Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Watch the episode

30 minutes

Find Out: Movement play

15 minutes

Take Action: Practising patience

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

understand that developing patience can be challenging but simple games can help.

Success criteria

Students will:

reflect on their own experiences of boredom and how they managed it
play games as a way to manage boredom
develop their own games to manage boredom and practice patience.

Tune In: Watch the episode

Step 1

Share the Bluey episode Helicopter with your students.

Bluey 'Helicopter' - Clickview (clickv.ie/w/VXI0)

Helicopter synopsis: At school, Bluey and her friends turn a tree stump into a thrilling game of Helicopter. But as the pilot, Bluey has to learn to give up some control so they can all have fun.

Step 2

Facilitate a class discussion about the episode.

You may need to probe further by asking:

I wonder how Chloe felt when Bluey didn't let her fly the helicopter. Why do you think that?
I wonder how Indy felt when Bluey didn't want to change the helicopter into a plane. What did Indy do that tells you that? How did her expression/body language change?
I wonder why Bluey didn't want to take turns piloting the helicopter. I wonder how she was feeling. Why do you think that?

You might also display this prompt wall to inspire some observations.

Find Out: What is patience?

Pose the following questions:

When was the last time you had to wait for a turn in a game?
How did it feel to wait?
Do you find it easy to wait or do you find it hard?
What do you think it means to be patient? What is patience?

Explain to students that we ALL find it hard to wait for something that we want. But being patient is something we can all practise and the more we practise it, the better we get at it.

Displaying the Zones of Emotional Regulation chart is helpful for students to visualise their feelings and lead them to build their emotional vocabulary, shifting them away from rote responses like “good” to more nuanced responses like “curious”, “excited”, or “worried”.
Find out more about teaching emotional intelligence here.

In the next part of the lesson, students will have a go at practising patience. Remind students of the Zones of Emotional Regulation as they play.

Take Action: Practising patience

Step 1

Move to an outside area. Gather the whole class in a circle and begin by naming a body part and an instruction. For example: 'Lift your left foot up and point your toes into the circle.'

Everyone lifts their left food and points their toes.

After a moment, change the command. For example: 'Put your right hand in and wave your hand.'

Repeat until students are warmed up.

Step 2

Once all your body parts have been warmed up, say stop, followed by an instruction. Begin new instructions that require a whole-body movement, for example, 'Move around the room like a crab'.

Everyone scuttles around the space like a crab.

After a time, say, 'freeze!' Wait until everyone has stopped moving and is listening, then change the movement style. For example: 'Move like a hoppy kangaroo!' Everyone jumps around like a hoppy kangaroo until the teacher calls 'freeze'. Wait until everyone has spent a few moments frozen before calling out the next movement command.

Repeat a few times until students understand the game and respect the 'freeze' command.

Step 3

Now explain to students that they will be taking over the game and giving instructions on the kinds of movement to other students. One student will be chosen to call out instructions.

Remind students of the episode and how Bluey's friends felt when she didn't respond to their suggestions. No one wants to be left out of the game, and it's more fun when everyone listens to and respects each other.

Explain that the student giving instructions shouldn't yell 'freeze' too soon after they've given a suggestion because we want everyone to have time to enjoy moving as that animal before the game is changed.

Explain that you won't set a limit on the amount of time or number of instructions each student can call out until a new student has a turn; it is up to each student to decide when they think they've had enough of a turn. And it's up to everyone else who wants a turn to be patient and wait for a turn.

Taking turns helps students make and keep friends by happily involving others in games and activities. True sharing implies empathy, the ability to get into another’s mind and see things from their viewpoint.

It is now up to the students to run the game! Try to give students full autonomy in the running of the game. The only exception might be for the teacher to ensure the student is waiting until everyone has frozen before giving their instruction, or to speak louder so everyone can hear the suggestion.

Step 4

Explain that it's time for a new game (even if not everyone has had a turn at calling out the instructions).

Ask students to line up in a straight line behind you.

Start walking forward, moving your arms like the pistons on a train. Invite students to follow you and copy your movements.

Then change the style of movement to skipping sideways along a line. The change should flow down the line. Remind students to pay attention to the person in front of them.

If you have lines on a basketball court, you could follow them, changing the movement style at each intersection.

If you are close to the playground, move around the equipment, going across the monkey bars or down the slide.

Step 5

Pause the game and explain that you've had enough of being the leader, and you're going to move to the back of the line. The next student in line is the new leader and gets to decide the direction and style of movement of the group.

Ask the new leader to be responsible: when they feel like they've had enough of a turn, they can tell the person behind them to take over and move themselves to the back of the line.

Ask the person behind the leader to be patient, and trust that their turn is coming. Remind them there's no need to put pressure on the leader to hurry up and hand over.

Young students have difficulty conceptualising time, meaning even a small period of waiting is going to feel like an age to them.

Model patience with students if they’re impatient or ask if the wait is over yet (which they will do - frequently), as this will only reinforce the idea that waiting is a negative experience. Then you can slowly extend these wait periods so that students’ stamina for waiting grows gradually.

And make sure to never break your promise for what comes at the end of the wait, otherwise, students will learn to associate patience with going unfulfilled, and revert to their impulsive ways.

Tip: It may be helpful to set a timer that beeps as a reminder for the leader to switch. Better yet, giving them an hourglass or other device allows them to visualise the wait, and makes them feel responsible for the time.

Reflection

Invite students to reflect on the activity they took part in. Consider asking students:

What do you think we were practising? Why do you think that? When did you do this during the game?
What does it mean to share?
What do you feel about being patient? Do you think being patient is important? Why or why not?
What helps you to be patient?

Patience - Follow the Leader

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Patience - Follow the Leader

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Lesson Guides and Printables

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