Activities to teach kids about feeling calm vs anxious

📚 Activities to Teach Kids About Feeling Calm vs. Anxious

This lesson plan provides activities to help children differentiate between feelings of calmness and anxiety and develop coping strategies.

🎯 Objectives

• 🧠 To help children identify physical and emotional signs of calmness.
• 😥 To help children recognize physical and emotional signs of anxiety.
• 🧘‍♀️ To teach children practical strategies for managing anxiety and promoting calmness.

🧰 Materials

• 🖍️ Art supplies (paper, crayons, markers)
• 📃 Worksheets (provided below)
• 🧸 Calming sensory objects (stress balls, soft toys)
• 🧘‍♀️ Yoga mat (optional)

☀️ Warm-up (5 minutes)

Activity: Body Scan

• 😌 Have children sit or lie down comfortably.
• 🧘‍♀️ Guide them to focus on different parts of their body, noticing any sensations without judgment.
• 🗣️ Ask them to share what they noticed (e.g., "My toes feel tingly," or "My tummy feels warm.")

👨‍🏫 Main Instruction

Activity 1: Calm vs. Anxious Identification (15 minutes)

• 📃 Distribute the "Calm vs. Anxious" worksheet (see below).
• 🗣️ Discuss the physical and emotional signs of each feeling.
• ✏️ Have children complete the worksheet by drawing or writing about their own experiences.
• 🤔 Example prompts:
  • When I feel calm, my body feels...
  • When I feel anxious, my thoughts are...

Activity 2: Breathing Exercises (10 minutes)

• 🌬️ Teach children simple breathing exercises, such as:
  • ✋ Belly breathing: Place a hand on your belly and feel it rise and fall as you breathe deeply.
  • 👃 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds.
• 🧘‍♀️ Practice these exercises together and encourage children to use them whenever they feel anxious.

Activity 3: Creative Expression (15 minutes)

• 🎨 Provide art supplies and encourage children to express their feelings through art.
• 🖼️ They can draw, paint, or sculpt something that represents calmness or anxiety.
• 🗣️ Afterwards, have them share their artwork and explain what it represents.

Activity 4: Role-Playing (10 minutes)

• 🎭 Create scenarios that might trigger anxiety (e.g., giving a presentation, taking a test).
• 🤝 Have children role-play these scenarios, practicing using calming strategies.
• 💡 Discuss how different strategies worked for different situations.

📝 Assessment

• ✅ Observe children's participation in activities and their ability to identify and express their feelings.
• 📃 Review completed worksheets for understanding of calm vs. anxious states.
• 🗣️ Encourage children to share their experiences and strategies for managing anxiety.

➕ Extension Activities

• 📖 Read books about emotions and coping strategies.
• 🚶‍♀️ Practice mindfulness exercises, such as mindful walking or eating.
• 🌱 Create a "calm-down corner" in the classroom or home with calming objects and activities.