Week 6 (15th-18th February 2021)
Returning to school…or not!
These mindful exercises will help calm an anxious mind
For some of us, this will be our last week of home learning as we return to school on the 24th, and for some of us it won’t!
You will probably have lots of feelings about this. Use your emotional barometer you made in week 3 and check in with your emotions regularly – talk about them. Remember to acknowledge every feeling. If you are feeling worried do some of the activities from the mindfulness grid I’ve put in the TEAMS folder for you – they really help to calm an anxious mind.
The most important thing to learn this week is that feelings do not stay around forever. They are like the clouds in the sky, they come and they go – what does remain is the blue sky above it and that can be our place of calm.
Enjoy this little video https://bit.ly/2OoNY6h
I look forward to seeing some of you again next week😊
Week 5 (8th-12th February 2021)
This week is compliments week!
A compliment is when you say something nice about something or someone; it shows that you appreciate them and are grateful for them. We’ve learned to pause and be grateful (week 1 activity). By giving them a compliment we are showing and telling those special people in our lives how much we appreciate them and the things they do for us. Use this template to make compliment cards http://bit.ly/36BELO0 Why not send a message to compliment someone in your class to show that you appreciate them and their friendship? (Also, a hug for someone in your household is a great way to show that you are grateful and it makes you feel good too!) Happy complimenting everyone!
Week 4 (1st – 5th February 2021)
This week is movie week! If you can, grab some snacks, snuggle up and enjoy watching (or re-watching) the film ‘Inside Out’. This links really well with our work on feelings. If you want to do any activities on the film, there are lots of free resources online, I’ve found an interactive wordsearch here
https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/13984/inside-out/
Enjoy some quality chill out time watching Inside Out!
Week 3 (25th – 29th January 2021)
Last week your task was to keep a feelings diary so you could see which feelings you were experiencing. This week, I’d like you to create an ‘emotional check-in’ which will continue to build your awareness around your feelings. An emotional check in can be as simple as downloading a feelings chart and putting some blue tack or a post it on the feeling you are having at that time. Or it could be a drawing or a thermometer with feelings written up the side which you mark as you notice the feeling. Or it could be as creative as this feeling changing octopus!
https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/paper-cup-octopus/
Whichever style you choose, the idea here is that you are pausing to notice how you are feeling in any given moment. When you are aware of your feelings, you are more in control of them and not the other way around! For example, if you shout at someone because you are feeling angry, then the feeling could be controlling you. However, if you notice in your body and on your emotional check-in that you are feeling angry, you can say (yes, in an angry voice) ‘I am feeling angry. I need some space. I need a hug. I need to go for a walk’ – that way, the people around you are not shouted at and they can support you in a more effective way. I look forward to seeing your unique ‘emotional check-in’ chart.
Week 2 (18th – 22nd January 2021)
Focus on Feelings
Do you remember we did a lot of work on feelings last term? We named our feelings, showed them on our faces, noticed and talked about how different emotions felt inside our bodies. This week, I’d like you to keep a feelings diary.
At about the same time every day, notice how you are feeling and mark it on a grid like this https://bit.ly/2XBorYP or you can design your own. Use the feelings pictures https://bit.ly/2XBCcqu or again draw or write in your feeling.
Make it as simple as marking the feelings sheet and tallying up the score, to creating your own graph or spreadsheet to track your feelings. The most important thing here is that by the end of the week you have a record of how you felt each day that you can look back on.
Notice how your feelings are like the clouds. They change. They will come and they will go. I wonder how you are feeling right now? Take a moment to close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and connect with your emotions.
If you find that you are having lots of unhelpful feelings this week, remember there is always something you can do – talk to someone, hug your toy, listen to some music, draw, build, run – but please don’t keep your feelings inside. Showing someone your feelings will help them understand and support you.
Have a good week, Mrs Thompson
Week 1 (11th – 15th January 2021)
Gratitude is one of our many positive emotions. It’s about focusing on what’s good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have. Gratitude is pausing to notice and appreciate the things that we often take for granted, like having a place to live, food, clean water, friends, family, even computer access.
We can express gratitude in several ways…
We can say ‘thank you’ – a simple acknowledgement for what someone has done for you. It makes the person feel appreciated and that in turn, makes you feel good too!
We can talk about gratitude – For example, at dinner time we can go around the family and say, ‘today I am grateful for…’ this is a fun activity for everyone to join in and will reveal some surprises too! Find out what your family are grateful for!
We can express gratitude by giving a hug, drawing a picture, sending a card, singing a song for someone – anything creative you can think of which expresses your thanks for them or something they’ve done.
Here’s a little song to help you cultivate the feeling of gratitude – what are you grateful for today?
