ACTIVITIES FOR STRATEGIC INVESTMENT & TO LOWER ANXIETY IN THE CLASSROOM

Welcome again to Life is about Learning!

If you are walking in the street and you start stopping every single kid you find on your way to ask them whether they like school or not, you'll be surprised of the number of kids who will say, NOT AT ALL.

Kids spend long hours at school, shouldn't they have a good time in there? Since when has learning become something tedious, tiring and stressful for our little ones?  

Today we are going to talk about activities for strategic investment and to lower anxiety in the classroom learning from a program called " HAPPY CLASSROOMS". 

                                     

HAPPY CLASSROOMS is an educational program based on the positive psychology and whose main objectives are to enhance the personal and social development of learners; to promote the happiness of students, teacher and families and to foster the learning of the basic competences. 

This program is not only carried out within the classrooms, but it has several levels of interaction, such as the different departments teams, the educational centres and the educational community.

MINDFULNESS and a CONSTANT ATTITUDE OF CALM AND CONSCIOUSNESS are key concepts in the program and teachers put them into practice through different daily activities as the following:

Activity 1. Breathing at the beginning of the lesson

Level: Primary and Secondary Education

Aim: To create a good and calm atmosphere in class and to foster the students’ concentration.

Students practice mindfulness based on breathing. They can breathe focusing on the hot and cold sensations in their nose. Only 2 or 5 minutes are enough.  This is can benefit the students regarding concentration. 

TIP: By experience I can say that this activity must be done consciously from the beginning, because some students may tend to over-do-it trying to be the focus of attention of their classmates breaking with the calm atmosphere we are looking for. 

Activity 2. A pebble in your pocket

Level: Primary and Secondary Education 

Objective: To create a nice shelter for students that helps them control their emotions and moods. It contributes to the objective of creating a safe environment for them. 

This activity consists on using an object as a reminder to become aware of the present. Teachers can tell students that they have to touch or look at it when they feel angry, frustrated or sad to feel calm and become aware of the positive things around them.

Activity 3. Create an album of happy memories

Level: Primary Education

Objective: To bring back positive emotions from their past and to cheer up students when they are having a hard time. 

Students create an album with pictures from happy moment which make them reminisce those feelings. It's good also to share experiences and anecdotes, to bring students together and make them have a nice moment enjoying their memories and beloved ones.