Students will be able to identify different emotions and healthy coping strategies for mental well-being.
Understanding and managing emotions is a vital life skill that helps students navigate challenges, build positive relationships, and create a supportive learning environment. This lesson provides foundational knowledge for their emotional intelligence.
Review the Mind Matters Slide Deck to familiarize yourself with the content. - Read through the How Are You Feeling? Warm Up, Coping Strategies Discussion Guide, and Mind Check Cool Down to understand the activities. - Ensure projector or smartboard is set up and ready to display the slide deck. - (Optional) Print out copies of the warm-up and cool-down if you prefer paper versions over digital display and discussion.
Step 1
Introduction & Warm-Up: How Are You Feeling?
5 minutes
Begin by projecting the How Are You Feeling? Warm Up slide. - Ask students to reflect on their current emotions and share one feeling using a show of hands or a quick check-in. Emphasize that all feelings are okay. - Introduce the concept of mental health as how we think, feel, and act.
Step 2
Exploring Emotions: Slide Deck & Discussion
8 minutes
Transition to the Mind Matters Slide Deck. - Use the slides to introduce various emotions (happy, sad, angry, worried, calm) and briefly discuss how they might look and feel. - Facilitate a short discussion using the Coping Strategies Discussion Guide on why it's important to recognize our feelings and how we can respond to them in healthy ways. Encourage students to share examples of healthy coping mechanisms they use (e.g., talking to someone, drawing, playing outside).
Step 3
Cool Down: Mind Check
5 minutes
Conclude the lesson with the Mind Check Cool Down. - Ask students to briefly reflect on one thing they learned about mental health or one coping strategy they might try. - Reiterate that it's okay to have all sorts of feelings and to ask for help if they need it.
Step 4
Wrap Up
2 minutes
Thank students for their participation and openness. - Briefly recap the main takeaway: understanding our feelings and having healthy ways to deal with them helps us feel good and be our best selves.
Slide Deck
Mind Matters: Feeling Great!
Understanding Our Feelings and Why They Matter!
Welcome students and introduce the topic of mental health in a positive, approachable way. Explain that mental health is about how we feel inside.
What is Mental Health?
It's how we think, feel, and act every day.
Just like physical health, everyone has mental health!
It changes, and that's totally normal.
Ask students what they think mental health is. Guide them to understand it's about our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Emphasize that everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health.
Discuss a few common emotions. Ask students to share a time they felt one of these emotions (without going into too much detail, focusing on the feeling itself). Reinforce that all feelings are valid.
Healthy Coping Strategies
What do you do when you feel...
• Sad? (Talk to a trusted adult, listen to music, draw)
• Angry? (Take deep breaths, count to ten, go for a walk)
• Worried? (Write in a journal, play outside, hug a pet)
These are ways to help ourselves feel better!
Brainstorm with students about healthy ways to deal with different feelings. Provide examples and encourage them to think of their own strategies. Connect this to the Coping Strategies Discussion Guide.
You're Not Alone!
• It's okay to feel all sorts of emotions.
• Healthy coping helps us manage our feelings.
• It's brave to ask for help if you need it. Talk to a trusted adult!
Conclude by reiterating the main message: it's important to notice our feelings, practice healthy coping, and know that it's okay to ask for help. Refer to the Mind Check Cool Down.
Warm Up
How Are You Feeling Today?
Take a moment to check in with yourself. How are you feeling right now?
Share one word that describes your feeling, or give a thumbs up/down/sideways.
Discussion
Let's Talk About Feelings!
Sometimes our feelings can be big and overwhelming. Other times, they might be quiet and calm. All feelings are okay, but what we do with those feelings matters.
Discussion Questions:
Why is it important to know how you're feeling?
What are some things you do when you feel happy?
What are some healthy things you can do when you feel sad or angry? (Think about things that help you calm down or feel better without hurting yourself or others.)
Who is someone you trust that you can talk to when you have big feelings?
Can you share one healthy way you cope with a difficult feeling? (For example: _
Cool Down
Mind Check: What Did You Learn?
Take a moment to think about our lesson today.
One thing I learned about my feelings or mental health is...
