Lesson Plan
Anxiety Kick-Off: What Is Worry?
Students will be able to define anxiety as a normal emotion and identify common physical and emotional signs of anxiety within themselves.
Understanding anxiety's signs helps students recognize when they are experiencing it, paving the way for learning coping strategies and normalizing their feelings. This lesson creates a safe space to begin exploring these emotions.
Audience
6th Grade Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive learning and guided self-reflection.
Materials
Small whiteboards or paper for each student, Markers or pencils, Anxiety Kick-Off Slide Deck, What's Your Worry? Warm-Up, Anxiety Body Map Activity, My Anxiety Journal, and Anxiety Cool-Down Ticket
Prep
Prepare Materials
15 minutes
- Review the Anxiety Kick-Off Slide Deck and familiarize yourself with the content.
- Print or prepare small whiteboards/paper and markers/pencils for each student for the What's Your Worry? Warm-Up and Anxiety Body Map Activity.
- Print copies of My Anxiety Journal for each student.
- Print copies of the Anxiety Cool-Down Ticket for each student.
- Ensure projector/screen and computer are set up for the slide deck.
Step 1
Warm-Up: What's Your Worry?
5 minutes
- Begin with the What's Your Worry? Warm-Up. Instruct students to write down one thing that made them feel a little worried or anxious recently (something they are comfortable sharing, or they can draw a symbol). They do not need to share aloud if uncomfortable.
- Briefly discuss, asking for volunteers to share if they feel comfortable. Emphasize that it's normal to have worries.
Step 2
Introduction to Anxiety
7 minutes
- Use the Anxiety Kick-Off Slide Deck to introduce the concept of anxiety.
- Explain that anxiety is a normal emotion, like happiness or sadness, but it can sometimes feel big or overwhelming.
- Discuss the difference between a
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Slide Deck
Welcome to Our Anxiety Kick-Off!
Today, we're going to start exploring what anxiety is and how it shows up in our bodies and minds. This is a safe space to share and learn together!
Welcome students and set a positive, safe tone. Explain that this group is a safe space to talk about feelings. Briefly introduce the topic of anxiety and what the session will cover.
Warm-Up: What's Your Worry?
On your whiteboard or paper, quickly jot down one thing that made you feel a little worried or anxious recently. You can write a word, a phrase, or even draw a small symbol. We won't be sharing these aloud unless you choose to.
Explain the warm-up activity. Students will have 2 minutes to jot down a small worry or something that made them feel a little anxious. Reassure them that they don't have to share if they don't want to.
What IS Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an event with an uncertain outcome.
It's a completely normal human emotion! Everyone feels it sometimes, just like everyone feels happy or sad.
Think of it like your body's 'check engine' light, telling you something might need attention.
Introduce anxiety as a normal emotion. Use analogies like a 'check engine light' for your feelings. Emphasize that everyone experiences it.
How Does Anxiety FEEL? (Physical Signs)
Anxiety often makes our bodies feel different! Have you ever noticed any of these?
- Fast heartbeat
- Butterflies in your stomach
- Sweaty palms
- Shaky hands or knees
- Feeling tense or 'wired'
- Shortness of breath
Discuss physical signs. Ask students if they've ever felt these. Relate to a 'fight or flight' response in a simple way. Encourage them to notice these signs.
How Does Anxiety FEEL? (Thoughts & Emotions)
Anxiety isn't just in our bodies, it's in our thoughts and feelings too!
- Constant worrying
- Feeling nervous or restless
- Having trouble concentrating
- Feeling irritable or easily annoyed
- Thinking about what 'might go wrong'
Discuss emotional/mental signs. Explain that it's not just physical. Connect these to how they might think or act.
Activity: My Anxiety Body Map
Let's explore how anxiety feels in your body.
1. On your body map, color or draw where you feel anxiety when it shows up for you.
2. Use different colors for different feelings (e.g., red for fast heart, blue for butterflies).
3. You can also write words to describe what you feel in those areas.
Explain the Anxiety Body Map activity. Hand out the body map worksheet. Give clear instructions and a time limit. Circulate and support students.
Sharing Our Maps (Optional)
What did you notice as you filled out your map? Did anything surprise you?
(Remember, you only share what you're comfortable with. There are no right or wrong answers!)
Facilitate a brief share-out, focusing on commonalities and normalizing experiences. Remind them it's okay if their map looks different.
Introducing: My Anxiety Journal
This journal is your space to:
- Write down thoughts and feelings.
- Track when anxiety shows up.
- Practice new skills we learn.
It's a private tool to help you understand yourself better.
Introduce the journal as a tool for self-reflection and a way to track their feelings and progress in the group. Explain its purpose.
Cool-Down: One New Idea
On your cool-down ticket, write down one new idea or something interesting you learned about anxiety today. This helps us see what stuck with you!
Explain the cool-down activity. Students will reflect on one new thing they learned or found interesting. Collect these as an exit ticket.
Great First Step!
You did a fantastic job today exploring a big topic. Remember, understanding our feelings is the first step to managing them.
Next time, we'll start learning some tools to help when anxiety feels overwhelming. See you soon!
Thank students for participating. Briefly preview the next session, mentioning that they will learn ways to manage these feelings. End on a positive, encouraging note.
Script
Script: Anxiety Kick-Off: What Is Worry?
## Welcome (1 minute)
(Teacher says): "Hi everyone, and welcome to our anxiety group! I'm so glad you're here. This is a special time and space for us to learn about our feelings, especially when it comes to worry and anxiety, and to find ways to feel more in control. This is a safe space where we can share, listen, and learn from each other. There are no 'silly' questions or feelings here. Everything we talk about in this group stays within this group, so we can all feel comfortable being ourselves.
Today, we're going to kick things off by understanding what anxiety actually is and how it shows up in our bodies and minds. It's the very first step in learning how to manage it."
## Warm-Up: What's Your Worry? (5 minutes)
(Teacher says): "To get us thinking, we're going to start with a quick warm-up called What's Your Worry? Warm-Up. On the small whiteboard or paper I'm handing out, I want you to quickly jot down one thing that has made you feel a little worried or anxious recently. It doesn't have to be a huge thing, just something that popped into your head. You can write a word, a short phrase, or even draw a symbol if you prefer. The most important thing is that you only need to share this aloud if you feel comfortable doing so. Take about two minutes for this."
(After 2 minutes, teacher says): "Okay, if anyone feels comfortable, would you like to share what you wrote down, or just something generally that makes you feel a bit worried? No pressure at all if you'd rather keep it private."
(Facilitate brief sharing, if any. Emphasize normalcy.)
(Teacher says): "Thank you for sharing, or for just reflecting quietly. What you've noticed is completely normal. Everyone, and I mean everyone, experiences worries and anxious feelings sometimes. You're not alone in that, and that's one of the big reasons we're here together."
## Introduction to Anxiety (7 minutes)
(Teacher says): "Now, let's dive deeper into what anxiety actually is. I'm going to put up some slides to help us. (Advance to Anxiety Kick-Off Slide Deck - Slide 3: What IS Anxiety?)
So, what is anxiety? On the slide, you see it's described as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, usually about something where the outcome isn't certain. It's really important to remember: anxiety is a completely normal human emotion! It's like happiness, sadness, or excitement. Our brains are wired to feel it.
Think of it like your body's 'check engine' light. When that light comes on in a car, it's telling the driver that something might need attention, right? Well, anxiety can be our body's way of telling us something similar – maybe there's something we need to prepare for, or something that's making us feel uneasy. The problem isn't usually having the feeling, it's when that 'check engine' light stays on all the time, or gets super bright when there's nothing actually wrong.
(Teacher says): "Let's talk about how anxiety feels in our bodies. (Advance to Anxiety Kick-Off Slide Deck - Slide 4: How Does Anxiety FEEL? (Physical Signs))
When you get anxious, your body can react in a lot of different ways. Have any of you ever noticed your heart beating faster, like a drum? Or maybe that weird fluttery feeling in your stomach, sometimes called 'butterflies'? What about sweaty palms, or feeling a bit shaky? These are all super common physical signs of anxiety. It's our body getting ready for something, often called the 'fight or flight' response, even if there isn't a real danger."
(Teacher asks): "Has anyone experienced any of these, or other physical feelings when they're anxious? You can just nod, or raise a hand, or share a quick word if you like."
(Teacher says): "And it's not just our bodies. Our thoughts and emotions also get involved. (Advance to Anxiety Kick-Off Slide Deck - Slide 5: How Does Anxiety FEEL? (Thoughts & Emotions))
When we're anxious, we might find ourselves constantly worrying, playing out 'what if' scenarios in our heads. We might feel restless, like we can't sit still, or find it hard to concentrate on schoolwork or a game. Sometimes, we can even feel a bit irritable or easily annoyed because our minds are so busy. It's like our brain is on high alert!"
## Activity: My Anxiety Body Map (10 minutes)
(Teacher says): "Now that we've talked about some common signs, let's explore how anxiety feels in your body. I'm going to give you a worksheet called Anxiety Body Map Activity. It has an outline of a person.
Your task is to color or draw on this body map where you feel anxiety when it shows up for you. For example, if your heart races, you might color the chest area. If you get butterflies, you might color your stomach. You can use different colors for different feelings, or you can write words to describe what you feel in those areas.
Take about 5-7 minutes to complete your body map. There are no right or wrong answers; this is about your experience."
(Circulate and support students. After 5-7 minutes, transition to sharing.)
(Teacher says): "Okay, let's pause there. Looking at your maps, what did you notice as you were filling them out? Did anything surprise you about where you feel anxiety, or how many places you feel it? Again, only share what you're comfortable with."
(Facilitate brief sharing, focusing on commonalities and normalizing individual differences.)
## Introducing My Anxiety Journal (2 minutes)
(Teacher says): "That was a great way to think about how anxiety shows up. To help you continue exploring your feelings and to track your progress in this group, I'm giving each of you a special journal: My Anxiety Journal.
This journal is your private space. You can use it to write down your thoughts, feelings, or even draw when you're feeling anxious. It's a tool to help you understand yourself better, and it's just for you. We'll be using it throughout our time together, and sometimes I'll give you prompts, like the one on the first page, to help you get started."
## Cool-Down: One New Idea (3 minutes)
(Teacher says): "To wrap up our first session, I'm going to hand out an Anxiety Cool-Down Ticket. On this ticket, I'd like you to write down one new idea or something interesting you learned about anxiety today. It helps me see what stuck with you, and it helps you reflect on what we covered."
(Collect tickets as an exit ticket.)
## Wrap-Up (2 minutes)
(Teacher says): "You all did a fantastic job today exploring a really important and sometimes challenging topic. Remember, understanding our feelings, like anxiety, is the very first and a very powerful step to learning how to manage them.
Next time, we'll start diving into some practical tools and strategies you can use when anxiety feels overwhelming. I'm really looking forward to continuing our journey together. See you next time!"
Warm Up
What's Your Worry? Warm-Up
Instructions: On your paper or small whiteboard, quickly write down one thing that has made you feel a little worried or anxious recently. It could be something big or something small. You can write a word, a short phrase, or even draw a symbol. Remember, you only need to share if you feel comfortable.
### My Recent Worry/Anxiety:
Activity
Anxiety Body Map Activity
Instructions: Think about when you feel worried or anxious. Where do you feel it in your body? Color or draw on the body outline below to show where these feelings appear. You can use different colors for different feelings (e.g., red for a fast heart, blue for butterflies) or write words to describe what you feel in each area.
### My Anxiety Body Map
(Imagine a simple outline of a human body, front and back views, for students to draw on)
Example Feelings to Consider:
- Fast heart beat
- Butterflies in stomach
- Sweaty palms
- Shaky hands/knees
- Tight chest
- Tense shoulders
- Headache
- Hot or cold flashes
Journal
My Anxiety Journal
Welcome to your personal space for reflection! This journal is a tool to help you understand your feelings, especially when it comes to worry and anxiety. You can use it to:
- Write down thoughts and feelings you're having.
- Notice when anxiety shows up and what it feels like.
- Practice new skills we learn in our group.
This journal is your private space. You choose what to write and when.
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## Journal Prompt #1: Getting Started with Feelings
Today, we talked about what anxiety is and how it feels in our bodies and minds. Take a moment to think about your own experience.
1. What's one new thing you learned or thought about today regarding anxiety?
2. When you've felt worried or anxious before, where did you notice it most in your body? Describe what it felt like.
3. What's one question you still have about anxiety, or something you're curious to learn more about in this group?
Cool Down
Anxiety Cool-Down Ticket
Name:
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What is one new idea or interesting thing you learned about anxiety today?