Activity 1: (20 minutes) CHANGE CHALLENGE

Prior to this activity, gather a bouncy ball, a raw egg, and a cookie sheet.

Hold up the bouncy ball and ask what would happen if you dropped it. Hear a few responses, then drop it on a desk and catch it when it bounces back. Ask:

• What do you think it means to “bounce back” as a person?
• Can you think of a time when you were like the bouncy ball?

Hold up the raw egg and ask what would happen if you dropped it. Hear a few responses, then drop it on the cookie sheet. Ask:

• What do you think it means to “splat” as a person?
• Can you think of a time when you were like a broken egg?

Emphasize that bouncy balls bounce back when they hit a hard surface. People can bounce back too. That means we can be flexible, stretch, adjust, and recover when things change. Read the definitions of the terms “flexible” and “change” from the slides.

Invite each student to think of 1 change they have experienced in the past year, big or small (e.g., a new sibling, changing schools, switching friend groups), and have them write it on a sticky note. Have a discussion:

• How did the change make you feel?
• How did you deal with the change in your life? (EQ)
• Is it easier to be flexible with small changes or big ones? Why?

Explain that when change happens, we get to choose how to respond. Sometimes, it can seem easier to splat like the egg, but we have to be flexible to change, and bounce back like the ball.

Display the sentence frame on the board: Change I faced → How I flexed (or could flex). Discuss the example sentence then ask students to turn what they wrote on their sticky note into a full sentence flex on a second sticky note or on the back.

Briefly introduce the 6 Bounce-Back Strategies from the slides. Challenge students to choose 1 of the strategies to focus on this week. Have a discussion:

• Which strategy do you think would help you the most?
• What is something you will try to do differently the next time you face a challenge?
• How might being flexible help you adapt when things change? (EQ)

Emphasize that the more we practice these strategies, the better we will get at bouncing back.

Activity 2: (20 minutes) IN MY CONTROL

Invite students to think about examples of things they can and cannot control. Toss a soft ball around the class. When a student catches it, they will name something they can control or something they cannot control. (Optional: If it is something they can control, toss with the right hand. If it is something they cannot control, toss with the left). Keep the pace upbeat to build energy. Have a discussion:

• How do you feel when something is outside of your control? (EQ)

Explain that when we focus only on things we cannot control (e.g., actions or choices of others), we can feel frustrated and stuck. When we focus on what we can control (e.g., our attention, effort, and actions), we build flexibility and emotional strength that helps us bounce back like a bouncy ball.

Display the Locus of Control image from the slides. Sort students into 6 groups and assign each a section from the image. Give groups 2–3 minutes to brainstorm examples to put in the inner circle (what we can control) and examples to put in the outer circle (what we cannot control). (Teacher Tip: Walk around to each group and listen to their ideas, offering suggestions and support as needed.) Come back together and invite each group to share their ideas. Record their thoughts using a similar chart on the whiteboard. Have a discussion:

• Why is it more helpful to focus on what you CAN control?
• What happens to your stress when you focus too much on what you CANNOT control?
• How does focusing on what you CAN control help you stay flexible and bounce back from change? (EQ)

Reinforce that when we focus on what we can control, we are choosing to bounce back instead of splat. We are getting stronger and reminding ourselves that even when things are tough, we can adjust and be flexible.

Activity 3: (20 minutes) TOOLS FOR THE TRAIL AHEAD

Have the students imagine they are going on a hike. Invite them to call out answers to the following questions:

• What are things you CAN control while on the hike? (Possible answers:  pack snacks, water, wear the right hiking shoes)
• What are things you CANNOT control while on the hike? (Possible answers:  weather, shape of the trail, bug bites, how long it takes)

Explain that life is like a hike. We face twists and turns. Sometimes it is rocky and we cannot control what is around the bend, but we can prepare and pack tools to help us bounce back and things get tough. Relate preparing for a hike to preparing emotional tools to help our emotional and physical health.

Emphasize that to bounce back from change, we can use tools to help us feel better. These strategies can help us feel stronger, calmer, and more in control.

Pass out a lined paper or journals to each student. Review the 6 Bounce-Back Strategies together from the slides, which explore each strategy more deeply. Give students time to answer each question on a piece of lined paper or in student journals. Keep the papers for a later activity. Have a discussion:

• Which strategy do you already use when something changes?
• What is something you will try to do differently the next time you face a challenge? (EQ)

Activity 4: (20 minutes) BOUNCE-BACK WATER BOTTLE

Invite any students that have decorated their water bottles with things like stickers to hold their bottles up for the class to see. Have a discussion:

• Why do some people decorate their water bottles? (EQ)

If they have them, invite students to refer to their answers to the Bounce-Back Strategies questions from a previous activity. Alternatively, review the 6 Bounce-Back strategies from the slides. Pass out a copy of the Bounce-Back Bottle handout to each student. Read through the instructions from the slides and set students to work.

Invite volunteers to share a favorite sticker and what it reminds them of. Display finished bottles to celebrate their emotional toolkit.

Emphasize that, just like real stickers remind people what matters to them, these stickers can remind them about how to be flexible and bounce back during tough times.

Activity 5: (20 minutes) ROLL WITH THE CHANGE

Prior to this activity, gather dice and print out the Roll with the Change Scenario cards for each group.

Divide the class into groups of 3–4 and pass out a dice and a copy of the Roll with the Change Scenario cards to each group. Read through the game directions and the example from the slides together. Display the 6 Bounce-Back Strategies slide for the students to refer to as they play. Give students time to play. Have a discussion:

• What situations do you think are most difficult for people your age to “bounce back” from? (EQ)

Extension: Invite older siblings of the students to come and talk about what it felt like to move into middle school or junior high and what they did to navigate the change.

• What did they do to get through the change?
• What did they learn from the change?
• What do they wish they would have done differently?

Activity 6: (20 minutes) MY BOUNCE-BACK BLUEPRINT

Explain that change is not just something that happens around us; it also happens within us. As we grow up, we change in lots of ways. Invite students to consider:

• What is one way you have changed in the last few years?
  • Observable: height, hairstyle, new hobby, etc.
  • Unobservable: more confident, more patient, willing to ask for help, etc.
• Was it a change you noticed right away or over time?

Give each student a blank piece of paper and have them title it “My Bounce-Back Blueprint.” Display the prompts from the slides. Invite students to choose 3 prompts to finish, then decorate the paper like a poster. Encourage them to include symbols, colors, images, quotes, etc.