My self care plan

I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved the idea. I completely adapted the sheet to fit in with ELSA work. I think working on one of these is so beneficial to all children. It makes them think about physical activity, what they eat, who are the people in their lives who they can trust? They can think and discuss with you their hopes and dreams, how they can relax, how they can be a good friend etc.

I would work on one section at a time. There are loads of worksheets here which can be downloaded to go more in depth with for example eating and physical exercise.

I just did a little research and found that physical activity for example has the following benefits and I am sure there are many more:

• improves mood
• improves social skills
• improves well being
• improves teamwork
• encourages healthy competition
• improves motor control
• reduces stress and anxiety
• improves fitness
• reduces obesity
• improves confidence
• Improves self-regulation of emotions

Encouraging physical activity has got to be a good thing!

Download: Self care plan

Would you rather?

This is a fab game to play with children to get to know them better. You can download the game from my website. Click here

All about me

A super little worksheet downloadable from here. The many pieces of me. Could be used as a self esteem activity or a back to school activity for a new class display.

www.elsasupport.co.uk

Friendship game - emotional literacy

This will print over 2 pages. Stick together and laminate. Child throws a die and follows the foot prints. If they land on the 'best friends' square then they must take a card and answer the question. If correct they can move forward 1 space. If incorrect they must go back 1 space. I am sure it will promote lots of discussion on what friendship really is.

Click here for the board game

Click here for the cards

Happiness emotional literacy

Here are a few resources for working on the feeling of being happy.

Click here for the poster

Click here for the writing frame

Click here for the worksheet

Give me 5 poster

Emotions tree (large poster) and leaves

Here is a large emotions tree which will print over 9 sheets of A4. Laminate and cut out then piece together to make a large tree for emotional literacy type activities. Also there are some leaves. Children could draw their own emotion, write their emotion or you could write emotions on for the child to choose.

Click here for the tree

Click here for the leaves
 
 

Circle game (mix up)

These can be used to mix the children up during circle time. Print, laminate and cut into individual cards. Deal out the cards to the children and they must find the child who completes their pair. They then sit next to them.

Worry dolls

Worry dolls (Spanish: Muñecas quitapenas, "Dolls [that] remove worries"),[1] or trouble dolls, are very small and colorful dolls traditionally made in Guatemala.[2] A person (usually a child) who cannot sleep due to worrying can express their worries to a doll and place it under their pillow before going to sleep. Some medical centers use them in conjunction with treatment for disease in children.[3][4] According to folklore, the doll is thought to worry in the person's place, thereby permitting the person to sleep peacefully. The person will wake up without their worries, which have been taken away by the dolls during the night. Parents may remove the doll during the night, reinforcing the child's belief that the worry is gone. Some parents involve the child in making the dolls to further increase the psychological benefits of releasing worries, and instructions may be found online.

This could be a nice PSHE/Seal activity.

Here are some instructions I have found to make them...




 (Wikipedia)

Friendship bracelets - craft

I have found a very simple fun way of making friendship bracelets. Excellent for pshe or seal activities as well as craft, fine motor skills etc.

Click here for instructions

I know I will be definitely be using it with my friendship group. Will be a lovely activity to begin the sessions. They can all make a bracelet for each other.

Emotion game for small group work

This game is very simple but very effective. We all know children love to talk. They throw a die and which ever number they get they have to describe a time when they felt like that.

Emotional literacy - words

Click here for emotional literacy words

Emotion fans

Click here for all the fans on a pdf

Emotion fans pdf

 

Calming down poster

Emotion bubbles

Click here to download a pdf with different emotion thinking bubbles. Great for discussion or to print off as worksheets for children to write their feelings.
 
 
 

Emotion games and cards

The cards could be used for pairs, choosing, dealing out  and discussion.
The game is simply throw a die and if you get 1-4 then you have to think of a situation to share with the other children of when you felt like that.
Great for getting children to open up and discuss their feelings.

Friendship qualities of a friend - Pdf

If you have had problems downloading the cards then I apologise. Please click here to get the pdf.

Seal - Qualities of a friend

This activity involved me reading the cards and the children deciding whether it was a 'rubbish' statement or a 'treasure' statement. I had a rubbish bin and a treasure box in the middle of the circle. I gave each child a rubbish/treasure card which they had to show first which gave me a good assessment of each child's views.

Click here for the cards

Click here for the treasure cards

Click here for the rubbish cards

I just laminated the treasure and rubbish cards back to back

Seal - physical hurt or hurt feelings

I did this activity recently for children to understand the difference between a physical hurt and when someone hurts their feelings. I had a picture of a child who was obviously sad and crying and a child who had hurt their knee. The children had to decide where each scenario would go.

Scenario cards

Stories to make you think

I found this on Amazon and thought it might be useful. Stories to make you think. Sounds like a great way to handle sensitive issues.

Click here