Self-Awareness Activities for Children
Building the foundation of emotional intelligence through reflection, mindfulness, and literacy.
Self-awareness is the ability to recognise and understand your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours—and how these influence your actions and impact others.
Labeling Emotions
Recognising Triggers
Growth Mindset
Self-Reflection
Emotional Literacy
Identifying Emotions
By teaching children to label their feelings, we build their emotional literacy. This involves linking bodily sensations (like a racing heart or a tight chest) to specific emotions.
Mindfulness Activities
Mindfulness helps children focus on the present moment. This is an excellent strategy for those who struggle with self-regulation.
- • Deep Breathing
- • Mindful Colouring
- • Mind Jars
- • 5 Senses Exercise
Tools for Reflection
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
| Mood Check | An emoji, face, or colour to identify current feelings. |
| Outside Control | Things that happened to them (e.g. "It rained"). |
| Inside Control | How they reacted (e.g. "I got angry and shouted"). |
| Reflection | How could the situation have gone better? |
Role-Modelling
Narrate your own thought processes. Show children how you handle obstacles and handle emotions in your day-to-day work.
Regular Check-ins
Emotions fluctuate quickly. Regular check-ins using Mood Meters or Thumbs-up/down help children feel understood.
Nurturing Self-Awareness
By encouraging children to navigate their behaviours through mindfulness and reflection, we empower them to make better decisions and build healthier relationships.
Mark Else
My experience ranges from running playgroups for pre-schoolers to managing complex safeguarding caseloads within both mainstream and SEMH provisions. In addition to having worked within the education sector since 2018, I am currently studying for a Level 6 Youth Work degree.