Make up a cheer and routine to express what you are proud of or excited about.
What you’ll need: Your voice, (Optional) Paper and pencil to write down your words
What’s it for?
This activity will help you identify and share some of the things you feel excited about, through a cheer chant and a dance. This will help you focus on the positive things in your life, even if things feel hard.
Check In:
Notice how you’re feeling right now. Close your eyes and notice what’s going on inside your mind and body.
How are you feeling?
What are you thinking?
How does your body feel?
Method:
Cheerleaders make up routines and chants, usually about a sports team. These are normally simple rhymes to help people feel excited and support their team, combined with actions or dance routines. Your teacher might use something similar to get your attention in class, such as “1-2-3, Eyes on me!”.
Decide what you would like to celebrate today. This could be a hard task you’ve finished, a favourite food, a best friend - it’s up to you! What would you like to say about this person or thing?
Put your words into a cheer chant. An easy way to do this is to spell out a word, or use a repeated phrase or numbers. You could even use silly words or sounds to fill in the gaps! A chant is like a short poem you say out loud.
Here are some examples of cheers using these ideas:
When you’re feeling sad and blue,
I can tell you what to do,
Think of things that make you glad,
Then you won’t be feeling bad!
1, 2, 3, 4
Who’s the cat that I adore?
5, 6, 7, 8
My cat Margo is so great!
One banana, two banana, three banana, four
I cleared all my toys from the floor!
Five banana, six banana, seven banana, eight
I ate all my veggies from the plate!
When you have come up with your words, you might like to add some actions. How does your body feel when you are excited? Do you want to jump? Stretch your arms out wide? Stamp your feet?
Extra Activity: Perform your cheer routine and chant for another person in your home, or maybe over a video. If you wrote a chant about another person, could you share it with them? How do you think they will feel?
When you’ve finished, spend a moment reflecting on the activity and ask yourself the following questions:
Did you learn anything new about yourself while you did this activity?
What made you choose the subject for your cheer?
Why are you excited about this, or why did you want to celebrate it?
How did you feel after making up your cheer and dance routine?
How did the actions you chose show how you were feeling?
Conclusion:
This activity helps you to identify and share positive emotions, and to express them through words and movement. Noticing the things that feel good in life can help you bounce back from things that feel difficult.
Take a moment to notice how you are feeling at the end of this activity. Did you discover anything surprising? What can you take away to make you feel better about yourself from this activity?
If you would like to, share something about your experience with this activity with someone you live with! Ask the person who looks after you to send us an email if you have any questions or comments about the activity, or would like to send us any pictures (info@catcorner.co.uk). Don't forget to subscribe for more fun CAT activities!
Created by Heather Dingle © April 2020
Creative Arts Used: Music, Dance & Movement
Psychological Areas Explored: Emotional Wellbeing, Self-Exploration, Resilience
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These activities could be done by children of all ages, but some may need the support of their parent or carer to read the instructions or complete the activity safely.
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