Year 1

 

In Year 1, we think about our feelings every day. We share our feelings, identify them and think about helpful choices related to them. Following on from this, we spent more time than usual on this on Mental Health Awareness Day. 
 

Being active is important for our physical and emotional well-being, so we went outside to do some PE with Samba Sports. 
 

We also looked at three wonderful books together, focused on our own emotions and how our actions can impact both our own and other’s feelings. First we looked at ‘Gratitude Soup’ and thought about how thinking of small things we can be grateful for can help to focus our minds in positive ways when we are sad, frustrated or angry. We talked about how this is a lovely mindful thing to do even when we are happy. Children had a go at making their own Gratitude Soup in the Small Parts Area.

A little later on, we read ‘Have you filled a bucket today?’ We had a class discussion about the impact of our actions on our own feelings about ourselves and also on other’s feelings. Throughout this week, children will be writing each other notes to fill each other’s buckets. They have also been designing their own ‘kindness hands’ thinking about how to help others, something they began thinking about in RE last week. We know that by helping and being kind to others, we increase their good feelings but also our own good feelings about ourselves.

We joined a National Literacy Trust story session and also shared a story together. Taking just ten minutes to escape into a story is a great way to support our wellbeing. Some children also went into the reading area and shared stories together. 

At the end of the day, we revisited a book we have shared a few times together before, In My Heart. We talked about how all emotions are normal and are ok. We know we have lots of emotions in our hearts and can talk about them. It’s good to know we don’t always have to say we are happy and that emotions pass, giving way to another.


Throughout our day we talked about knowing that being sad or cross or shy is normal, but that it is a good idea to share our feelings with a friend or trusted adult. Sometimes sharing our feelings can help us to understand what we are feeling and manage the emotions. Even if it doesn’t help us to feel better at least our friend or adult knows and we won’t be alone with our feelings. Year 1 are brilliant at understanding emotions and are very supportive of each other.