Wellness day 1 grades 4 - 6 learning activities

Time: 5 minutes

Trivia question: Think of the answer in your head. Who has a faster pulse – a cat or a dog?

Mindfulness Activity:

• Sit in a comfortable spot.
• Take a deep breath in and bring your hands together.
• Start rubbing your hands together slowly. Now a little bit faster.
• Count down from 10. When you get to zero stop your rubbing your hands together but keep them pressed together.
• Notice how your hands feel and notice the warmth you created with a bit of movement.

Time: 10 minutes

Supplies:

• poster paper
• pens
• markers

We can’t go out or to school, like we are used to. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun at home. We can keep learning and stay busy with fun activities.

It’s important for families to create new rules about what a day at home looks like. Brainstorm with your child and ask what they think the rules should be while staying at home. (Respect self, space, family members, schedule, etc.)

Then add any extras that aren’t listed (Example: safe space to express, no judgement, support others, and be positive to self and others). Write down all the rules on poster paper and put it in a visible place at home.

Discuss these rules and invite your child to explore what happens if the rules are not being followed (examples: apology, loss of free time, time out, say something nice to other family members, etc.).

Time: 10 – 15 minutes

Supplies:

• paper
• pen or pencil
• bowl

Make cards by writing the following emotions on a piece of paper and cutting them out:

• happy
• sad
• angry
• frustrated
• hurt
• devastated
• confident
• scared
• ashamed
• jealous
• proud
• irritated
• lonely
• heart-broken
• brave
• calm
• playful
• caring
• negative
• positive

Next, put the emotions in a cup or bowl for your child to pick from. Take turns picking emotion cards, and silently act out the emotion you choose. When the emotion is guessed, switch actors. You can also add a timer or play in teams if you have a big family.

Time: 10 – 15 minutes

Supplies:

• paper plates (or cardboard cut into circles)
• sticks
• paint
• paintbrushes
• markers
• scissors
• coloured paper

In this activity, your child will create their own emojis on paper plates. First, have them colour their paper plate the colour of their emoji’s face. Use a different colour paper to create eyes, mouth, eyebrows and any other features. Glue a stick to the bottom of the paper plate to create an emoji mask.

Time: 5 minutes

Trivia question: Think of the answer in your head. How many kilometres per hour does a human sneeze travel?

Mindfulness Activity: Sit in a comfortable spot. Bring one hand to your belly and your other hand to your heart.

• Take a deep breath in and a deep breath out.
• Do you feel your heart? Notice how fast or slow it is beating.
• As you take a deep breath in, try to make both of your hands lift.
• Breathe into your belly and your chest. Breathe out from your chest and your belly.
• Notice how you feel

Time: 10 – 15 minutes

Supplies:

• otebook or computerotebook or computer
• paper or pen

Encourage your child to write a daily journal to reflect on their feelings and thoughts. Use the following to help them get started.

• Make a list of 10-20 things that make you happy right now (e.g. actions, games, food, company, etc.). Be as specific as you can.
• Take one idea from your list and think about how you can experience it daily.

Time: 10 – 15 minutes

Supplies:

• green paper
• yellow paper
• blue paper
• red paper

Have your children walk around the room. They should change how they move based on the colour paper you are holding up.

• Green paper: walk fast
• Yellow paper: regular pace
• Blue paper: slow-motion walking
• Red paper: stop waking

Try different movement skills like running in place, marching, jumping, etc.

Time: 10 – 15 minutes

Have your child touch the body parts that you call out. For example, when you say “knees”, your child will touch their knees.

Then, create a new rule: Each time you say “head,” touch your toes instead of your head. This requires the child to stop and think about their actions and to not just react. If you say “knees, head, elbow” the child should touch their knees, TOES and elbow.

Continue practicing and adding other rules to change body parts.

Time: 5 minutes

Trivia question: Think of the answer in your head. Which is the slowest – a turtle, a snail, or an alligator?

Mindfulness activity:

• Put up one hand, palm facing out and fingers spread apart.
• Using a finger on your other hand, breathe in and move/trace from the base of your thumb up to the tip.
• Move/trace your finger down the other side of your thumb and breathe out.
• Do the same with the remaining four fingers, taking deep breaths in and out as you move your finger.

After you’ve reached the second side of your pinky finger, you will have done 5 complete deep breaths.

Mindfulness Activity 1: House cats usually have a higher pulse than dogs

Mindfulness Activity 2: 160 - 190 km per hour

Mindfulness Activity 3: Snail