Game

Motivation Stations

In this PE game, learners rotate through station activities to practice self-regulation and healthy coping skills.

Motivation Station Feature Image

Key Message

Recognize the connection between your mood and motivation to make a healthy choice!

Objectives

  1. Identify various feelings and emotions that influence mood.
  2. Describe healthy decisions to motivate mood (e.g., choose to recharge energy, get active, do something fun, and/or do something with a friend).
  3. Apply a variety of motor skills and movement patterns to station activities.

Preparation

  • Safety: Allow enough space to move freely and minimize collisions. Determine boundaries that are a safe distance from obstacles and walls.
  • Ensure equipment and materials are properly cleaned. 
  • Determine how you will group learners, using best practice guidelines from Effective Strategies for Grouping Learners. 
  • Use cones to section play area into four motivation stations.
  • Separate the “I won’t” mood cards from the “I will” cards.
  • Be prepared to demonstrate fitBoost activity and fitFlow yoga.

Warm Up

Begin with a fitBoost.

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Captivate

Say: Let’s be actors! We will act out a fit choice for each situation.

  1. The weather is icky and is influencing me to feel bored. Should I stare at the TV or ask a sibling or friend to practice dribbling and passing a ball? (Pause to allow learners to show actions for the choice.) I will decide to motivate my mood and make a healthy choice. So I will call a friend!

  2. I stayed up late last night. Now, I feel tired and grumpy. Should I play a video game or do a quiet activity without a screen, like drawing or playing with LEGOs? (Pause to allow learners to show actions for the choice.) I will decide to motivate my mood and make a healthy choice. So I will do a quiet activity.

  3. I did not do well on my schoolwork, and I feel disappointed. Should I pout or take 10 slow, deep breaths to relax and try again? (Pause to allow learners to show actions for the choice.) I will decide to motivate my mood and make a healthy choice. So I will do breathing exercises.

  4. My friend is ignoring me, and I feel left out. Should I go find something super sweet and sugary to eat or get moving? (Pause to allow learners to show actions for the choice.) I will decide to motivate my mood and make a healthy choice. So I will get moving!

Educate

Feelings and emotions put you in a mood, and your mood influences your choices.

The number one thing you need to know is that you have the power to recognize the connection between your mood and motivation.

Today we are going to learn about healthy choices you can make when you decide to motivate your mood.

Activate

  1. Groups start at color-coded motivation stations:

    Purple: Be social by playing catch, kicking, or bounce-passing a ball with a friend.
    Blue: Relax and focus on your breathing. Another option is to color Positive Self-Talk Coloring Pages.
    Green: Stretch with a fitFlow.
    Red: Get moving! How can you get moving? Jump rope, hop dance, or create new moves.

  2. One learner at each station turns over the top “I won’t” mood card. The rest of the group briefly acts out the emotion on the card. Alternatively, the teacher calls out the emotion, and all learners act it out before rotating stations. Place the card at the bottom of the pile after acting it out.

  3. Play music to start the motivation activity for 1-3 minutes.

  4. Pause music. Learners draw the next "I won't" card. The teacher calls out the emotion, everyone acts it out, then rotates to the next station.

  5. Repeat steps 2-4 for each "I won't" card.

Close the Lesson

  1. Partner learners. 

  2. Select a fitFlow card and complete the poses.

  3. While stretching, partners discuss choices they can make when feelings put them in an “I won’t” mood.

  4. Show a mood card, then ask partners to talk about healthy choices they can make when they decide to motivate that mood. Use consistent phrasing for your examples:

    "When I am feeling (mood card example), I can motivate my mood and decide to (healthy choice)."

  5. Assess understanding with the following questions:

Q: What can you do when you want to motivate your mood?
A: Make a healthy choice!

Q:  How would you explain "Motivate Your Mood" to a friend or family member?
A: “Motivate your mood” means to recognize the connection between your mood and motivation, then practice a healthy coping strategy that can support yourself and your choices.  


Q: With a partner, demonstrate what you will do the next time you want to “Motivate Your Mood.”
A: Learners give examples of healthy choices they can do alone or with family and friends.

Challenge

What is one thing you can do when you decide to motivate your mood?

What You'll Need

Resources
Materials
  • Music
  • Foam Balls
  • Jump ropes
  • Cones or Place Markers

Health Education Standards

  • Standard 1: Use functional health information to support health and well-being
  • Standard 7: Demonstrate practices and behaviors to support health and well-being
  • Standard 8: Advocate to promote health and well-being for self and others

Social and Emotional Learning Competencies

  • Responsible Decision-Making
  • Self-Awareness
  • Self-Management

Physical Education Standards

  • Standard 2: Applies knowledge related to movement and fitness concepts
  • Standard 3: Develops personal skills, identifies personal benefits of movement, and chooses to engage in physical activity

Extend the Lesson

Adaptations and Modifications

  • Adapt locomotor skills and movement patterns to learners' needs, interests, and abilities. Read our full list of inclusive ideas for Adapting Games for Every Learner.
  • Seated Exercise: Modify station activities to still involve the seated learner with the group by doing similar actions. Examples include changing the yoga poses to instead stretch the upper body. The move station can include exercises like biceps and triceps curls.  
  • Sensory Modifications: Provide tactile objects at each station, such as textured balls for the purple station, soft mats or cushions for the Blue station, resistance bands or soft stretch bands for the Green station, and jump ropes with different textures for the Red station.
  • Use one of our short videos for your daily PE warmup or cooldown!

 

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