Teaching Tough Kids
Chapter 7

Designs to lift moods
The inside on how to refresh Tough Kids

Ideas to refresh Tough Kids, and all kids

• Walk and talk
• Chinese whispers
• The sleeping pirate
• Detective
• Alphabet list game
• Kim's game
• Can you guess?
• Silent ball
• Wink murder
• Bobsledding
• Happy faces
• Raffle tickets
• Pass the parcel
• Musical chairs
• Port and starboard
• Stuck in the mud
• Mr. and Mrs. Wright
• Statues
• Silent charades
• Power up the electronic whiteboard

Conclusion: mood lifts and energising possibilities are limitless

The inside on how to refresh Tough Kids
Never forget the value of mood lifts! They offer precious moments to unify, refresh, build enthusiasm and lift the spirits of kids and adults. Mood lifts, change-ups or energisers are a set of versatile activities with the capacity to alter the emotional climate of the classroom or tone of the group. They can be drawn on as ice breakers and team building exercises to help build class cohesiveness at the beginning of the year, or are a sparkling remedy when the attention or the mood of the group starts to wane. As well, they are perfect to repair the emotional fallout in class following an unpleasant incident, and can be drawn on as the student later returns to class following the ugliness. As the student returns to a classroom that feels lighter, welcoming and a good place to be they are more likely to feel included, rather than perceiving resentment because they have returned.

So when the going gets tough or when there seems to be one too many tough kids in the classroom think about using a restorative energiser! Sadly, these playful connecting moments are often the first casualty in tough times as our spontaneous reaction is to search for more stringent control techniques. And, if you're not a spontaneous person, then program your mood lifts so it looks like you are! The best advice is to develop a collection of favourites that you know work and gradually expand your repertoire by trialing a few of the ideas presented in this chapter...

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