~ 15 minutes

Try ONE of these strategies:

Try at least one of the following activities in your classroom. Most of these include a video or a link to another resource to help you implement the activity.

1. The Six Second Pause

The Six Second Pause and More EQ Tools | Freedman and Fatum, Six Seconds

How do we reduce reactivity and be more purposeful? One strategy is to simply picture your five closest friends. Barbara Fatum talks about this technique and why it works so well. Follow the instructions in the video to try this in your class.  

2. A Pause is Essential

A Pause Is Essential | Freedman and Stillman, Six Seconds

How do we shift out of the typical patterns to become more present and proactive in our interactions? Having the ability to pause is an essential component. Josh Freedman and Susan Stillman discuss why pausing can be the difference between following patterns that don’t serve us and forging a new way.

This video includes a great “visual” to help children understand how their emotions can hijack the thinking portion of their brain. Try teaching them about this and exploring how it can be used to help remember to pause and take back control.

3. Take Inventory of Your Feelings | Walking the Line Lesson Plan

The first step in being able to discuss our feelings is being able to identify them. Walking the line offers the opportunity to step physically into the realms of changing emotions. You could set up this exercise using tape or ribbon on the floor, or simply create your own continuum chart on paper. I’ve used the core emotions suggested by Robert Plutchik.

 4. Choices and Consequential Thinking | Freedman, Six Seconds

Apply Consequential Thinking is a skill for each of us to arrive at our own decisions. Every decision has pros and cons (even “good” decisions have cons). The goal of this skill isn’t to get students to do what the teacher says, or what’s “socially appropriate,” rather, it’s for them to become better equipped to make their own decisions. See this page for the directions for this activity. Use the reflection prompts after you have completed the activity with a group.