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The purpose of this lesson is to help students understand that we all learn and grow at our own pace. When we are confident with our own pace, and confident in what we can do, it helps our mental well-being and helps us be our superstar selves.
We all grow at our own pace. Often, we worry about things that others can do that we cannot do. Through practice and persistence we can learn to do some things, but we still may not be able to do them as well as someone else. Learning to celebrate the things we can do and accepting our own pace is important to our well-being.
Activity 1: (10 minutes) GROWING AT OUR OWN PACE
Review the Pyramid of Happiness poster. Review the fourth and fifth levels of the pyramid and perform that action (strike a superhero pose and star-jump with arms and legs spread out wide). Make the connection of knowing that we all learn and grow at our own pace and how it helps us feel good about ourselves and the power we hold. Remind students about the actions associated with each level of the pyramid. Have a discussion:
Activity 2: (20 minutes) LEO THE LATE BLOOMER
Sometimes we might wonder why someone else can run faster or climb higher than us. Sometimes we might worry that we don’t know our numbers and letters when it seems that everyone else does. We are all growing at different speeds. Another word for this is “pace.” Some of us grow quickly, some of us grow slowly. We all grow at different paces. Someone may learn to read really quickly, while someone else may need more time. No matter how fast or slow we grow, we can be confident that in the end, we will all learn to do the important things we need to know.
Read Leo the Late Bloomer, by Robert Kraus, or watch the read-aloud video by Mrs. Clark’s Reading Corner. Have a discussion:
Give each child a cup and have them decorate the cup with crayons. Tell the children that you are going to have them plant some seeds and watch them bloom or grow. What do seeds need to grow? Have the children fill the cups with dirt, plant the seeds, and water the soil and seeds. Have the children see if they can predict which seeds will grow fastest and which will grow slowest. Which seeds will be tall, and which will not? Place the cups in a sunny spot, and watch the seeds over the next few weeks. Notice how all the seeds sprout and grow at different paces. Grass seeds will not grow like bean seeds. Bean seeds will not grow like grass seeds. And some radish seeds grow quickly, and others wait to pop up out of the soil. Point out that every plant, just like every child, grows at a different pace.
Activity 3: (15 minutes) FAST OR SLOW—DO YOUR BEST
Teach the children the following song about a little bear who likes to take it slow. Another word for slow is “pokey.” You can find the tune for it here.
POKEY BEAR
Pokey Bear, pokey Bear
Why are you so slow?
I don’t know! I don’t know!
I like to be slow!
Run run run. Run run run
Pokey Bear please run.
NO, NO, NO! NO, NO, NO!
I like to be slow!
Have a discussion:
We all have our own interests and our own pace. This is what makes us all amazing superstars. Ask the children to imagine what it would be like if everyone was the same. What if we all liked the same things, and looked the same, and talked the same? What a boring world it would be! The things that make us unique are the things that help us to be our best superstar selves. When we are good at something, we can help others learn to be good at that too! No matter what our pace is, the most important thing is to do our best!
Activity 4: (20 minutes) I AM AMAZING IN MY OWN WAY
We are all amazing in our own way. Remembering the things we do well helps us to feel proud and confident. Those feelings are a part of being our superstar selves. Read I Will Never Get a Star on Mrs. Benson’s Blackboard, by Jennifer K. Mann, or watch the read-aloud video by KnightReader. Ask the children to recount what was hard for Rose to do. What did she find that she was amazing at doing?
Write each child’s name and their best quality on one of the stars you have cut out. Punch a hole in the top of the star, and read each child’s star to them while they create a necklace out of the star, some yarn, and some cereal or beads.
Activity 5: (15 minutes) THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE HAVE A RACE
Retell the classic fable of the tortoise and the hare. (You can find a read-aloud version of it here if you are unfamiliar with the story). Talk about how the tortoise was much slower than the rabbit, but he knew that by taking things at his own pace, he could do his best.
Set up a running course around the classroom or on the playground. The tortoise’s path should be straight with no obstacles. The hare’s path should have 2 or 3 chairs that the “hare” must stop and sit at while counting to 20. Choose one child to be the tortoise. The tortoise walks from the starting line to the finish line without stopping. Choose a second child to be the hare. At the signal, the tortoise and the hare begin the race. Repeat so that all children get a chance to be the tortoise and the hare. Which one wins the race?
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