Wellness Journal with a Closing Breath

After a short stretch, students write answers to three prompts about their body, mood, and sleep, then finish with a guided breathing exercise. It builds body awareness and shows how physical activity, sleep, and stress connect.

How to play

1. Gentle standing stretches for quads, hamstrings, and shoulders, 20 seconds each, led by the teacher (1.5 min).
2. Each student sits on a yoga mat with their journal and writes the date plus a 1 to 5 rating for energy, mood, and last night's sleep (1.5 min).
3. They answer the teacher's prompt of the day in writing, for example: "Which part of class helped you unplug?" (2 min).
4. They write one thing they'll do today to take care of themselves, like going to bed earlier or taking a walk (1 min).
5. They close the journal, lie down, and take ten slow breaths counting down from ten to one (1.5 min).
6. They sit up slowly and return the journal to the group bin (0.5 min).

Rules

• The journal is personal; the teacher reads it only with the student's permission.
• Write quietly and don't look at others' journals.
• Answers should be honest; there are no right answers.
• Stretches are gentle with no bouncing.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: upper-body stretches seated and breathing in the chair.
• Writing difficulties: allow drawings, key words, or a voice memo.
• Shyness or emotional distress: the student can check a box to request a private talk with the teacher.

Learning goals

• Recognize one's own physical and emotional state after activity.
• Connect physical activity with rest and mood.
• Commit to one concrete self-care action.

Equipment for a class of 25

• PE journals: 25
• pens: 25
• yoga mats: 25

Teacher tip

Keep the same structure every week so it becomes a habit and change only the prompt. If a student logs very low ratings several weeks in a row, check in and involve the school counselor.

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