This guide is designed to equip educators with practical tools and activities to foster a classroom environment that supports mental wellbeing.
Classroom Activities Mental Health
Activities for younger students
Communication skills; needs and feelings
Equipping students with ways to articulate their needs and feelings can support their health and wellbeing, as well as reduce the likelihood of behavioral issues, and increase confidence and coping.
Use cartoons or picture books to coach students about identifying and recognizing emotions in others, and providing opportunities to reflect Activity
on when they have experienced similar feelings.
Tips
When discussing emotions/feelings with students, describe what you see, check, validate, and offer connection and support. This works with positive emotions too! 'You sound angry.' 'You seem frustrated, is that right?' 'The situation was really hard. No wonder you feel frustrated'
Thoughts>Feelings >Behaviours
As understood as part of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, behaviours result from a cyclical process. When we can support students to find positive ways to interrupt this cycle and change their trajectory for behaviour, we can help them to develop healthier ways of coping. Activity: Breaking Down the Situation
Self-talk can impact our reasoning, problem- solving, planning, attention-span, and motivation. Supporting students in engaging in positive self- talk can help their mood and self-esteem, as well as their ability to manage challenging situations. Activity: Talk to yourself like a (really good) friend Additional resource: Growth mindset activities for kids Practicing positive self-talk
Quick Tips for Younger Students
Get them moving to promote mental functioning: Joy of Moving activities Incorporate brain breaks/circuit-breaker tasks into lessons to help students recalibrate. Offer choice in activities to help students tap into their interests Use sensory/fidget toys to help increase concentration and reduce anxiety Normalize effective breathing as part of your day-to-day classroom – this will help provide students with techniques they can use individually to assist them if they feel upset or stressed: Breathing exercises
Activities for senior students
Understanding our values can help drive us towards our aspirations, by helping us to assign meaning to our feelings, reactions and behaviours. Not only this, but when we have values in common, it can help us to relate to and connect with others. In the classroom, exploring values can aid positive working relationships that could be used on different levels, such as developing a values-based class charter/agreement that can be referred to in future. Activity: Why do values matter?
Developing helpful coping strategies can assist in minimizing the negative impact of situations, while also building confidence and a positive sense of control over challenges. The key to this is working with students to develop their awareness of some of their natural responses and tendencies. We can support students to recognize that a strategy could be a quick fix, but is actually detrimental to their overall wellbeing e.g. avoiding completing an assignment because it feels like too big a task. Replacing this with a more positive strategy can, once established, become a mechanism that they can apply on an ongoing basis. Activities:
Coping skills inventory Coping skills homework
Practicing and teaching students about Empathic Listening can help to strengthen relationships in the classroom. This structured listening and questioning technique fosters patience and empathy, by allowing us to build an understanding of what is being conveyed, both intellectually and emotionally. More information: Empathic Listening Guide Activity: The Power of Active Listening
Quick Tips for Senior Students
Encourage journalling and provide reflection/consolidation time at the end of lessons. Find some calming journalling prompts here. Support students with their study stress by incorporating management strategies into your classroom Take moments for meditation and mindfulness
Offer different seating alternatives in the classroom space; smaller and larger tables, floor area and beanbags etc...this will support different activities, but also offers options for students depending on their mood, level of focus, or social stamina Create opportunities for outdoor activities, presenting students with an opportunity to freshen up their perspective, engage in physical or more tactile activities. Fun and easy brain breaks for kids. Encourage peer to peer support Provide structures, such as timetables on desks or the next task visible on the board, to help take the anxiety out of transitions Make wellbeing resources (including support services) accessible and visible in the classroom, to help normalize students using and talking about different calming and help strategies
Headspace Classroom Mental Health Mindfulness for Teens
Learning Links Smiling Mind
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