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The Art of Letting Go

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harlowr

Tier 1

Lesson Plan

The Art of Letting Go

Students will learn to identify, accept, and release difficult emotions through mindfulness and creative expression activities, fostering stress management skills and emotional resilience.

By practicing acceptance and mindful release, students build healthy coping strategies, reduce anxiety, and create space for positive experiences in and out of the classroom.

Audience

Elementary School Students

Time

60 minutes

Approach

Combine guided mindfulness with art-based reflection.

Materials

  • Lesson Slide Deck, - Mindful Breathing Guide, - Emotion Wheel Template, - Reflection Journal Handout, - Paper and Colored Pencils, - Colored Markers, - Timer or Stopwatch, and - Yoga Mats or Blankets

Prep

Teacher Preparation

15 minutes

  • Print copies of Emotion Wheel Template and Reflection Journal Handout.
  • Load and review the Lesson Slide Deck.
  • Prepare a quiet area with yoga mats or blankets for mindfulness practice.
  • Gather art supplies: paper, colored pencils, and markers.
  • Familiarize yourself with the steps in the Mindful Breathing Guide.

Step 1

Introduction & Grounding

5 minutes

  • Welcome students and introduce the objective: accepting and releasing emotions.
  • Display slide 1 from the Lesson Slide Deck defining acceptance and release.
  • Invite a few volunteers to share a time they felt stressed or worried.

Step 2

Guided Mindful Breathing

10 minutes

  • Have students sit or lie on mats/blankets in the quiet area.
  • Use the Mindful Breathing Guide to lead 5 minutes of slow inhales and exhales.
  • Encourage students to notice where they feel tension and gently let it soften with each exhale.

Step 3

Emotion Identification

10 minutes

  • Distribute the Emotion Wheel Template and art supplies.
  • Ask students to recall a recent stressful moment and locate the matching emotion on the wheel.
  • Have them color that segment and write the emotion word next to it.

Step 4

Creative Expression for Release

20 minutes

  • Provide blank paper and markers/pencils.
  • Instruct students to visually represent their chosen emotion, then add elements that symbolize letting that feeling go (e.g., releasing a balloon).
  • Remind them that imperfect art is okay—focus is on expression and release.

Step 5

Reflection & Journaling

10 minutes

  • Hand out the Reflection Journal Handout.
  • Prompt students to answer: “What emotion did I release today?” and “How do I feel now compared to before the activity?”
  • Encourage honesty and gratitude for their effort.

Step 6

Closing Circle

5 minutes

  • Invite volunteers to share one insight or feeling shift they experienced.
  • Summarize key takeaways: identifying emotions, mindful release, and ongoing practice.
  • Encourage students to use these strategies whenever they feel overwhelmed.
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Slide Deck

The Art of Letting Go

Explore how to accept and release difficult emotions through mindfulness and creative expression.

Introduce the lesson and set the tone. Use a soft gradient background (#C3B1E1→#B499D2→#AE82C6). Welcome students and explain the objective: learning to accept and release difficult emotions.

Acceptance vs. Release

• Acceptance: Acknowledging emotions as they arise without resisting.
• Release: Letting emotions flow away to make room for new feelings.

Define the two core concepts. You might say: “Acceptance means noticing emotions without judgment. Release means letting those feelings flow away.”

Guided Mindful Breathing

  1. Sit or lie comfortably on your mat.
  2. Inhale slowly through your nose (count to 4).
  3. Exhale gently through your mouth (count to 6).
  4. Repeat for 5 minutes, noticing tension and breathing it out.

Guide students through the breathing exercise. Remind them to notice tension and imagine it softening as they exhale.

Emotion Identification

  1. Recall a recent stressful moment.
  2. Find the matching emotion on the wheel.
  3. Color that segment and write the emotion word beside it.

Distribute the Emotion Wheel Template and colored pencils. Encourage students to pick a real feeling they experienced recently.

Creative Expression for Release

  1. Draw your chosen emotion on blank paper.
  2. Add elements that symbolize letting it go (e.g., a balloon drifting away).
  3. Focus on expressing and releasing rather than perfect art.

Provide blank paper and markers. Emphasize that the goal is self-expression and release, not “perfect” art.

Reflection & Journaling

• What emotion did I release today?
• How do I feel now compared to before the activity?
• Write down your thoughts honestly.

Hand out the Reflection Journal Handout. Invite honesty and gratitude for each student’s effort.

Closing Circle

• Share one insight or feeling shift.
• Key Takeaways:
– Identifying emotions
– Mindful release
– Practicing these strategies when feeling overwhelmed

Invite volunteers to share one insight or shift in feeling. Reinforce key takeaways.

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Activity

Release Through Art

Objective:
Guide students to visually express a chosen difficult emotion and then symbolically release it, reinforcing acceptance and letting go.

Materials:

  • Blank drawing paper
  • Colored pencils or markers
  • Emotion Wheel Template (for reference)

Instructions

  1. Select an Emotion (2 minutes)
  • Look at your Emotion Wheel Template and recall a recent time you felt stressed, worried, or upset.
  • Choose one word that best names that feeling.




  1. Draw the Emotion (5–7 minutes)
  • On your blank paper, sketch a simple image or symbol that represents that emotion (e.g., a dark cloud for sadness, a tight knot for anxiety).
  • Use colors and shapes freely—there’s no right or wrong way to show how you feel.







  1. Add a Release Element (5–7 minutes)
  • Around or beside your emotion drawing, add something that shows it drifting away or dissolving:
    • A balloon carrying it up into the sky
    • Ripples fading out in water
    • Leaves blowing away in the wind
  • This part is about imagining the emotion leaving your body and mind.







  1. Reflect & Share (Optional) (5 minutes)

  • In small groups or pairs, describe your drawing:
    • What did you draw to show your feeling?
    • How did you represent it letting go?

  • Notice how it feels to talk about releasing that emotion.




Reflection Prompts

After the activity, in your journal or on the back of your drawing, answer briefly:

• What emotion did I show and release today?






• How do I feel now compared to before I started?





<br/

• When else could I use this drawing and release idea in my life?






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