School-Age
FromBrain Based Early Learning Activities,
Nikki Darling-Kuria
What to have
Construction paper, markers, butterfly clasps, clothespins
What to do
Designed to reflect a child’s current attitude, the tude o’meter helps children learn to regulate their emotions. Give the children five pieces of paper to make faces. Have them draw a circle on each piece of paper. On each circle the children can draw an expression of anger, sadness, happiness, or something else. Give each child a clothespin. The children can decorate the circles and their clothespins (labeled with their names) however they’d like. Attach clasps to the five completed circles and hang them on the wall in an area accessible to the children. Children can move their clothespins to the corresponding mood as their moods change during the day. (I recommend laminating the circles to make them more durable.)
If a child is involved in an altercation with another child and he gets angry, he can come to the tude o’meter and move his clip from happy to angry. In doing this, the child removes himself from the situation and takes a break from the toxic atmosphere that led to the misunderstand- ing. This step helps a child recover from the bad feeling much faster than if he did nothing at all. Later, if he’s happy, he can move his clip again so he show others that his mood has changed.
Why
To promote expressive and reflective language, critical thinking
For more activities check out
Brain Based Early Learning Activities: Connecting Theory and Practice
By Nikki Darling-Kuria Copyright 2010 School-Age