Wellbeing Adventures

Overview

In this first lesson of the unit “Wellbeing Adventures: Discovering Hauora,” students explore what wellbeing means using a short story, feelings talk, and simple group activities. They begin identifying common feelings and basic needs that help their bodies and minds feel safe, cared for, and supported.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• WALT identify that wellbeing is about bodies, minds, and feeling safe and cared for.
• WALT name and notice a few feelings (e.g., happy, sad, worried, calm).
• WALT connect feelings to basic needs (e.g., food, sleep, movement, help, a safe place).
• WALT recognise personal strengths and enjoyable activities in themselves and others.

Success criteria

I can…

• I can tell what wellbeing means in my own words.
• I can show or say a feeling and talk about how my body might feel.
• I can match a feeling to a basic need that helps.
• I can listen respectfully when others share feelings.

Curriculum links

• Health Education / Bodies | Minds — Self-care: Healthy bodies and minds need caring people, good sleep, nourishing food, movement, and a safe place to feel secure.
• Health Education / Bodies | Minds — Self-care: Exploring personal characteristics (strengths, talents etc.) and identifying how characteristics are unique or shared.
• Health Education / Bodies | Minds — Self-care: Identifying strengths, successes, and enjoyable activities.
• Te reo and tikanga supportive classroom discussion: students practise respectful sharing and listening as part of wellbeing.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and setting the tone. Teacher greets students and reminds them that today we will talk about feelings and what helps us feel okay. Students sit in a circle and share one “ready” signal (e.g., thumbs up).

2. 5–15 min · Story hook: What is wellbeing? Teacher reads a wellbeing story (teacher-made or school story) about a character who feels different feelings and finds help and comfort. Students listen, then respond to one prompt: “What did the character need to feel better?”

3. 15–25 min · Feelings check-in (name and show). Teacher displays simple feeling cards or a feelings wheel (happy, sad, worried, calm, excited). Students choose a card for “How I feel right now,” share with a partner (one sentence), and practise a calm breathing or body stillness for 10 seconds.

4. 25–35 min · Group discussion: Feelings and bodies. Teacher asks guiding questions: “How might your body feel when you feel worried?” and “What can help when you feel sad?” Students participate in whole-class discussion using sentence starters: “When I feel ___, I need ___.”

5. 35–48 min · Needs sorting activity (basic needs). Teacher sets up four stations with pictures/words: sleep, food, movement, safe/caring/help. Students in small groups (or teacher-led pairs) sort feeling scenarios into the matching need (e.g., “I feel cranky after a short nap” → sleep). Teacher circulates and asks, “How do you know?”

6. 48–55 min · Strengths and enjoyable activities mini-spotlight. Teacher shares an example: “One strength I notice is being kind. An enjoyable activity that helps my wellbeing is reading/drawing.” Students complete a quick “Strengths & Joy” share: “One thing I’m good at is…” and “One enjoyable activity is…” (choose one only).

7. 55–60 min · Wrap-up and exit reflection. Teacher summarises: “Wellbeing means our bodies and minds are cared for, and we feel safe.” Students show an exit answer with a gesture or card: “Today I learned wellbeing is…” (or choose the feeling/need card that matches best).

Resources

• Teacher-made wellbeing story (short, age appropriate, with a supportive ending)
• Feeling cards or a simple feelings wheel (4–6 feelings)
• Basic needs cards with pictures/words: sleep, food, movement, safe/caring/help
• Scenario cards (teacher-made) linking feelings to needs
• Sentence starter strips: “When I feel…, I need…”
• “Strengths & Joy” slips or a mini worksheet (optional)
• Calming timer/bell for brief breathing and transition pauses
• Whiteboard/chart paper for teacher modelling and class summary

Assessment

• Teacher observation during the circle discussion: students can name a feeling and contribute a simple idea for what helps.
• Needs sorting checks: students match at least one scenario to the correct basic need with prompting.
• Exit reflection: students select or verbalise one takeaway about wellbeing (feeling + need or wellbeing meaning).

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide sentence starters and model answers before students share.
• Offer choices using cards/visuals instead of requiring full sentences.
• Pair students strategically so each group has at least one confident speaker and one supportive listener.
• Scaffolds for understanding:
• Use “feelings first, needs second” language repeatedly: “What are you feeling? What might help?”
• Use gestures for each feeling card (e.g., hug-self for calm, face show for worried) to support comprehension.
• Extension:
• For students who finish early, ask: “What is another need that could help too?”
• Encourage “also” thinking: “Another way to help is…” (e.g., asking for help, going to a safe space).
• EAL/SEN considerations:
• Keep vocabulary consistent and limited to the same feelings and needs throughout the lesson.
• Allow responses via pointing, drawing a simple face, or one-word answers initially.

Curriculum links to keep in mind (for the teacher)

• This lesson focuses on the Self-care sub-strand by exploring what helps wellbeing: caring people, good sleep, nourishing food, movement, and a safe place to feel secure.
• Students begin recognising how their own strengths and enjoyable activities connect to wellbeing and learning to share respectfully.