Lesson Plan
Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Lesson Plan
Students will learn to identify and practice the DBT skill of ACCEPTS (Activities, Contributing, Comparisons, Emotions, Pushing Away, Thoughts, Sensations) as a healthy distraction technique to manage difficult emotions.
Learning to effectively distract themselves from overwhelming emotions helps students build resilience, improve self-regulation, and navigate challenging situations more skillfully in their daily lives.
Audience
6th Grade Students
Time
30 Minutes
Approach
Through interactive discussion and a creative activity, students will explore each component of ACCEPTS.
Materials
Presentation: Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides, Teacher Script: Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Script, and Activity: ACCEPTS Cheer Sheet
Prep
Review Materials
10 Minutes
- Review the Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Lesson Plan, Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides, and Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Script to familiarize yourself with the content and flow.
- Print enough copies of the ACCEPTS Cheer Sheet for each student.
- Ensure projector or smartboard is ready for the slide deck.
Step 1
Warm-Up: Emotional Check-In
5 Minutes
- Begin with a quick emotional check-in. Ask students to silently think of one emotion they might feel during a challenging situation (e.g., nervous before a test, frustrated with homework).
- Introduce the idea that sometimes emotions can feel too big, and we need ways to manage them, just like a cheer team needs strategies to win.
- Transition to the Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides (Slide 1-2).
Step 2
Introducing ACCEPTS
10 Minutes
- Use the Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides (Slide 3-9) and the Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Script to introduce each letter of ACCEPTS.
- For each letter, briefly explain the concept and provide a simple example relevant to 6th graders.
- Encourage brief student sharing of their own examples for a few letters if time permits.
Step 3
ACCEPTS Cheer Activity
10 Minutes
- Distribute the ACCEPTS Cheer Sheet to each student.
- Explain that students will work individually or in small groups (teacher's discretion) to brainstorm and write down one cheerleading-themed action or phrase for each letter of ACCEPTS that represents a healthy distraction.
- Example: For 'A' (Activities), they might write 'Jump and cheer, let worries disappear!'
- Circulate and provide support as students work.
Step 4
Share & Cool Down
5 Minutes
- Ask a few volunteers to share one or two of their ACCEPTS cheers with the class.
- Conclude by reinforcing that ACCEPTS is a powerful 'cheer' for their minds when emotions feel overwhelming.
- Encourage students to try using one ACCEPTS skill next time they feel a difficult emotion.
- Transition to a brief cool-down question: 'What was one new way you learned to 'cheer' yourself up today?' (Oral responses or quick written exit ticket if time allows).
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Slide Deck
Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS!
Strategies to help you feel your best, just like a great cheer!
Welcome students and set an energetic tone. Briefly connect the idea of 'cheer' to emotional well-being.
When Emotions Feel Too Big...
Have you ever felt super nervous, really frustrated, or totally overwhelmed?
It's like when your favorite team is losing, and you want to do something to help!
Ask students to think about challenging situations they might face (e.g., tough test, friendship trouble). Explain that sometimes our emotions can feel too big, like a losing game, and we need strategies to get back in control.
Our Game Plan: ACCEPTS!
Just like a cheer routine has different moves, ACCEPTS has different skills to help your mind!
Activities
Contributing
Comparisons
Emotions (opposite)
Pushing Away
Thoughts
Sensations
Introduce ACCEPTS as a set of mental 'cheers' or distraction skills. Emphasize that these are temporary ways to cope until the emotion becomes less intense.
A is for Activities!
Do something engaging!
- Play a game
- Read a book
- Do a puzzle
- Go for a walk
- Listen to music
What's an activity that helps you take your mind off things?
Explain 'Activities.' Give examples relevant to 6th graders like playing a sport, drawing, listening to music. Ask for one or two quick student examples.
C is for Contributing!
Help someone else or your community!
- Help a family member with a chore
- Offer to assist a classmate
- Pick up trash in your neighborhood
- Volunteer for a cause
How does helping others make you feel?
Explain 'Contributing.' Emphasize helping others. Give examples like helping a classmate, doing chores, volunteering. Ask for student examples.
C is for Comparisons!
Compare your situation to others or to how things used to be.
- Think about someone who has it harder
- Remember a time when you felt worse and how you got through it
- Appreciate what you do have
When have you realized your problem wasn't as big as it seemed?
Explain 'Comparisons.' Focus on comparing yourself to those less fortunate, or to past selves. Emphasize gratitude without minimizing their current feelings. Give examples.
E is for Opposite Emotions!
Do something that creates a different emotion!
- Watch a funny video when you're sad
- Listen to energetic music when you're tired
- Read an exciting story when you're bored
What makes you laugh when you're feeling down?
Explain 'Emotions (opposite).' Clarify that this means doing something that evokes a different emotion. Give examples like watching a funny video when sad, listening to upbeat music when down. Ask for student examples.
P is for Pushing Away!
Temporarily put the problem out of your mind.
- Imagine putting your worries in a bubble and watching them float away
- Mentally block out thoughts of the problem for a short time
- Walk away from a frustrating situation for a few minutes
How can you give your brain a break from a tough thought?
Explain 'Pushing Away.' Stress that this is a temporary mental distraction, not avoidance of problems. Visualize putting the problem in a box or physically leaving a situation. Give examples.
T is for Thoughts!
Use your mind to focus on other things!
- Count backward from 100
- Do a mental math problem
- Read a fascinating fact
- Plan your dream vacation
- Think about your favorite subject
What's a fun way to get your brain thinking about something else?
Explain 'Thoughts.' Focus on engaging the mind with neutral or pleasant thoughts. Give examples like counting, solving riddles, planning. Ask for student examples.
S is for Sensations!
Use your five senses to focus on something new!
- Hold an ice cube (safe, intense sensation)
- Listen to really loud music (with headphones!)
- Smell something strong (like a lemon or peppermint)
- Take a warm shower or splash cold water on your face
What's a strong, safe sensation that could grab your attention?
Explain 'Sensations.' Focus on engaging one or more of the five senses with intense but safe input. Give examples like holding ice, smelling a strong scent, listening to loud music. Emphasize safety.
You've Got This!
ACCEPTS is your personal cheer squad for tough emotions!
When big feelings try to tackle you, remember your ACCEPTS skills!
Now, let's create some cheers of our own!
Summarize ACCEPTS and encourage practice. Introduce the activity to follow.
Script
Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Script
Warm-Up: Emotional Check-In (5 Minutes)
"Good morning/afternoon, everyone! Let's start with a quick thought exercise today. I want you to silently think about an emotion you might feel when you face a challenge. Maybe it's feeling nervous before a big test, or frustrated when you can't figure out a math problem, or even a little sad if something didn't go your way. Just think of one emotion, no need to share it out loud.
Now, sometimes these emotions can feel really big, right? So big that it's hard to focus, hard to think, or hard to feel better. It's like when your favorite sports team is having a really tough game – you want to do something to help them get back on track! Today, we're going to learn some 'cheers' for our minds, strategies that help us manage those big feelings, just like a great cheerleading squad helps their team."
Introducing ACCEPTS (10 Minutes)
"(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 3)
Our game plan today is called ACCEPTS. Each letter in ACCEPTS stands for a different skill, a different way to 'cheer' your mind when emotions feel overwhelming. These are all about healthy ways to distract yourself for a little while, to give your emotions a chance to calm down. Let's go through each one.
A is for Activities!
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 4)
"The first 'A' stands for Activities. This means doing something engaging to take your mind off whatever is bothering you. Think about things you enjoy. It could be playing a video game, reading a book, doing a puzzle, going for a walk, or listening to your favorite music. The idea is to fully immerse yourself in something else.
Can anyone give an example of an activity they do that helps them take their mind off things when they're feeling a bit stressed or down?"
"Great examples! The key is to pick something you can really focus on."
C is for Contributing!
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 5)
"Our next letter, 'C', is for Contributing. This means helping someone else or doing something positive for your community. When we help others, it often shifts our focus away from our own problems and makes us feel good. It could be helping a family member with chores, offering to assist a classmate, picking up trash in your neighborhood, or volunteering.
How do you think helping others makes us feel, especially when we might have been feeling down before?"
"Exactly! It can give us a sense of purpose and make us feel more positive."
C is for Comparisons!
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 6)
"The second 'C' is for Comparisons. This skill involves comparing your situation to others who might have it harder, or comparing your current situation to a time when things were worse for you, and you got through it. It's not about making your feelings seem unimportant, but about gaining perspective and appreciating what you do have.
Has anyone ever had a problem that felt huge, and then you realized it wasn't quite as big when you thought about someone else, or a past experience?"
"That's a powerful way to put things into perspective."
E is for Opposite Emotions!
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 7)
"'E' stands for Opposite Emotions. This means doing something that creates a different emotion from the one you're currently feeling. If you're feeling sad, you might watch a funny video. If you're feeling bored, you could read an exciting story. If you're stressed, maybe listen to calm music. The goal is to change your emotional state.
What's something that always makes you laugh or feel upbeat when you're feeling down?"
"Finding those things that flip our emotional switch can be super helpful!"
P is for Pushing Away!
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 8)
"'P' is for Pushing Away. This skill means temporarily putting the problem or the difficult emotion out of your mind. It's not about ignoring it forever, but giving your brain a short break. You could imagine putting your worries in a bubble and watching them float away, or mentally blocking out thoughts of the problem for a short time, or even physically walking away from a frustrating situation for a few minutes to clear your head.
How can you give your brain a short break from a tough thought or feeling?"
"Remember, it's a temporary break, a mental time-out."
T is for Thoughts!
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 9)
"'T' is for Thoughts. This means using your mind to focus on other things, actively. You could count backward from 100, do a mental math problem, read a fascinating fact, plan your dream vacation, or think deeply about your favorite subject in school. It's about redirecting your mental energy.
What's a fun way to get your brain thinking about something completely different?"
"Our brains are powerful, and we can choose what to focus on!"
S is for Sensations!
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 10)
"Finally, 'S' is for Sensations. This is about using your five senses to focus on something new and intense. This can be very grounding. For example, you could hold an ice cube (it's safe, but creates an intense sensation!), listen to really loud music (with headphones, please!), smell something strong like a lemon or peppermint, or take a warm shower or splash cold water on your face. The idea is to give your senses something strong to focus on.
What's a strong, safe sensation that could really grab your attention and pull you out of your thoughts?"
"Great ideas! The key is using your body's senses to shift your focus."
ACCEPTS Cheer Activity (10 Minutes)
(Transition to Cheer Your Mind: ACCEPTS Slides - Slide 11)
"Alright team, you've learned the 'moves' of ACCEPTS! Now it's time to put them into practice and create our own 'cheers.'
I'm going to hand out the ACCEPTS Cheer Sheet. On this sheet, you'll see each letter of ACCEPTS. Your task, working individually or in small groups (your choice!), is to brainstorm and write down one cheerleading-themed action or phrase for each letter of ACCEPTS that represents a healthy distraction.
For example, for 'A' (Activities), you might write: 'Jump and cheer, let worries disappear!' Or for 'S' (Sensations): 'Feel the ice, chill your stress in a trice!'
Be creative! Think about what actions or short phrases would help you remember and use each skill. I'll be walking around to help out. You have about 10 minutes for this."
(Circulate and provide guidance and encouragement.)
Share & Cool Down (5 Minutes)
"Alright, let's bring it back together! Who would like to share one or two of their awesome ACCEPTS cheers with the class? Don't be shy, let's hear some of your creative ideas!"
"Fantastic work everyone! You've really captured the spirit of ACCEPTS. Remember, ACCEPTS is like your personal cheer squad for tough emotions. When big feelings try to tackle you, you now have these amazing skills to help you. It's about giving your mind a healthy break.
To finish up today, I want everyone to think: What was one new way you learned to 'cheer' yourself up today? You can share it orally or jot it down quickly before you leave."
"Thank you, class! Great job today!"
Worksheet
ACCEPTS Cheer Sheet: Cheer Your Mind!
Sometimes our emotions can feel really big and overwhelming, just like a tough game! But you have powerful skills to help your mind get back on track. We're going to use the ACCEPTS skills to create our own personal cheer routine!
For each letter in ACCEPTS, think of a cheerleading-themed action or short phrase that helps you remember and use that skill to distract yourself from big emotions. Be creative and have fun with it!
A is for Activities!
What's an activity you can do to take your mind off worries?
My ACCEPTS Cheer for Activities:
C is for Contributing!
How can you help someone else or your community?
My ACCEPTS Cheer for Contributing:
C is for Comparisons!
How can you compare your situation to gain perspective?
My ACCEPTS Cheer for Comparisons:
E is for Opposite Emotions!
What can you do to feel a different emotion?
My ACCEPTS Cheer for Opposite Emotions:
P is for Pushing Away!
How can you give your brain a temporary break from a problem?
My ACCEPTS Cheer for Pushing Away:
T is for Thoughts!
What can you think about to redirect your mind?
My ACCEPTS Cheer for Thoughts:
S is for Sensations!
What strong, safe sensation can you focus on?
My ACCEPTS Cheer for Sensations: