 6-10

Theme: Understanding and Managing Emotions

Lesson 1: Identifying Emotions

Take home message: Recognise and name different emotions

Activites: Use emotion cards and a feeling chart. Students can express how they feel with facial expressions or drawings. This helps them identify and articulate their emotions.

Lesson 2: Understanding Triggers:

Take Home Message: Understand what triggers different emotions.

Activities: Group discussions about personal experiences and creating a "feelings map" to visualize triggers. This encourages self-awareness and helps students connect situations to their emotional responses.

Lesson 3: Coping Strategies

Take Home Message: Learn healthy ways to cope with strong emotions.

Activities: Introduce techniques like deep breathing and mindfulness exercises. Students can practice these strategies through guided activities, promoting emotional regulation.

Lesson 4: Expressing Emotions Appropriately

Take Home Message: Communicate feelings in a positive way.

Activities: Role-playing scenarios where students practice expressing their emotions using "I" statements and appropriate body language. This reinforces effective communication skills.

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Age group - Year 7-10 science class

Lesson 1: the body without sleep

emphasising the importance of sleep and looking at how a lack of sleep has a negative effect on both the brain and the organs of the body

how many hours are necessary for good focus, physical development and emotional regulation

Lesson 2: what is anxiety?

discussing if they have felt anxious before, looking at the evolutionary origins of anxiety and what it does to the brain's focus and emotional regulation

Lesson 3: Nutrition to nourish the brain and body

discussing how important proper nutrition is to proper emotional capacity, focus and physical development

healthy eating with the priority of nourishment, not restriction

Lesson 4: The brain under the influence

discuss depressants and how they can have a negative effect once they are out of your body system

substance reliance is dangerous and makes you feel far worse in the long run

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Context: Primary - Years 3-6

Lesson 1: Identifying emotions

Having a chart or posters at the classroom door that as children enter they can tell you how they are feeling that day.

Teach children about different types of emotions, and the qualities of them, allowing children to understand and identify their own emotions.

Lesson 2: Expressing Emotion

Anonymous message book; that allows children to write something down and put it in a box. the teacher will read it and be able to talk through messages and feelings to the whole class. Have prompt questions on the box, that may inspire the children.

Lesson 3: Regulating Emotions

Seperate sections of the room that allow children find areas that help them to calm down from big emotions.

Having a set activity to do when students are getting restless or tired, such as dancing.

Lesson 4:

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Lesson 1: use a picture book (or other source material) to discuss the emotions as a class and relate to their real-life experiences

Lesson 2: split up into groups, to discuss the emotions, give them an emotion chart to help identify their emotions

Lesson 3: provide coping tools in the environment and show them how to use (comfortable safe space resources, toys, blankets, fidgets and books)

Lesson 4: using dramatic play in smaller groups to demonstrate to the class (showing how you can help with other peers)

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4 mini lesson.

year 3 and year 4's.

touching on the annoyed, embarrassed, frustrated, jealous emotions, as they are more complex than just being angry or furious. The main theme would be to explore what these emotions are, and how different situations could evoke these specific emotion, more than another one. the take home message being that all of the emotions are valid and allowed, but they all need to be mindful and conscious on how they handle their emotions. reading/ watching situations where something happens that triggers an emotion. would they feel the same? would they feel different.

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Anger and Catastrophe Scales

Use interactive teacher modelling to explain the importance of mindfulness in small actions to fix big problems

Mindfulness of the body, kids yoga for brain breaks

Calming music and encouraging peace

Display a catastrophe scale inside the classroom and refer to it regularly

(Emergency, big problem, medium problem, minor problem, no problem)

Big feelings picture books

Getting kids to draw their big emotions to create tangible images of their inside feelings

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1. Year 3 - Year 5

2. Main Theme: Reflection and ability to understand their own emotions.

3. Take home message: Be able to express how you feel without feeling insecure/judged & normalise how to be open with your own emotions and thoughts.

4. Activities:

Reflection sheets

Collaborative discussion to understand other perspectives

Meditation times

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Group Activity: Design your Own!

·      Consider your context: early years, primary, or secondary

·      In groups, design a four-lesson mini-sequence. Your aim is to teach about emotional control

·      Share your lesson ideas on Padlet:

-              What age group are you targeting?

Primary school children between the ages of 11-12 in Grade 5 and 6.

-              What is the main theme of your mini lessons?

How silliness can lead to sadness

-              What is the "take home" message for each lesson?

To know when a joke is being taken too far and hurting someone’s feelings. Jokes about sensitive topics that can cause emotional distress.

-              What activities will students do (and why)?

1.        Mindful Exercise – To help students become aware of their feelings and how their actions impact others.

2.        Reflection Journals – To allow private space for students to think about situations where humour may have hurt someone, encouraging empathy and self-awareness.

3.        Yoga Sessions – To help students develop tools to manage their emotions and return to a calm, centred state.

-              What strategies will you use (and why)

o   Storytelling and Role-Play – To explore scenarios in a safe, imaginative way that builds understanding of emotional impact.

o   Peer Discussions – To create space for students to hear different perspectives and build social awareness.

o   Teacher Modelling – To demonstrate emotional control and respectful behaviour in real time.

o   Positive Reinforcement – To reward moments of empathy, kindness, and self-regulation, helping to shape behaviour positively.

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KINDY-YEAR2

1. smiling mind meditation

Students are given the instruction from the mediation instructor. classroom blinds pulled down to create a peaceful ambience. Students are able to follow the 4 meditation techniques which are breathing, stretching, thinking and relaxing. Purpose of it is to build peace in children mind and system.

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Age Group: 11-12

Main Theme: Expressiveness

Take Home: understanding how different people represent their emotions.

Activities:

Using drama classes to act out emotions so students can understand what different emotions look like in other students

Reflections sheet

collaborative quiet activites where the students put forward their own ideas to help emotion regulation

Strategies:

participating students can develop public speaking skills

non-participating students can view those participating and still take home the knowledge

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1. Before class begins, students can indicate how they're feeling by pointing to a feelings meter. This simple routine helps normalize emotional expression and ensures that feelings are acknowledged and not treated as a taboo topic.

2. If a student indicates they’re feeling angry, frustrated, or unhappy, I would offer access to a calming space, such as a meditation or art corner.

3. Children can choose to practice deep breathing or express their emotions through drawing. This provides a safe outlet for emotional regulation and gives educators insight into the emotional state of each child.

4. Once students have had the opportunity to self-regulate, they are better prepared to rejoin the class and engage in learning with a clearer, calmer mindset.

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My Feelings Meter Poster for Social Emotional Learning in a Blue Orange White Simple Style

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Age group: middle-late primary (years 3-6)

main theme: reflection and ability to identify emotions

1. reflection of what the students are feeling (circling emotion on a chart) and elaborating through writing or drawing

2. collaborative discussion with other students on triggers and causes for different emotions, to gain insight from different perspectives

3. impacts on their own body and the people around them

4. introducing "quiet space" in a separate area of classroom as an effective management strategies

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Primary Years 3-4

By doing physical activity, it promotes a variety of emotions which include joy, energy, anger and sadness. By exposing the children through teamwork, rough play, and communication, this enhances their social abilities.

By implementing art lessons, it would allow them to express their emotions differently, introducing ways they can express their emotions that are too complex to talk about.

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1. Create a "safe spot" in the classroom with sensory equipment such as play dough, fidget toys, and sand where toddlers can go when feeling overwhelmed.

2. Nap times with calm and soft music as a way of stress relief.

3. Individually check in with children, asking and being curious about their situation and offering support if needed. This needs trust and a positive teacher-student relations to achieve.

4. Equipment about understanding and regulating emotions such as books, videos or toys.

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1. Breathing Techniques

Activity: Teach students simple breathing exercises like "box breathing" (inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4).

Purpose: Helps students slow down, self-regulate, and feel calm during moments of stress.

2. Gratitude Journaling

Activity: Provide students with a small template or journal and ask them to write or draw 3 things they’re grateful for.

Purpose: Encourages positive thinking and helps students focus on the good, promoting emotional wellbeing.

3. Emotion Charades

Activity: Students act out different emotions (happy, sad, frustrated, excited, etc.) while others guess.

Purpose: Builds emotional vocabulary and helps students recognize and understand feelings in themselves and others.

4. Mindful Listening

Activity: Play nature sounds or a soft song. Ask students to close their eyes and focus on identifying different sounds they hear.

Purpose: Strengthens focus, calms the mind, and supports mindfulness and emotional regulation.

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Guided meditation to calm down (ages 8-13)

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Guided meditation to calm down (ages 8-13)

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10-minute long exercise of sitting still, listening to a meditation video in the dark. This would calm the children down and ease their nerves about anything that's going on and show how them what to do when/if they get upset. This shows them a stratergy to control their emotions.

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Relaxation exercise, put on a video for students to follow the steps of this exercise

Colouring Activity, a calming activity for students to contain their emotions

Storytelling, reading books that express emotions, allows students to have an understanding and reflect on the expressed emotions

Physical activity, like tips- help students release emotional energy.

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in class sensory play corner

quiet space for children to regulate, refocus, comfort

Eg.

sand

water

playdough

carpet

books

colouring in

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Guided meditation for emotional regulation (5-10years old)

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Guided meditation for emotional regulation (5-10years old)

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30 minutes of lights off quiet time - listen to meditation.

gives children time to regulate their emotions.

10 minute debrief with peers - how they feel

check in with self during this time - their emotions

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Meditation for Kids: Difficult Emotions | Guided Meditation for Children