The first lesson of the school year focused on body language. I got this lesson from The Tough Kid Social Skills Book by Dr. Susan M. Sheridan. As Dr. Sheridan writes: "Body basics are actions that we should perform with others to let them know that we like them and that we are interested in them." It is how we interact with others, how we communicate and it plays a roll in how we make friends.
The words we say only relates a very small portion of the message we are sending. One study states that only 7% of any message is conveyed through the actual words. The rest of the message is comprised of other vocal elements (tone, volume, etc.) and nonverbal elements (facial expression, gestures, etc.).
Dr. Sheridan teaches these body basics by using the word FEVER.
Face the other person.
Use Eye contact.
Use appropriate Voice.
Use the right Expression.
Relax - Use the right body posture.
After explaining each body basic, the students gave both good and bad examples and we compiled a list of Conversation Dos and Don'ts.
We spent a little extra time on facial expressions and we talked about why it's important to pay attention to the expressions of other people. Their facial expressions can give clues as to how the other person is feeling. If a friend looks sad, give comfort. If they look mad, give them some space. By teaching to pay closer attention to the body language, and facial expressions in particular, of others, we encourage empathy and understanding of others' feelings.
We ended the lesson by playing a type of charades where volunteers picked an emotion at random and tried to get their classmates to guess it by making faces or changing their body posture.
Learning Through Games
Emotions Charades can easily be played at home, each person taking turns trying to get the others to guess what emotion they are feeling/portraying through their facial expressions or body language.
http://www.do2learn.com/games/facialexpressions/face.htm for this game, have your student play around with the options and see if they can make a face that matches the emotions at the top!
http://web.uvic.ca/~letsface/letsfaceit/sites/default/files/Face%20Bingo%20copy.pdf Facial Expressions BINGO!! Board and game pieces can be downloaded and printed out!
The words we say only relates a very small portion of the message we are sending. One study states that only 7% of any message is conveyed through the actual words. The rest of the message is comprised of other vocal elements (tone, volume, etc.) and nonverbal elements (facial expression, gestures, etc.).
Dr. Sheridan teaches these body basics by using the word FEVER.
Face the other person.
Use Eye contact.
Use appropriate Voice.
Use the right Expression.
Relax - Use the right body posture.
After explaining each body basic, the students gave both good and bad examples and we compiled a list of Conversation Dos and Don'ts.
We spent a little extra time on facial expressions and we talked about why it's important to pay attention to the expressions of other people. Their facial expressions can give clues as to how the other person is feeling. If a friend looks sad, give comfort. If they look mad, give them some space. By teaching to pay closer attention to the body language, and facial expressions in particular, of others, we encourage empathy and understanding of others' feelings.
We ended the lesson by playing a type of charades where volunteers picked an emotion at random and tried to get their classmates to guess it by making faces or changing their body posture.
Learning Through Games
Emotions Charades can easily be played at home, each person taking turns trying to get the others to guess what emotion they are feeling/portraying through their facial expressions or body language.
http://www.do2learn.com/games/facialexpressions/face.htm for this game, have your student play around with the options and see if they can make a face that matches the emotions at the top!
http://web.uvic.ca/~letsface/letsfaceit/sites/default/files/Face%20Bingo%20copy.pdf Facial Expressions BINGO!! Board and game pieces can be downloaded and printed out!