This is a single activity session plan from The Lifeskills Handbook. There are 61 activity sessions altogether. The handbook is available from our resources section where you’ll also find downloadable storybooks, books and posters to help you in your work.
LifeSkills Handbooks Activity 59
Where am I Now?
Purpose of this activity
- to reflect on new skills that they have learnt to help them move forward.
- to think about their support network
Life Skills: Self-awareness, Creative Thinking
Important Points
This activity begins with a visualisation activity as described in Activity 47: Resisting Pressure Using ‘SWISH’. It may be useful to do Activity 47 first.
Materials
- large circle with a body map
- a smaller circle with a body map for each child
Steps
- Remind children of the SWISH activity. Explain that we are going to use SWISH in this activity.
- Ask children lie down (or sit with their heads in their hands) and close their eyes. Ask them to think about themselves as they were at the first life skills session. They should watch that person that they were walk further and further away until they disappear completely!
- They should then think about the different activities they have done since that time and how the activities have helped create a ‘me’ with new ideas and skills. They watch this stronger person coming towards them from far away. Who are these new stronger children? In this session, we want to talk to them!
- Put up the large body map and explain what different things you, the educator, have learnt since working on the life skills sessions. Draw a pattern that represents one learning point onto the body with a black pen. Try to fill the body with different patterns representing different learning points. For example, “I’ve learnt that am not a bad person, but that sometimes, my behaviour is bad.”
- Ask the children to fill in their own body maps.
- The children can share the meaning of their body maps with two or three friends. One or two volunteers can share their maps with the whole group.
- Explain that it is not possible to learn these things or practice them by ourselves. We need other people to support us, especially when we are feeling sad or weak. These people are our network. Some people are very close and others are important, but not so close to us. Remind children of Activity 10: Circles of Friendship. You can draw inner and outer circles around the body on the large poster. You draw and label stick figures to show people who are close within the inner circle and then draw figures who are not so close (but who are also important) in the outer circle.
- Ask the children to do the same. This is a personal session so don’t let children become bored. It is better if they discuss with one or two friends rather than the whole group.