Feelings Celebration

Overview

This final lesson in the unit "Understanding Our Feelings" for Year 0 students is designed to review all the emotional zones and self-regulation strategies they have learned, with a focus on celebrating their progress. The lesson incorporates explicit teaching, reflection, collaborative review, and a fun, creative activity that reinforces the concepts in an engaging, age-appropriate manner. It aligns closely with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh for Health and Physical Education, focusing on emotional well-being, communication, and self-management skills, supporting the development of key competencies such as managing self and relating to others.

Curriculum Links

Learning Area: Health and Physical Education
Level: Level 1 (Years 0-2)
Strand: Personal Health and Physical Development
Focus: Emotional Well-being and Self-regulation

Key Competencies:

Managing self: Developing strategies to understand and regulate emotions
Relating to others: Sharing feelings and responding appropriately
Participating and contributing: Working collaboratively and celebrating success

Achievement Objectives:

Demonstrate an understanding of emotions and feelings (e.g., recognise and name feelings)
Use simple strategies to manage feelings in everyday contexts
Share ideas and feelings about experiences and learning

Learning Intentions

Students will recall the Zones of Regulation and strategies to manage emotions.
Students will articulate in simple terms when they use these strategies.
Students will celebrate their learning journey and feel confident about recognising and managing their emotions.

Success Criteria

Students can identify at least three Zones of Regulation.
Students demonstrate a favourite strategy to use when they feel a certain way.
Students engage collaboratively in celebrating their learning through a creative activity.

Resources

Visual chart/posters of the Zones of Regulation (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red)
Emotion faces flashcards or puppets
Strategy cards (e.g., deep breaths, asking for help, quiet time)
"Feelings Celebration" certificate template
Large paper and colouring materials
Music player for an energising song
Small prizes or stickers for participation

Lesson Structure (45 minutes)

1. Welcome and Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Gather the class into a circle.
Briefly review the Zones of Regulation using the visual chart and ask students if they remember the colours and what they mean.
Use simple questions:
- “Who can tell me what the Green Zone feels like?”
- “What do you do when you are in the Red Zone?”

2. Zones & Strategies Review (15 minutes)

Interactive Group Review:
- Show emotion faces/puppets representing different zones, ask students to name the feeling.
- Show strategy cards; ask students to share which one helps them when they feel that emotion.
- Use modelling and turn-taking discussion to promote oral language skills aligned with the curriculum’s communication focus .
Pair work:
- In pairs, students show a zone and tell their partner one way they calm down or get back to the Green Zone.
- Teacher circulates to support language use and encourages positive self-talk phrases like “I can calm down by ...”

3. Celebration Activity: "Zones of Regulation Mural" (20 minutes)

Set up:
- Large paper divided into four sections labelled with the Zones.
- Students move around the mural creating drawings, stickers, or simple words to represent times they have felt each zone and how they managed it.
Guidance:
- Teachers assist with vocabulary and sentence stems (e.g., "I felt sad in the Blue Zone when... I take deep breaths.").
- Encourage students to work collaboratively, practising sharing ideas and listening skills.
Incorporate creativity and movement:
- Play uplifting music softly in the background to create a joyful atmosphere.

4. Reflection and Certificate Presentation (5 minutes)

Sit back in the circle.
Teacher reflects aloud on student progress and praises them for their learning.
Each student receives a personalised "Feelings Celebration" certificate acknowledging their growth in understanding their feelings and strategies to stay calm.
Invite students to share one thing they enjoyed learning about their feelings.

Assessment

Formative observations:
- Observe student participation in discussions using emotional vocabulary.
- Listen to students’ ability to identify zones and strategies during pair work.
- Note contributions during mural activity for engagement and communication.
Teacher notes:
- Use evidence from the reflection session to assess understanding of concepts and readiness for future social-emotional learning.

Teaching Considerations

Use scaffolding to support language and emotional expression e.g., visual supports, sentence stems, and modelling positive self-talk.
Provide inclusive opportunities for participation, including non-verbal responses and peer support.
Reinforce the value of different opinions and feelings being okay to express, supporting a safe classroom environment aligned with the curriculum's values of inclusion and manaakitanga .
Maintain a calm and positive tone throughout to reinforce the safety of discussing feelings.

Reflection (Teacher Notes)

How well did students connect feelings to zones?
Did students demonstrate knowledge of strategies to manage emotions?
Was the celebration activity engaging and affirming?
Identify next steps for supporting students who may need extra help with emotional regulation or vocabulary.

This detailed plan respects the structure and content focus of the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh for Year 0 Health education by emphasising oral language, emotional vocabulary, collaboration, and self-awareness, all key to student well-being and classroom culture. The lesson balances review with celebration, ensuring students finish the unit feeling confident and joyful about their learning.

If you'd like, I can provide you with printable resources or digital templates for certificates or visuals used in this lesson.

Teaching Instructions