It can be difficult to experience new things throughout the day when the classroom, playdates, and even doctor visits have moved to home. It’s much easier for children to get burned out and antsy when their world is confined to the house nearly every day. We understand that virtual schooling and video playdates aren’t always as much fun as seeing friends and classmates in person. If your little one is finding it hard to sit still through the virtual school day, taking adventurous little breaks with Mission I’m Possible can help kids have fun and get moving, all while building their emotional skills.
The Downside of Virtual Schooling
A lot of the tools children are using in their virtual classrooms simply weren’t made for them. We have to hand it to teachers — they really are giving their all to making the new learning landscape engaging and fun. However, there’s no denying that nothing beats sitting in a room full of your friends and learning and playing together.
In addition to the technical challenges, virtual schooling makes it hard for children to develop important social and emotional skills. They aren’t experiencing the body language, eye contact, or simple connection that comes with in-person conversation and play. Physical education is also put on hold because a virtual gym class would be chaotic and parents don’t always have the time or energy to play tag during their lunch breaks! Virtual schooling also cuts down on teacher-student interaction, and they aren’t as likely to get the one-on-one attention they need. All of this combined can make the school day drag out and make kids want to jump out of their seats!
The Benefit of Breaks
Recess and little “brain breaks” throughout the day aren’t just for fun — they can improve children’s focus, energy, and productivity in the classroom as well. Our brains are not truly idle when they’re not in learning mode. Even when we’re not fixated on anything in particular, a 2012 study showed that different areas of the brain are still highly active. When brains are given free-range, children start to piece things together, reflect, and make sense of their worlds. Breaks are, in fact, crucial to learning.
A 2016 study found that short micro-lessons followed by short breaks kept students more energized and attentive than full 30-minute classes. After returning to class, students were less stressed, more productive, and less prone to disruptive behavior as well!
Since students spend so much of their time in front of the screen, they’ll likely be tempted to open up their games or play the apps that have been hiding behind the Zoom screen. However, screen breaks with a bit of physical exercise can help to improve cognitive function, spend some of their energy, and even boost their moods.
If you’re looking for ways that kids can spend their break time productively and proactively, we have a solution – the Mission I’m Possible Challenge.
Mission I’m Possible in the Classroom
Mission I’m Possible is a fun, easy, and engaging emotional support program and is free to anyone willing to take on the challenge and experience new things! We believe that children have the capability to manage their emotional development and well-being, they just need to be shown how. Weekly “top secret” missions from HAPPÉ HQ are sent straight to your phone or laptop. Each mission starts off with the virtual message, but quickly encourages children to break away from the screen and into their super-secret worlds. An example of a mission is to say thank you to three people who sometimes go unnoticed, like a new kid in school, neighbor, or parent. Though it seems like a small task, this challenges children to seek out emotional and social interactions with others and helps them to engage in empathy. After each challenge, they are prompted to reflect on how it made them feel, how it made the other person feel, and how they can do it again!
Mission I’m Possible was designed to be seamlessly integrated into everyday curricula. It’s easy to fit between classes and allows children to experience new things and transform their classroom into their playground for top-secret missions. While it may feel like a break, kids are actually exercising their brains and putting them to work in a healthy way!
Mission I’m Possible can also be used in tandem with EFT Tapping to help kids manage difficult or overwhelming feelings that come about from school or lockdowns.
If you want to learn more about Mission I’m Possible or sign up for yourself, you can do so here! You can also learn more about our weekly challenges, HAPPÉ skills, and read reviews from Mission I’m Possible parents and grads by following us on Instagram or Facebook. Whether your child’s school day is taking place in a classroom or Zoom room, the team at HAPPÉ is here to make sure no child’s emotional health falls behind!