Hotspur Primary School

A warm welcome to our Hotspur Thrive page

This page will be updated weekly with ways you can stay connected and embrace the Thrive Approach at home. Some of the activities and resources are from other sources, but all embody the warm-hearted, accepting and relational principles of how we use Thrive at Hotspur.

Activities from the previous closure period in 2020 can all be found underneath. These are still useful ideas to help all of our families as we find ourselves learning away from school. When we are in school and all our children are taking part in Thrive activities, repetition of positive relational experiences is the key to success, so if you tried an idea last time and enjoyed it - enjoy it together again. 

Mrs Leanne Pearson 

Wherever you are today - learning at school or learning from home, join in and accessorise your outfit to express yourself.

You may want to create and make something to wear instead. 

Could you wear...

A hat that shows off your style?

A piece of jewelry that says 'this is me!'

A bow tie that makes you feel good?

Some funky socks to show the real you?

Shoes that make your feet want to dance?

A colour that reflects how you are feeling today?

Use your imagination, express yourself and have fun!

Look at the poem below. One of the grown ups at Hotspur likes to express themselves in writing. If you read carefully, you can find out who the poet is. 

Watch the video below and notice how the music changes.

Notice to grown ups – there is a toy that gets broken during this video which some children may find upsetting (around 2m30s.) The toy is fixed again shortly afterwards. Consider listening rather than watching if you think this would work best for your child.

Did you notice how music can change how we feel?

Research shows people feel more positive after singing along to music.

Have a go at singing along with our weekly singing assembly today or try learning the words and singing, clapping or dancing along to this song:

If you have a favourite song to express yourself to – share it with your class teacher on Showbie or tapestry and enjoy it!

Below is a guide produced by THRIVE to explain big feelings with lots of suggested activities parents and carers can do at home to support children to express their emotions. This fits in so well with the children's mental health week theme of 'Express Yourself'. I hope you enjoy reading them. I  wonder if you notice you are already doing some of them? Appreciate all the things you do well and try out some new ideas.

Please look further below for our art based activity for children to express themselves today.   

Watch the video below then have a go at drawing your feelings – this is a great way to express what is going on inside your body and to help you notice when your body is telling your brain how you are feeling. Share your pictures with your teachers. 

If you enjoyed creating environmental art for Arts Lab this week, why not create your body sensations from natural materials you find if you go out for a walk.

Today’s activities explore how we can communicate with each other and express ourselves without words.

Family Time Game -  Choose any adverb from list 1 and any action from list 2 then everybody mimes the action. Have fun!

When you are playing confidently, could you choose 2 words in secret then mime the actions? Can your family guess?

                                                                   List 1                                                                              List 2

                                                                   sadly                                                                               eat

                                                                   joyfully                                                                            ride a bike

                                                                   angrily                                                                            get dressed

                                                                   slowly                                                                             watch TV

                                                                   happily                                                                            brush your teeth

                                                                  carefully                                                                          play football

                                                                  quickly                                                                            dance

Watch our silly walk video below then have a go at your own silly walk

You could do a silly walk at home or even as you head out for a walk for your daily exercise. 

Notice how you feel on the inside once you have expressed yourself through movement. You might feel fast, bouncy, slow, bubbly, floating, tingling, pounding, light, heavy, stuck or you may feel nothing at all.

Whatever you feel is ok but take time to notice what your body is telling you and what this might mean. Is your feeling happy, sad, angry or scared? You may have another word you would like to use to describe it. Tell someone in your family what your word is or tell your teacher on Showbie.

I think your teacher might smile if you send them a video of your very own silly walk - give it a go and see. 

                                                                                                        Mrs Pearson

Self-expression is about communicating your individuality. This can be through words, clothing and hairstyle, or through art forms such as writing, drawing, music and dance.

Self-expression can help you to showcase your true self – your story, your thoughts, feelings and emotions.

We sometimes get told by our family, friends, school, communities and through social media how we ‘should’ look, think, speak, and act. These constant messages about what we ought to do, and who we ought to be, can make it difficult to let go of expectations and express our true selves.

Self-expression is a great way to let go of worries and free your mind. It can help you to reflect on your life, actions, decisions, relationships, beliefs and thoughts – rather than keeping them buried deep down inside.

Every day this week, come and check out a new way to express yourself. At the end of the week we would love to see a photograph of you expressing yourself through your clothing, hairstyle or in another way that you have imagined.

Right now, we can’t all be together at school so let’s connect together on Showbie, Tapestry and Facebook and take part in Children’s Mental Health Week – each of us is amazing and special just for being who we are! 

Watch: Children's Mental Health Virtual Assembly 

www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/assembly

DO: EXPRESS THROUGH TALKING AND LISTENING

At a time that works for you today (mealtimes are a time that works for my family) use the following prompt questions and take turns to share likes and dislikes. When one person is sharing, everyone else listens carefully. 

Next, all imagine you got stuck on an island for one day. Take turns to answer the following questions: 

Playing 'Would you Rather?' Is also great for expressing your own thoughts and feelings - give it a go. Can you come up with your own ideas for questions? You could ask your friends on class discussion. 

Activities for Children and their Grown Ups

- January 2021

Click here to link to an article about how to juggle your responsibilities when managing life and home learning.