Thoughts can be particularly magical, special and powerful. Help and support your learners to understand how their thoughts can be transformative and empowering. They can literally begin an adventure of a lifetime from just one thought. They can create amazing ideas and wonderful new creations from a thought. They can start a story that will grow into a book from just one thought. A thought can be a gift and treasured. At times your students will be alone with nothing but their thoughts. Let's help them.
The first step for getting your students to create positive thoughts may be to help them understand how they are feeling. A check-in can give them a tool to do that. For this one they just need their hand.
Tell them:
- your hand will be your clam
- make a fist, face down
- run the finger from your other hand over the bumps on your fist
- count with me from 1 to 5 as you go over all the bumps on the clam
- 1 is feeling sad, 3 if Ok, 5 is when you are feeling really happy inside
- trace your bumps again and think about how you are feeling right now
- there is no right answer, just thinking about how you are feeling - it might be different from this morning or yesterday, we feel different at different times in the day
- can you stop tracing when you get to how you are feeling - you have checked-in
- now you know how you are feeling we can share some things you can do to help
Today in the Pond Coloring Club I'm sharing with you a page to help your students do a Clam Check-In.
As they come in from recess or lunch, or after a busy learning session you may encourage them to 'check-in' with their feelings! They don't need the page, just their hand - but it can help to have a visual sometimes.
Take care this week - I'm thinking of you!