How fit Choices Affect Kids' Moods

This unit introduces mood. Students will learn that their feelings and emotions put them in a mood and that their mood influences their choices. For example, feeling bored or grumpy can lead to an “I won’t” mood, while feeling cheerful or content can lead to an "I will" mood. An "I will" mood can make it easier to make a fit choice; however, an “I won’t” mood needs to be motivated (turned around) for someone to make a fit choice.

Four essential concepts form an understanding of mood:

1. Mood (along with recharge) is a key influencer of fit choices.
2. Mood is your motivation. Mood is either "I will" (I will make a fit choice) or "I won't" (I won't make a fit choice).
3. You can motivate an “I won’t” mood to an “I will” mood and make a fit choice.
4. Your mood can change throughout the day.

When you are feeling an unpleasant emotion, like anger or loneliness, it can be difficult and counter intuitive to make a healthy choice. It is well-known that making one healthy choice can help you motivate your mood. Thus, leading you to make additional healthy choices. In this lesson, you’ll help kids get really good at identifying their own moods and other people’s moods, which can help them make healthy choices every day.

To use this with your students click here.

Identifying Feelings

Students partner with a friend. First, one partner selects a word from the class Feelings and Emotions Chart, created in Lesson 1, then and acts it out. Next, the other partner guesses the feeling. Then they both decide if the feeling influences an “I will” mood or an “I won’t” mood. Switch roles and play again. (Refer to slide 1 of slideshow.)

Identifying How Feelings Affect Mood

Children identify the feelings and emotions, and the resulting mood for each  slide scenario. Encourage children to talk about times when they turned an “I won’t” mood around to “I will.”

Examples of fit choices include doing a physical activity, eating healthy snacks (for energy, not to feed boredom), stretching, resting, and/or relaxing without screen time.

Check for understanding: What is the difference between an "I will" and an "I won't" mood?

Encourage Talk About Feelings

Encourage kids to play mood-guessing games with their friends and family members to practice the skill of turning an “I won’t” mood around to “I will” and making a fit choice.

Remind kids that when they stop and think about their feelings and emotions, they are more aware of their mood and can make better choices. One fit choice leads to another!