Sometimes I Get Angry - Anger Camp for Ages 7-9

**Please read the schedule closely! Some camps meet 5 days in a row for one week, and some meet one time per week for 5 weeks!

Learning to control anger without suppressing it is a necessary skill that is best learned at a young age. This beginner course normalizes anger so students can grow confidence and learn control without shame! By beginning self-awareness and self-control in childhood, these skills will continue to develop and serve your student in all seasons of life. 

I teach with a lot of fun and laughter, and my goal is to make each student feel recognized and celebrated. Modeling patience and acceptance for my students is a large part of my job as their teacher, and making them feel understood is my greatest joy! The community fostered in this week-long camp is vital to the curriculum and allows students to realize they aren't alone in their anger. 

Collaborative activities will include discussion, games, and challenges. These games serve as a learning tool, but they also provide opportunities for students to name and address a common source of childhood anger - friendly competition. They can do this in a safe space with other students who understand.

Day 1: Learning where anger comes from
Students will learn the brain structures that cause anger, when their anger can be helpful, and when it can be hurtful. This lesson will normalize anger and help reduce shame in students who are struggling to control it by realizing everyone has the same feelings. We will use visual aids along with a Nearpod lesson. Collaborative activities will include discussion, games, and challenges. 


Day 2: Learning to recognize the feeling underneath the anger
Students will learn basic psychology about the actual feelings that manifest as anger, such as hurt, fear, or embarrassment. They will learn self-reflection skills and become more vulnerable as they share the "softer" feelings underneath the anger. We will use a Nearpod lesson and collaborative activities will include discussion, games, and challenges. 


Day 3: Pausing to name anger in myself
Students will learn to name and recognize what typically causes their anger, what that anger feels like, and how to notice it before it becomes uncontrollable. They will practice self-awareness in levels of anger and knowing what they need at each level. It's much easier to blow out a match (mild annoyance) than put out a forest fire (out of control anger)! We will use a Nearpod lesson and collaborative activities will include discussion, games, and challenges. 

Day 4: Creating my own "Anger Plan"
Students will create an active and individualized plan to use whenever they begin to feel anger. We will use a printable pdf file that students will fill out together during class, and students will be encouraged to take ownership and responsibility for their own plan. Using the information they've learned about themselves in previous lessons, the plan will include:
Situations that could make me angry
What it feels like when I start to feel angry
What I need when I feel angry
How to communicate what I need when I feel angry
How to de-escalate my anger
How to process and discuss my anger once the feeling has passed


Day 5: After I get angry
Students will learn how to process what made them angry and how that anger felt. They will learn to name the events that led to their anger and the vulnerable feelings underneath the anger. Students will discuss and practice apologizing after their anger may have hurt someone else and they will learn communication skills to use when they share how another person's actions caused them to hurt. Much emphasis will be placed on recognizing their own responsibility in their reactions, even if another person was responsible for hurting them. Most importantly, students will practice forgiving themselves and using a growth mindset to learn from their mistakes and try again. We will use a Nearpod lesson and collaborative activities will include discussion, games, and challenges. This last day will also include a short celebration of each student's accomplishments! 


**Please note that this is not a therapy group or official treatment for anger management.

****Please note that students will need to be able to read independently for the game portion of the class. We end each class with the game Time to Climb (hosted through Nearpod) so that students can have a smooth and fun transition out of anger camp and back into their daily activities. This requires the ability to read up to two sentences independently within 60 seconds, and though the teacher will read these questions out loud, some students find timed games stressful.