Objectives
- Describe ways to recharge energy that include sleeping and relaxing without a screen.
Lesson Plan
The lessons in this unit teach kids that recharge is all about energy—and that your energy is a key influencer of healthy choices. You recharge your energy two ways:
- Sleep 9–12 hours each night to restore energy.
- Relax and do a quiet activity without screen time (e.g., draw, write, read, do puzzles, etc.).
Set The Stage
Ask your kids to share some ways they calm their body and mind. If they choose things like watching TV or playing video games, continue the conversation about how screen time can sometimes rev up our bodies. Kids will agree that screens get them excited. Encourage them to think about ways they can actually calm the body and brain.
To use this with your students click here.
Captivate
Quiet Activities That Refresh the Body
Review best choices to recharge energy:
- Do a quiet activity (without screens).
- Go to bed early enough to get 9-12 hours of sleep.
Educate
Practice Breathing Exercises
You can do a breathing exercise:
- Sit up tall or lie on the floor.
- Inhale slowly through your nose while counting to four.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth while counting to eight.
- Repeat 5–10 times.
- Stand up and stretch toward the ceiling, then toward the floor.
- Smile! You now know a new way to recharge!
Check for understanding: What can you do so you have enough energy to make fit choices?
Activate
Plan for a Relaxing Weekend
Students use the Recharge Your Energy printable to make a healthy choice. They are to show how they will recharge.
Remind students that recharge, along with mood, influences healthy food and move choices.
Close the Lesson
Learning to calm the body and relax is an important skill for all people to acquire. At school, find a hallway or area to post the Wellness Way sensory path. Your kids can use this anytime to calm themselves and refocus their energy. Challenge students to track their bedtimes to ensure they are getting the 9–12 hours of sleep they need each night. Discuss what students can do to recharge their energy on their own and when they may need help from an adult.
The earlier we help kids make time to relax, the more likely they are to make it a habit.
Grade: K-2
Time: 20 Minutes
What You'll Need
Health Education Standards
- Standard 1: Core Concepts–Get an appropriate amount of sleep and rest.
- Standard 4: Interpersonal Communication
- Standard 5: Decision-Making
Social and Emotional Learning Competencies
- Responsible Decision-Making
Extend the Lesson
- Play the fitGame, Energy Tag.
- Do a fitBoost or fitFlow yoga. Have Kids talk about their energy before and after each activity.
- Listen to I Need My Energy from the fit music playlist to help kids learn about healthy ways to get energy to play and grow.