Wellness & Safety Teacher Resources

Find balance in your life and encourage your class to do the same with our comprehensive set of instructional ideas and activities on wellness and mind/body well-being. Understanding the mind-body connection is key to a person’s successful development. Help young learners focus on every aspect of their personal health, whether it’s mental, emotional, physical, social, or spiritual health, with Lesson Planet’s teacher-curated resources.

First, introduce class members to the idea of whole-body health with elementarymiddle school, and high school lessons on wellness. For younger learners, a short video helps them understand how to stay healthy, and older students can watch a video on Gilbert Ryle’s The Concept of Mind about the ways emotions can affect behavior.

The negative consequences of how mental and emotional health can affect physical health can be dire. Discuss the risk factors for drug addiction with a series of case studies, and follow up with a lesson on the ways to recover from addiction to prescription or other drugs.

Maintaining learners’ self-esteem can be tricky amidst puberty, peer pressure, and daily stress. Help them reflect on their self-worth with a workbook on several challenging situations, and a lesson that focuses on keeping a healthy body image. When discussing lifestyle changes, use a resource that examines how small daily improvements can contribute to long-term success.

Students need all the support they can get when it comes to their mental and emotional health. It’s your job to help support them—and it’s our job to support you and your curriculum needs.

Showing 377 resources
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Unit Plan
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Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment

Health and the Whole Person

For Teachers 8th
Health is more than measuring your blood pressure and eating nutritious foods. Eighth graders discuss the factors that play into an individual's health, including spirituality, social life and friendships, emotional stability, cognitive...
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Handout
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Delaware Health and Social Services

Set Your Mind, Set Your Goals

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Becoming a woman can be overwhelming for girls. An educational resource assists female learners in setting goals for their reproductive choices, physical health, and emotional and mental well-being.
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Activity
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Health Smart Virginia

Shark Tank - Mental Illnesses

For Students 8th - 10th
Young entrepreneurs research and develop a Shark Tank-style pitch for a solution to help people who have a mental illness. After the presentations, research groups complete a rubric for each product and vote for the one product they feel...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Cures" Chart

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars chart the "cures" for people with disabilities. In this disabilities lesson, students compare and contrast the care and treatment of people with disabilities in the past and present. Young scholars write accurate summaries...
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Health Smart Virginia

Mental Health Stress

For Teachers 9th
Improve circulation! Strengthen muscles! Reduce hypertension! Research has shown that stress balls provide these and many other benefits. Freshmen create their own stress balls in a fun, engaging activity.
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Unit Plan
TeenMentalHealth

Know Before You Go Teacher’s Guide

For Teachers 12th
A 124-page guide provides instructors with what they need to know before launching a seven-lesson thematic unit designed for high school seniors on issues they will face after graduation. Topics covered include mental health and...
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Lesson Plan
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Health Smart Virginia

Mental Health/Social Emotional Skills

For Teachers 9th
A 7-page packet of activity ideas, lesson plans, and information resources provides instructors of high school freshmen a wealth of materials to support teaching the concepts in a Health Smart unit.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mental Health 2: Bedlam

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners are oriented to the kinds of treatment and care the mentally ill received prior to the 19th century-using the example of England's legendary Bedlam, the world's oldest mental health asylum.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Three Elements of Health

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers identify and discuss three important elements of health: physical, social, and mental health. They go into detail about each and spend a lot of time discussing the dangers of smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discrimination and Media: Focus on Mental Health

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students explore discrimination by the media. For this media awareness lesson, students examine stigmas concerning mental illnesses as they are portrayed in the media.
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AP Test Prep
College Board

2018 AP® Psychology Free-Response Questions

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
What mental health conditions could affect a student's performance while auditioning for a play? How do stress levels correlate with student absences? Scholars examine case studies to learn more about the mind and mental health or to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teen Domestic Abuse and Violence

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Inform your class about teen dating abuse. This resource lays out a comprehensive plan for helping teens become aware of the signs of abuse. The lesson plan is complete with vocabulary, worksheets, a PowerPoint presentation, and videos....
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Lesson Plan
K20 Learn

Being Mindful Of Sadness In "The Scarlet Ibis": Theme And Characterization

For Teachers 9th Standards
James Hurst's short story "The Scarlet Ibis" provides readers with an opportunity to consider how they can support others who are experiencing distress. Participants learn self-care tips and connect to the short story's characters. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treatment Works!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students consider the goals of a treatment plan for persons who have had the way they think, feel, or behave changed because of mental illness. PET images are utilized to support the evidence of changes in the activity and functioning of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Stigma Within

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students role play the part of someone with a mental illness and the families they are members of. They act out the scenes from cue cards and other students can state their questions and comments.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Economy's Stuck, but Business is Booming at Therapists' Offices

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore the concept of the economy and mental health. In this economy and mental health lesson plan, students read an article about how the mental health community is booming due to the poor economy. Learners discuss ways to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Interests

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders discover what mental health is. They discuss examples and draw pictures of themselves taking care of their mental health. They write a story about a time when they felt good about themselves.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Human Organism

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students discuss human emotions and mental health. In this mental and emotional health lesson, students write a short story regarding the "think and share" choice. Students include emotion, the connection between feelings and conflict...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exposes in Different Eras: The Work of Dorothea Dix and Burton Blatt

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover that Dorothea Dix was the first to make the pubic aware of the terrible living conditions of people with mental illness in the 1800's. They evaluate the influence of citizen action on public policy.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Striking Out Stress- A "Gallery Walk" Activity

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars discuss ways to cope with stressful situations. In this mental health lesson, students identify stressful situations and how they would respond to them. Young scholars discuss their feelings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Autism Help Through PowerPoint

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils investigate the effects of autism by creating a slide-show presentation.  In this special needs activity, students define autism and the mental health problems it can cause young people afflicted with it.  Pupils create a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Health (General Wellness)

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore their personal health by completing a worksheet.  For this healthy living lesson, 7th graders examine the health triangle and research ways to prevent at risk behavior.  Students complete a health survey based on...
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Unit Plan
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IRISS

Exploring Self-Esteem 1: What Is Self-Esteem?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Adolescents explore self-esteem and the various factors that influence a person's sense of self in this four-part lesson series. Through a combination of whole class instruction, small group discussions, and independent work, students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personal Development (Safety and Injury Prevention)

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Demonstrate an ability to make informed choices about the prevention of injury with your class and others. Through class discussion, observational studies, simulation, and the creation of a handbook, high schoolers will understand the...