• Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #MindfulMarch 

  #SEL Day 2023: https://selday.org/

  Join the movement to support social emotional learning. National SEL week is from March 6-10, and SEL Day is March 10th

   

  #MindfulMarch Quote of the Month:

  "The best way to take care of the future is to take care of the present moment. "

   

  — Thich Nhat Hanh

  Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #MindfulMarch 

  https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Mar%202023.jpg

  Week 2: Face the Music: 
  

  https://sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/music-challenhttps://sharemylesson.com/teaching-resource/music-challenge-sel?utm_source=MDR-ge-sel?utm_source=MDR-

  As many agree, music is the language of the soul. Challenge students to find songs that inspire positive coping skills, gratitude, accountability, conflict resolution, relationship building, self-efficacy, resiliency, and self-motivation to boost these essential skills through SEL activities.

  Week 3: Create a Peace Place:

  http://operationrespect.org/theme-1-expressing-feelings/lesson-5-peace-place/

  Self-calming strategies are the meat and potatoes of emotional intelligence. Explore these peace-inducing moves and create a place for students to go to when emotions become just too much to manage.

  Week 4: These Shoes Were Made for Walkin’ 

  http://operationrespect.org/theme-3-resolving-conflict-creatively/lesson-2-walk-in-anothers-shoes/

  Empathy is a muscle that needs tending in order for it to aid in social and emotional growth. One way to build empathy is to metaphorically stand in the shoes of others and imagine what they must be thinking and feeling. This experience brings together a little bit of theater and a whole lot of perspective building.

  Week 5: Just Breathe

  https://rethinkkit.org/pages/take-five

  A free, always available, ever-reliable resource to every human is their breath. Knowing ways to harness the breath is extremely helpful for self-management and building resilience. It may sound simple, and it is, but it is one of the most powerful tools we can teach students how to use.

   

  SEL Week Activities

   

  March 10 - International SEL Day 

  Celebrate Internal SEL Day all week long, with fun and engaging activities, based on the core competency of CASEL. Resources for activities (K-12) listed below can be downloaded at:

  https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/social-emotional-learning-activities/   

   

  Monday, March 6th

  · Self-Awareness- have students draw a heart. Inside the heart, have students write down what they can do to make themselves happy.

  Tuesday, March 7th

  · Self- Management- using a word web, have students to brainstorm ways they can calm down when they get angry.

  Wednesday, March 8th

  · Social Awareness- have students imagine being someone else to try and understand how and why they may feel a certain way. Write the emotion the person is feeling. Write why the person is feeling that way.

  Thursday, March 9th

  · Relationship Skills- have students play relationship BINGO. Ask students to check off how they are building their relationship skills.

  Friday, March 10th - International SEL DAY

  · Responsible Decision-Making- have students reflect on what it means to make good choices, help students connect making good choices with responsible decision-making opportunities.

  

• Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #FriendlyFebruary 

  #SEL Day 2023: https://selday.org/

  Join the movement to support social-emotional learning

   

  #FriendlyFebruary Quote of the Month:

  "The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up. "

   

  — Mark Twain 

  February Calendar

  Action for Happiness Calendar #FriendlyFebruary. Connect with others and spread kindness.

  Week 1: How to Make Friends

  Use this resource from plantlovegrow.com to help youth step out of their comfort zone and make new friends. Share with youth, practical tips on how to start a conversation around friendships. Have youth practice asking questions to get to know each other.  
  895fd9_9c910651c3834ef6bde3e9aa9bc9ce0f.pdf (plantlovegrow.com)

  Week 2: "Helping Hand" STEM Activity
  

  Create your very own “Robotic” Helping hand using straws everyday materials.

  https://www.ymcadallas.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/DIY%20Robot%20Hand%20STEAM%20Activity.pdf

  Week 3: Kindness Chain Challenge (Random Acts of Kindness Day 2/17/23)

  Take one-part math and one-part kindness equals one great activity for one great activity to celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Day, February 17.

   https://girlstart.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Kindness-Chain-Challenge.pdf

  Week 4: Let’s Dance! (Celebrating Black History)

  Learn about the art of stepping. Stepping is a form of dancing in which the body itself is used to create unique rhythms and sounds. The website Step Afrika! Has videos and information about the history of stepping. Challenge the youth in your program, to create a unique step. Have them practice and share with the whole group. About Us | Step Afrika! 

  Week 5: Caring Messages

  Create your own sidewalk chalk and write messages of encouragement to your friends to show you how much you care.

  https://girlstart.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Sidewalk-Chalk-Paint.pdf

  

Join us each month for a new theme and activities to work with your students! This month's theme is #HappierJanuary

#SEL Day 2023: https://selday.org/

Join the movement to support social-emotional learning

 

#HappierJanuary Quote of the Month:

"Self-awareness gives you the capacity to learn from your mistakes as well as your successes. It enables you to keep growing. "

 

— Lawrence Bossidy 

January Calendar

Action for Happiness Calendar #HappierJanuary. Connect with others and spread kindness.

Activity to Honor Dr. King

To honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, can participate in a fun activity called “Burst Stereotype Balloons. This activity can be used with grades 3-12, and students can “burst” stereotypes that unfairly label individuals or groups.

https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/03/lp294-01.shtml

Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #HappierJanuary 
Create opportunities to create a happier January. New year, new you!
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Jan%202023.jpg

Week 2: Devereux Adult Resilience Survey
Fill your “pitcher”, so you can fill the “pitcher” of the students you serve, by fine tuning your resilience.
https://centerforresilientchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/DARS-Full-Version.pdf

Week 3: Developing Good Habits
Begin the new year with a fresh outlook, by creating opportunities to grow and learn by setting SMART goals.
https://www.developgoodhabits.com/smart-goals-students/

Week 4: Vision Board 
Help youth become successful and committed to new opportunities, by helping them create a vision board.
https://www.centervention.com/vision-board-ideas-for-students-in-elementary-and-middle-school/
https://media.centervention.com/pdf/Vision-Board-younger-worksheet-interactive2.pdf (for younger students)
https://media.centervention.com/pdf/Vision-Board-older-worksheet-interactive.pdf (for older youth)

#DoGoodDecember Quote of the Month:

"The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the greatest intention."

 

- Kahlil Gibran

December Calendar

Action for Happiness Calendar #DoGoodDecember. Connect with others and spread kindness.

Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #DoGoodDecember 
https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Dec%202022.jpg
Encourage small random acts of kindness.

Week 2: Kindness Tree 
Create a tree and have students make leaves or hearts with random acts of kindness or good deeds. https://houstonpbs.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/arct14.pre.arttree/a-kindness-tree/

Week 3: Kindness Notes
Teach kids how to write positive notes of gratitude to friends and family. Encourage kids to be specific in their praise, to show the recipient they were seen and heard.
https://www.woojr.com/random-act-of-kindness-printable-notes/csj-coloring-template-14/

Week 4: The Kindness Game Activity
Teach kids how to write positive notes of gratitude to friends and family. Encourage kids to be specific in their praise, to show the recipient they were seen and heard.
https://www.woojr.com/random-act-of-kindness-printable-notes/csj-coloring-template-14/

Week 5: Plan a Year of Kindness
Help kids plan goals around how they can create kindness moments all year long. Have kids brainstorm and plan on how they can show kindness throughout the year.

November Calendar

Action for Happiness Calendar #NewWaysNovember. Connect with others and spread kindness.

  

Week 1: Action for Happiness Calendar #NewWaysNovember

New experiences can be scary! Creating a supportive environment can help youth build confidence and to get out of their comfort zone and try new things.

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Nov%202022.jpg

 

Week 2: World Kindness Day (Week), November7 - 13, 2022

World Kindness Day is a holiday devoted to promoting kindness throughout the world, understanding the positive potential of large and small acts of kindness, and unifying as human beings. To promote World Kindness Day (Week) set up a Thank You Note Station at your school. Studies show that practicing gratitude increases positive emotions and happiness. In a high-traffic location at your school, set up a basket filled with blank cards and envelopes for students to write thank you notes to those who deserve appreciation. Have your student leaders get it started by writing a few samples to display next to it, as well as write and deliver some of their own cards to schoolmates. 

 

Week 3: New Phrases, New Languages, New You!

Learning a new language is challenging, but it’s one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. Learn how to say, “Thank You”, in ten different languages. Signup for a free account with duolingo and showcase your new language skills with your friends and family! When learning a new language, just remember to be patient. https://www.duolingo.com/

 

Week 4: Try Something New: Paint like Jackson Pollock

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a huge canvas of white, and to be able to just throw different colors of paint on it? If you have, then you are a lot like Jackson Pollock! Jackson Pollock was an American artist, known for his unique style of painting which involved spraying, flinging, or dripping paints onto canvas. Watch this short video on Jackson Pollock and how he creates his masterpieces and challenge yourself to create your own Jackson Pollock work of art! https://youtu.be/aSYo-98fO1Y

#OptimisticOctober Quote of the Month:

"Choose to be optimistic. It feels better."

 

- Dalai Lama

October Calendar

Action for Happiness Calendar #OptimisticOctober. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

Optimism involves learning to think positively about the future, even when things go wrong. It’s about looking objectively at a situation and making a conscious decision to focus on the good.

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/calendar_download/images/Oct%202022.jpg

 

Week #2: Bring Back the Best Week Activity

Negative thinking may drive a child to believe that bad times never end. As educators, we can motivate them to recall past experiences, which made them sad initially, but they could later overcome it. Asking questions such as ‘How did you feel when you got a better outcome than you had expected?’ can help them introspect and find hope from within. Here is a fun activity you can do with your students to help them recall their best week ever!

1. What happened during that week to make it so enjoyable?
2. Who was part of that great week?
3. How did it feel when things were going really well?
4. What did you do (or not do) to make sure things stay positive?

 

Week #3: Lights On Afterschool 2022 - Our Future is So Bright!

Take part in the 50by250 campaign to increase youth participation levels to 50% by the 250^th birthday of the United States on July 4^th, 2026.

 

Week #4: Optimistic Thinking-Growth Mindset

Someone with a growth mindset views intelligence, abilities, and talents as learnable and capable of improvement through effort. On the other hand, someone with a fixed mindset views those same traits as inherently stable and unchangeable over time. Briefly discuss with students the difference in a growth and fixed mindset. Share a (1- minute https://youtu.be/inNMktqIkh0) video of Yoda helping Luke to understand the power of mindset. After sharing the video, ask students the following questions:

1. What kind of mindset did Luke have? How do you know?
2. What kind of mindset does Yoda have? How do you know?
3. What is Luke’s reaction when he realizes that what he thought was impossible was possible?

Have students work in groups and create a poster of what a growth mindset looks like vs. a fixed mindset. Be sure and sure your students’ posters!

#Self-CareSeptember Quote of the Month:

"Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love."

 

- Brené Brown

September Calendar

Action for Happiness Calendar #Self-CareSeptember. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

Self-Care the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health. There are many reasons that self-care is important. Research shows that self-care helps to keep you healthy, helps you recharge and helps to improve your overall well-being.

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Sept%202022.jpg

 

Week #2: Mindful Active Exercise

Activities like yoga, meditation, walks and outdoor games can all promote movement and physical well-being, while also focusing on mindfulness and reflection. Follow a YouTube video for yoga or meditation—or make up your own! Try out GoNoodle for free. Just log-on to https://app.gonoodle.com/login?source=GNlogin for a free educator or parent account. GoNoodle has free age/developmental yoga videos that are easy to follow. Also, you can try out Sanford Fit https://fit.sanfordhealth.org/ for free mindfulness activity cards.

 

Week #3: Journaling

Journaling is a very effective way to release stress and express emotions. The habit of journaling allows for mindful moments and self-reflection. Teach youth how to journal with short, thought-provoking prompts. Use loose-leaf paper and dedicate a folder to the journal entries or ask your students to bring a journal from home. Once they get into the habit of writing, use mindful prompts to encourage reflection. You can also put on music and journal alongside them to encourage them! Make sure they know that their journals are a private space for them to write about their feelings.

Here are some mindful journaling prompts to help get them started:

What’s an activity that makes you feel happy? How often do you get to do this activity?

Write about a time when you felt sad. What made you feel better?

What are your favorite things about yourself? Why?

What’s something you like to do but don’t have a lot of time for? How can you make time for it?

Think of a person, character, show, or movie that makes you laugh.

What about it makes you smile or laugh? How does it make you feel?

What are three things, big or small, that you’re thankful for in your life?

When you have a bad day, what are some things that make it better?

 

Week #4: Mindful Hands-On Craft Projects

Arts and crafts, especially painting, molding, or coloring, are great opportunities for relaxation, stress release, and expression through art. Put on relaxing music in the background and spend time creating art!  Download and print free coloring pages for kids.

https://kumarahyoga.com/10-awesome-mindfulness-crafts-for-kids-of-all-ages/

 

Week #5: Positive Affirmation List

Kids and young adults can use a positive affirmation list by reading the words to themselves or out loud, discussing how they might help, and identifying which phrases would work best. Help students create a positive affirmation list. This activity can be done as a whole class activity or students can create an individual list.

Here are a few positive affirmations to get you started:

There is no one better to be than myself.

I am enough.

I get better every single day.

I am an amazing person.

I can work through my problems.

Today I am a leader.

I forgive myself for my mistakes.

My challenges help me grow.

I am perfect just the way I am.

My mistakes help me learn and grow.

Today is going to be a great day.

I have courage and confidence.

I can control my own happiness.

I have people who love and respect me.

I stand up for what I believe in.

I believe in my goals and dreams.

It’s okay not to know everything.

Today I choose to think positive.

#AltruisticAugust Quote of the Month:

"Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness."

 

- Seneca

August Calendar

Action for Happiness Calendar #AltruisticAugust. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

Altruism is the unselfish concern for other people—doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons. It involves acting out of concern for the well-being of other people.

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/calendar_download/images/Aug%202022_0.jpg 

 

Week #2: Notes of Appreciation

Give each student in your program sticky notes and ample opportunity to write positive messages addressed to one of their teachers and/or peers. Locate an empty wall in your program and have students place their notes of appreciation on the wall. Read out the notes and watch the faces of students and staff light up.

 

Week #3: Role Playing-Compassion

Have students create a role-play where they show compassion. For example, what would compassion look like if: A friend is confused by what the teacher said? Someone in your afterschool program is sad because their mother is in the hospital? Your sister is crying because she didn’t make the basketball team? A new student is feeling lonely and left out? Have students perform their role-plays for the class.

 

Week #4: Feelings Charade

In Feelings Charades, students will have a chance to demonstrate one emotion. The rest of the class will guess what the emotion is. The person who is doing the charade cannot speak – they must use facial expressions or body language to get classmates to guess the emotion. Write down different feelings/emotions on slips of paper. Place them in a bowl and take turns pulling them and acting them out. Once the correct feeling/ emotion is chosen the person that guessed correctly gets a turn.

 

Week #5: Fixing the Community

Do your students feel like they are part of their community? Many students feel they are, but they might become more compassionate people if they’re part of their town’s community. Even the best communities have homes and businesses that need repair work. Think about what projects your students can do to help “fix” their community or school.

#JumpBackUpJuly Quote of the Month:

"Don't judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

 

- Nelson Mandela

July Calendar #JumpBackUpJuly

Action for Happiness Calendar #JumpBackUpJuly. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/calendar_download/images/Jul%202022.jpg

 

Week #2: Using fun games to build resilience

It’s impossible to know exactly what trials and challenges life will throw your way, but there are steps you can take to equip kids with the skills they need to overcome those hurdles. Here are a few activities that not only help with building resilience in children, but they will provide kids an afternoon of fun, too! Facing adversity can create some difficult moments for kids, but if they’re prepared, they will come out on the other side much stronger.

 

1. Build a trust walk: Building trust in others and developing a support system is an important step in overcoming adversity. Set up a trust walk/obstacle course to teach the kids about being brave and earning trust. Have students partner up and led each other through a simple obstacle course while blindfolded. The blindfolded students are forced to rely on the advice and support of their partner to complete the course. Afterwards, talk about how they felt while completing the course.
2. Form a compliment circle: It might not seem obvious, but practicing kindness is an important part of building resilience in children. This is a fun game; the only thing is you need at least six kids to play. Have the kids sit in a circle with their legs stretched out in front of them. Pick one child to go first. He or she will pick someone else in the circle to give a compliment to. Once you’ve received a compliment, you pull your legs in (crisscross applesauce style) so everyone knows you’ve received one already. Keep going around the circle until everyone has received praise. The real trick to the game is getting kids to give compliments on something other than visual traits. Try to have them avoid things that have to do with looks so the compliments are more meaningful. This is harder for younger kids and takes some practice.
3. Musical Chairs: This is an oldie, but a goodie, because one of the hardest lessons to learn when you’re trying to build resiliency is that you don’t always win—and that’s OK. Start the game by having the same number of chairs as players, so that everyone has a seat the first round. Then round by round, remove a chair each time so there’s always one child out when the music stops. Kids will experience emotions connected to being the odd one out and learn how to cope with those feelings. Talk about it at the end of the game, so kids get a chance to express what they’re internalizing.

 

Week #3: The resilience tree exercise

To use the analogy of a tree, resilience comes from having strong, wide roots that reach deep down into the ground in order to prevent the tree from being toppled over by storms or high winds and allow it to right itself even when knocked off balance. When we are resilient, our roots reach downwards - into ourselves - and outwards, towards community and connection, so that we feel safe, grounded, and nourished, and can then blossom.

https://spacetobreatheuk.com/resilience-tree

 

Week #4: Letting go of the small stuff

Humans have somewhere between 12,000 and 70,000 thoughts per day. Some are helpful, some are pleasant, some are insignificant, and others can linger in our minds and get in the way of what we’re doing. There are no one-size fits all when it comes to helping children manage nagging unhelpful thoughts. Some kids really connect with the idea of being a “thought detective” and analyzing their thoughts by coming up with evidence that can ultimately challenge and change the way they think about things.

 

1. Write down their thought and let them go on a balloon: Ask students to think about a nagging thought that has been on their mind. To help demonstrate, come up with some examples of your own. A common anxiety-provoking thought may start with “what if…” Give each student a balloon. Have students blow up their balloon as big as they can. Give students a permanent marker and have students to write down their thoughts on the balloon. If they don’t like writing or are too young to write, they can draw a picture, or you can help. Then…let the balloon go. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation with the students about how letting go of the thought made them feel. What was it like to watch it fly away?
2. In or out of my control: Students begin by tracing their hands onto the paper. On the inside of the hand, write, “In my control.” On the outside of the hand outline, write, “Out of my control.” Now, students will write or draw the things that are in their control on the inside of the hand. They could write things like: my behavior, my thoughts, the words I choose to say, the words I choose to keep to myself, the way I react to others, etc. On the outside of the hand, students will write things that are not in their control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxacynVqWd8&t=15s

 

Week #5: Building emotional resilience

Emotional resilience, a person’s ability to “bounce back” after setbacks, to learn from past failures and be willing to try again, is vital to students’ long-term success. We know that this is especially challenging for students dealing with trauma, but it’s important to realize that all students can benefit from spending time developing this skill. The good news is, emotional resilience can be taught, practiced, and reinforced. In fact, emotional resilience activities for kids often fit perfectly into lessons about reading, writing, speaking, and listening, making them perfect mini-lessons in most classrooms.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-step-process-building-student-resilience

#JoyfulJune Quote of the Month:

"Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day."

 

- Alice Morse Earle

June Calendar #JoyfulJune

Action for Happiness Calendar #JoyfulJune. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Jun%202022.jpg

 

Week #2: Everyone is Important

https://fit.sanfordhealth.org/

Build a strong community by allowing students to see the program as a safe, caring environment and provides support as we navigate the unknown. Guide students though a guided meditation, to help refocus and center ourselves. This can help set the tone, for a calm and safe place. GoNoodle Flow, have free online guided meditation videos to lead the practice. https://www.gonoodle.com/tags/WwJzlw/flow?tab=videos

 

Week #3: Colors and Joy

This activity, allows students to express joyful emotions using color. Using pictures from artist Edward Hopper, have students to look at the pictures and describe the mood and feelings of the pictures, and which colors guide them in their thinking. Ask, “How does the following color make you feel?” (Yellow, green, pink, blue, gray, black) Using magazine pictures, have students create a collage of colors that show joy, happiness, sadness, and sorrow. You can find more works of art by Edward Hopper https://www.edwardhopper.net/

 

Week #4: Joy and Movement

This activity allows students to listen to music that they find joyful. Invite students to share what kind of music they enjoy listening to, and what kind of music makes them feel joyful. Play joyful music for students and have them to dissect what about the music makes them feel joyful.

Ask, “What is happening to your body, as you hear joyful music?” Now play music, with a slower beat.

Ask, “What is happening to your body, with slower music?” “How does slower movement and speed make you feel compared to faster movement?

Ask, “How does the music you listen to usually make you feel?” “Why do you think it makes you feel that way?” “Is it because of the words or the music?” “If the words to a sad song were put with joyful music, how would you feel?”

 

Here is a list of music titles you can use for this activity:

• “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” Rodgers & Hammerstein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5APc0z49wg

• “Ode to Joy” Beethoven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uooe16ILaPo

•  “La Bamba” Ritchie Valens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSKJQ18ZoIA

• “Johann Pachelbel-Cannon in D,” percussion rhythms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OUkOmdAbXU 

• “Blue” LeAnn Rimes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GozdIQx1Wowand 

• “Don’t Worry Be Happy” Bobby McFerrin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

#MeaningfulMay Quote of the Month:

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

 

- William James

May Calendar #Meaningful May

Action for Happiness Calendar #MeaningfulMay. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/May%202022.jpg

 

Week #2: Journal Prompts/Discussions for all Ages

https://fit.sanfordhealth.org/

This activity is a great way to practice and normalize kids sharing ideas with their peers.

Everyday for one week, choose one of the following prompts to share with kids. The prompts can be used as a writing activity, or as open discussion.

1. Choose a spring flower that symbolizes your personality and explain why you chose it.
2. What is a dessert that reminds you of spring, what memories are attached to it?
3. If spring didn’t exist anymore, and you had to repeat a different season, which one would you choose and why?
4. If you graduated college today, which career would you pursue?
5. If you could move to a new town and have a fresh start, would you? Why or why not?
6. Would you rather spend 2 hours in a car, plane, or boat, and why?
7. Imagine you can only use two ingredients to bake a cake. Which ingredients would you choose?
8. National Chocolate Chip Day is May 15^th! Name something that doesn’t usually have chocolate chips in it, but should?

 

Week #3: Positive Thinking Affirmations

Positive thinking is a powerful tool that can improve your health, help you manage stress, overcome challenges, and make better choices. The idea is that by changing your thinking, you can control your emotions and your actions. Positive thinking skills often start with positive self-talk, which means using the voice in your head to say positive thoughts about yourself or a situation. (Examples: “There is no one better to be than myself.” “I am enough.” “Today, I choose to be confident.”) Have students list 10 positive thoughts and affirmations they can say about themselves.

 

Week #4: A Letter to Yourself

https://www.futureme.org/

In this activity, each student will write a letter to his or her futures self, detailing what every they wish. This can be details of their life now, a poem, or their future goals.

 

Week #5: Breath Counting- Mindfulness Practice for Tweens and Teens

https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/mindful_breathing

Students learn to focus on their breathing patterns by counting each breath to manage stress, anxiety, or to start the day with focus. 

#ActiveApril Quote of the Month:

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."

 

- Jim Rohn

April Calendar #ActiveApril

Action for Happiness Calendar #ActiveApril. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Apr%202022.jpg

Let’s get physical outdoors by exploring a new sport or continuing your favorite form of exercise. By being physically active, students learn how to focus, regulate their emotions, and practice goal setting. Checkout the latest Action for Happiness calendar for ideas to get kids moving! #ActiveApril

 

Week #2: Sanford Health fitBoost Cards

https://fit.sanfordhealth.org/

Stretch and discuss physical activity. Help kids get fit and recharge their energy. Help kids learn about the connection between energy level and the desire to move. Use the FREE printable Sanford Fit cards, to engage youth in fun movements to support a healthy body. Signup for FREE.

 

Week #3: Earth Day Activities

https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/earth-day-activities-for-kids/

Every year on April 22nd, Earth Day brings the world together to celebrate, and it’s the perfect time to educate kids about climate change and how they can work to protect our home with Earth Day activities for kids.

 

Week #4: Discover Yoga

https://www.namastekid.com/tool-type/kids-yoga-poses/

Engage youth in discovering yoga. Youth can practice mindful breathing, as well as meditation. Learning yoga can help youth to energize their bodies and focus their minds while stretching and strengthening their muscles. Checkout the full free library of yoga poses for kids at Kids Yoga Poses.

#MindfulMarch Quote of the Month:

"If we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything."

 

- Thich Nhat Hanh

March Calendar #MindfulMarch

Action for Happiness Calendar #MindfulMarch. Connect with others and spread kindness.

 

Week #1: Action Calendar

https://actionforhappiness.org/sites/default/files/Mar%202022.jpg

 

Week #2: Mindfulness Coloring Pages

https://truthbetoldquotes.com/activities-teaching-resources/quotes-to-color.html

Mindful coloring asks us to focus on how we choose and apply color in a design, to bring our awareness to the present moment.

 

Week #3: Breathing Exercises

Relax and Breathe: Do Nothing for 10 Minutes Video https://youtu.be/aXItOY0sLRY

Being aware of your breath is a keyway to bring a swift sense of calm, and distance yourself from anxious feelings, so you can look at a situation objectively rather than act quickly as a reaction to stress.

 

Week #4: Sensory Notetaking

You can practice mindfulness even when you’re not in motion—many yogis sit perfectly still in meditation. In this activity, though, you engage all five senses, taking note of what you experience.

 Taste: Place a small piece of chocolate on your tongue. Let it melt slowly, instead of chewing it. Observe the taste and texture. Do you get more of a sweet sensation in certain areas of your mouth? How does your body react to the sugar? 

Smell: Choose something with a high degree of natural aromas, such as an orange or a flower. Inhale deeply. How do the molecules make your mind feel when they reach your brain? What physical sensations arise, and do you have an emotional reaction? Scents can trigger memories and the feelings you associate with them. 

Sight: Pick a random object in the room to focus on for 20 to 30 seconds. Observe the color and texture. Are there any tiny, unique aspects you’ve never noticed before? 

Sound: Put on a favorite song or tune into some relaxing Solfeggio frequency music. What emotions arise when you hear it? Does your body physically react to the vibrations? 

Touch: Close your eyes. Alternatively, place objects with a variety of textures into brown paper bags. Observe by feeling only. How does the material feel under your fingertips? Experiment with more than just fabric—for example, damp spaghetti noodles have an interesting feel. 

 

Week #5: Yoga

https://www.emedihealth.com/wellness/yoga-meditation/yoga-poses-for-kids

Yoga and mindfulness have been shown to improve both physical and mental health in school-age children (ages 6 to 12). Yoga improves balance, strength, endurance, and aerobic capacity in children. Yoga and mindfulness offer psychological benefits for children as well. A growing body of research has already shown that yoga can improve focus, memory, self-esteem, academic performance, and classroom behavior, and can even reduce anxiety and stress in children.

#FriendlyFebruary Quote of the Month:

"The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer someone else up"

- Mark Twain

February Calendar #FriendlyFebruary

Action for Happiness Calendar #FriendlyFebruary

Connect with others and spread kindness.

Week #1: https://www.actionforhappiness.org/media/1086456/feb_2022.jpg

Week #2: Warm Fuzzies activity

Give each student a paper bag and have them write their names on the bags. Then, provide them with colorful pom poms, glue, and markers so they can decorate their bags with “warm fuzzies.” Then, set the bags around the room. Have students write one nice thing about each of their classmates on Kindness Cards or slips of paper and drop them in the corresponding bags. When finished, each student should have a bag filled with “warm fuzzies.”

Week #3: Who do we appreciate?

Ask students to think about the people who work in their school and afterschool program. What do they appreciate about these people? Have students write letters of appreciation to these workers, thanking them for all they do and the difference they make in the school or after-school program. Hand-deliver the letters.

Week #4: Don't forget yourself!

Ask students to notice any negative self-talk they might do that makes them feel not so good about themselves. Give them sticky notes and markers and have them write a positive affirmation to combat each negative thought. For example, “I’m not smart enough” can become “I am always learning new things!” Then, instruct them to post the sticky notes in places where they are likely to see them every day, such as the bathroom mirror — and whenever the negative thought creeps in, replace it with the positive one!

#HappierJanuary Action for Happiness Calendar