Objective

By the end of this lesson, the 2-year-old student will have a basic understanding of mental health and learn simple ways to take care of their own mental well-being.

Materials and Prep

• No additional materials are required for this lesson.
• Prior knowledge of basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, etc.) is helpful.

Activities

• Emotion Charades: Encourage the student to act out different emotions (happy, sad, excited, etc.) and have them guess what emotion they are portraying.
• Dance Party: Play some upbeat music and have a dance party together. Explain that moving our bodies and having fun can make us feel happy and boost our mood.
• Feelings Collage: Provide magazines or printed pictures of different emotions. Help the student cut out and glue the pictures onto a piece of paper to create a collage representing different feelings.
• Breathing Exercise: Teach the student a simple breathing exercise by taking slow deep breaths together. Explain that deep breathing can help us feel calm and relaxed when we are feeling upset or stressed.

Talking Points

• "Sometimes we feel happy, and sometimes we feel sad. It's okay to have different feelings."
• "When we dance and move our bodies, it can make us feel happy and excited."
• "Let's look at these pictures of different feelings. Can you show me how you feel when you are happy?"
• "When we take slow deep breaths, it helps us feel calm and peaceful. Let's try it together."