Reflecting on Personal Feelings Through Body Awareness
Grade 1 · Health/PE · 45 minutes
Objective
Students will identify how different emotions feel in their bodies and describe one healthy way to respond to each emotion.
Materials
- Paper
- Crayons or markers
- Chart paper
- Whiteboard
- Soft background music (optional)
Hook
Have students sit quietly in a circle and take three slow, deep breaths together. Ask them to notice how their body feels right now – are their shoulders tight or relaxed, is their breathing fast or slow?
Main Activity
Guide students through a quiet reflection where they think about different emotions like happy, sad, angry, and worried. For each emotion, have them close their eyes and remember a time they felt that way, then notice where they felt it in their body. Students draw simple body outlines on paper and color or mark where they feel each emotion. They then write or draw one healthy way to help themselves when feeling each emotion, such as taking deep breaths for worry or talking to a friend when sad.
Discussion Questions
- Where in your body do you feel happiness the most?
- What helps your body feel calm when you are worried?
- How can you tell when someone else might be feeling sad or angry?
- What is one thing you can do to help your body feel better when you are upset?
- Why is it important to notice how our bodies feel?
Exit Ticket
Draw one emotion you felt today and show where you felt it in your body.
Differentiation
Support: Provide sentence starters like 'When I feel angry, my body…' and offer verbal sharing instead of writing for students who need it.
Extension: Have students create a personal feelings journal where they can track their emotions and body responses over several days.
