Faith In Action: Body of Anger
Part of Love Will Guide Us, Grades 2-3
Activity time: 30 minutes
Materials for Activity
- An old T-shirt and pair of pants, both light-colored, adult size, and ready to be recycled
- Markers that will write on fabric
- Handout 1, Three Choices to Reduce Anger
- Optional: Face or body paint
Preparation for Activity
- Invite parents to join the group for this activity.
- Read the Description of Activity. Then, invite an appropriate adult volunteer, preferably male, preferably someone with whom the children already are comfortable.
- Copy Handout 1 for all participants/families.
- Clear an open area where the volunteer can stand and be seen by everyone. Set face paint and fabric markers on a work table.
Description of Activity
Participants discover how their bodies react when we become angry. When we can recognize signs of anger in our bodies, we can better understand ourselves.
Have the volunteer put on the old clothes. Introduce your volunteer to the group. Say, in your own words:
Our bodies can tell us when we are angry. For each person the signs are different. Each person has to find out what their own signs are, so they will realize when they are getting angry. The important thing to controlling anger is recognizing that you are becoming angry so you can act responsibly instead of lashing out and saying or doing something that is hurtful.
Ask the group to think of ways their bodies react when they feel angry; encourage the children to speak and adults to listen. As participants name different signs of anger, use the volunteer (dressed in old clothes) as a living "visual" and write or draw each example on their body using either markers or face paint. For example "rapid breathing" could be written on the chest to represent lungs; "red face" on a cheek.
Follow up with questions such as:
- Which body reaction do you have when you get angry? (Use the volunteer as a visual list of body reactions the children have mentioned.)
- How do you control your anger?
- Is anger always bad? When is anger good?
Thank the volunteer and invite them to remove the signs of anger by stepping out of the old clothes. Distribute the handout to adults. Invite families to review it at home.