Active Strategies to Teach Students to Make Good Choices and Develop Their Social Skills
Fitness is often thought of in terms of physical education, but mental fitness is just as critical for students’ success and long-term happiness. When students are equipped with the tools to navigate their emotions and social complexities, they are better able to focus on academic tasks.
Mental fitness and well-being are whole-body experiences. Because the brain and body are deeply connected, children often express their feelings through both words and physical reactions. Introducing these movement-based strategies can help children make good choices, process emotions, and interact with others in positive ways.
MAKING GOOD CHOICES
Every day is filled with choices. Helping children move beyond impulse starts by teaching them to pause, think, and choose. This simple habit transforms a split-second reaction into a thoughtful decision, building a foundation for healthy habits, strong relationships, and resilient minds. To demonstrate this concept for students, ask them to pause, think, and choose.
- Action:
- Have students walk in place.
- Then, tell students:
- Pause: Stop walking, and freeze like a statue.
- Think: Take two deep breaths.
- Choose: Pick a new way to move.
CALMING STRATEGIES AND SELF-CONTROL
Frustration, worry, and hurt are natural emotions, but they can feel overwhelming for a child. Practical calming strategies give children a toolkit to manage stress and regain control. This self-control allows them to slow down, process their feelings, and respond in positive, constructive ways. This action moves between tension and release to help students physically recognize and then let go of stress.
- Action:
- Tell students:
- Scrunch your body tightly by clenching your fists, shrugging your shoulders up to your ears, and squeezing your eyes shut.
- Hold the position, and count to three slowly.
- Jump and pop open into a star shape.
- Jump to close your arms and legs.
- Stand up straight.
- Tell students:
INTERACTING WITH PEERS AND RELATIONSHIP SKILLS
Conflict is a natural part of life. Learning to pause, think, and choose how to react to others takes practice. Teaching children to listen actively, navigate social interactions, stand up for what’s right, and solve problems positively gives them skills they can use both in and out of the classroom. In this Mirror Moves activity, students practice how to actively focus on another person.
- Teacher Prep: Group students in pairs.
- Action:
- Tell students:
- One person is the leader and the other is the mirror.
- The leader should move slowly through several Mirror Moves (such as wave, stretch up, sway), and the mirror should match their movements exactly.
- After three Mirror Moves, students should switch roles.
- Tell students:
MOVING FORWARD
A goal of every educator is to help students become the best versions of themselves—not just academically, but emotionally. When educators foster children’s understanding of the connection between the mind and the body, students begin to realize that they can control their reactions to challenging situations and their interactions with peers and adults alike.
For more movement-based activities on making good choices, self-control, and interacting with others, sign up for a 30-day trial of the Walkabouts Platform. The Walkabouts Platform, a web-based kinesthetic learning solution for pre-K to 5th grade students, boosts engagement and retention through short, movement-rich lessons that activate the elementary curriculum. More than brain breaks, the lessons are correlated to state and national standards and help educators seamlessly integrate physical activity and mental fitness into academic lessons, helping students learn better and feel better.
