Well, I caused 4th graders some stress :) We played a game called "C'Mon 6!" from Tom Jackson's book "Activities that Teach" to induce stress and to notice how our behavior changes as the game amps up. Students were in groups in which everyone had a piece of paper and the group shared a dice and a pencil. Students took turns rolling the dice, and if one rolled a "6", they got the pencil and began writing and counting up to 100. If another team member rolled a "6" , they got the pencil and began their list of numbers. This went on until one team member finally got to 75.
Every time it is the same. Students start off rather polite, asking for the pencil or dice. As a few team members near the 100 mark, they start grabbing the pencil out of each other's hands, yelling to "hurry up", and grabbing the dice. They start out sitting, usually, but inevitably end up standing at their desks, some even jumping.
When the game is over, we process - "How did you feel at the beginning of the game?" "How did you feel as someone neared 100?" "How did you treat each other at the beginning of the game vs. the end?"
We refer back to our amygdalas being heightened by this activity and talk about strategies to calm this down. My favorite is the 'Bubble Journey' by Smiling Mind, a non-profit, web-based meditation program developed by psychologists in Australia. It helps students focus on slowing their breath, paying attention to that breath, and calming down their amygdalas.
Ask your 4th grader about the activity and share with them what healthy ways you have learned to manage your stress!
