Introduction

As educators, it’s essential to help our students develop a sense of self-awareness and learn techniques to manage their emotions. One way to achieve this is by teaching them about body awareness and relaxation. By guiding students through a “Wiggling Body Scan” activity, they can learn how to check each part of their body to understand if it’s worried or relaxed. This activity is a fun and engaging way to introduce young learners to the concept of self-awareness and emotional regulation.

No-Prep Activity: Wiggling Body Scan

This activity requires no preparation or materials from the educator, making it an excellent choice for busy classrooms. To begin, have your students sit in their seats or on the floor, as you prefer. Guide them through the following steps:

1. Ask your students to think about their bellies. Instruct them to take a big breath that pushes out their bellies and then let the air out. Repeat this process a few times.
2. Next, have your students focus on their toes. Ask them to wiggle their toes around, squeeze them tight, and then relax them. Repeat this process a few times.
3. Move on to the legs. Encourage your students to wiggle their legs and then make them feel heavy, as if they were filled with heavy sand.
4. Direct your students’ attention to their hands and arms. Instruct them to make their arms tight like a robot and then loose and light, shaking them out.
5. Ask your students to touch their necks and shoulders. Have them shrug their shoulders up like they’re scared, and then relax them down.
6. Finally, encourage your students to make their whole bodies loose and heavy, focusing on their necks, shoulders, arms, legs, and feet.

By guiding students through this activity, they’ll learn to pay attention to their bodies and understand their emotions better. This will help them feel more relaxed and in control.

Discussion Questions

After completing the Wiggling Body Scan activity, engage your students in a discussion by asking the following questions:

1. How did you feel before we started the activity, and how do you feel now?
2. Which part of your body felt the most relaxed during the activity? Which part felt the most worried or tense?
3. Why do you think it’s important to pay attention to how our bodies feel?
4. Can you think of a time when you felt worried or upset? How did your body feel during that time?
5. How can you use this activity to help you feel more relaxed in the future?

Related Skills

The Wiggling Body Scan activity is an excellent starting point for teaching students about Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. Some related skills that can help students develop self-awareness and emotional regulation include:

• Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing and visualization exercises.
• Emotion identification, which involves recognizing and labeling different emotions.
• Empathy development, which involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others.
• Conflict resolution, which includes learning how to address disagreements and find solutions.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve introduced the concept of body awareness and relaxation to your students, consider exploring more Social-Emotional Learning activities and resources. To help you get started, sign up for free samples of various SEL materials at Everyday Speech. These resources will provide you with valuable tools to support your students’ emotional growth and well-being.