Like monsters in the closet or under the bed, fears lurk in the recesses of a person’s mind and heart, waiting for the slightest trigger to appear and holding them back from reaching their full potential. Fear is an overpowering and unpleasant emotion that warns a person of potential dangers or threats. While it is an important human function that keeps a person safe, letting it control oneself is unhealthy for personal development and mental health. When fears hold a tight grip on a person, they can adversely affect overall health, self-concept, and intellectual performance.
Young children, such as kindergartners, are the most vulnerable to feelings of fear. With their vivid imaginations, they can easily conjure up frightening scenarios or interpret innocent situations as potential dangers. Children’s fears often include darkness, isolation, loud noises, animals, confined spaces, and even a crowd.
While some fears may seem irrational and harmless, they can feel real enough to disrupt a child’s ability to learn, solve problems, and engage with others. Therefore, they rely heavily on their caregivers for security and reassurance. However, they cannot rely on them forever. This is why this evidence-based SEL lesson aims to teach kindergarten students how to manage their scared feelings through self-management and positive thinking.
"This story wants kindergartners to understand that being scared is a natural and involuntary emotion, but they can manage it through a positive mindset and critical thinking."
Starting with an immersive audio story, "Miska Gets Lost," kindergarten students transport themselves to Jungle Self-Management, where their beloved jungle animal characters are. In this story, the jungle animals celebrate the near completion of the boat they are building. They decide to have a little fun by playing a game of Hide-and-Go-Seek.
Leonard Lion is "It" in the game, so the other animals, namely Chippy Cheetah, Jareef Giraffe, Ellie Elephant, and Miska Monkey, go and hide. While looking for a good hiding spot far from her friends, Miska gets her foot stuck in a bush branch. She tries to break her foot free but to no avail. She decides to wait for her friends to find her so they can help her get unstuck.
Miska waits until it grows dark. She starts to get hungry and thirsty, but more than anything, she feels scared. Soon, the jungle goes completely dark and silent. Miska feels so afraid that she starts to cry heavy tears. Will her friends ever find her? In this story, Miska learns to assess her situation and think positively to overcome her fears.
This story wants kindergartners to understand that being scared is a natural and involuntary emotion, but they can manage it through a positive mindset and critical thinking. The following class discussion reinforces this strategy to help students overcome their fears and calm their frightened hearts and minds. With mental clarity and enhanced focus, kindergartners can prevent themselves from imagining things worse than they truly are.
Fear is a person’s sixth sense that signals the body to respond to potential danger. It is an essential human function that helps keep a person safe. However, living in constant fear has a dangerous impact on physical and mental health. Not only does it weaken the immune system, increase cortisol levels, and cause hormonal imbalance, but it can also lead to chronic anxiety and depression.
Schools and educators can take this effective lesson to teach kindergarten students how to improve and apply their self-management skills in overcoming fears and directing their responses. By utilizing a positive mindset and critical thinking, kindergartners become equipped with valuable tools to set them on a path toward becoming resilient and empowered adults.
Pasela is a digital product presented by Positive Action.
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