Early Elementary (K-2)
Lesson Plans

Facing Personal Feelings (re01)

Objectives

Students will:

• Identify a range of personal feelings.
• Demonstrate healthy ways to redirect uncomfortable thoughts.
• Identify activities that can be fun.

Purpose

To help students:

• Understand their personal feelings following a tragic event.
• See that a wide range of feelings is normal.

Key Terms and Concepts

• uncomfortable feelings
• memories
• remember
• letting go
• uncomfortable thoughts
• normal

Activities

• Floating Your Feelings Away
• Redirecting Thoughts

Home Connection

• Redirecting Thoughts

Linking Across the Curriculum

• Art/Music
• Language Arts

Description

Following a tragic event, children's view of the world as a safe and predictable place is temporarily lost. Children become afraid that the event will happen again and that they or their family will be injured or killed. The damage, injuries and deaths that can result from an unexpected or uncontrollable event are difficult for most children to understand.

Positive reactions from parents and other adults following a traumatic event can help children recover more quickly and more completely. Adults need to remember that children express their feelings and reactions in different ways. Some children will become withdrawn and unable to talk about the event, while others will feel intensely sad and angry at times or act as if the disaster never happened. Children are often confused about what has happened and about their feelings. However, don't be surprised if some children don't seem to be affected by what they have seen and heard. Not everyone has immediate reactions; some have delayed reactions that show up days, weeks or even months later, and some may never have reactions.

Files

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Lesson Plan

Activity Sheet 1

Activity Sheet 2

Activity Sheet 3

This Lesson Plan was contributed by the American Red Cross.