Lesson Plan

Stress-Relief Lesson Plan

Students will identify personal stressors and practice three creative stress-relief techniques—drawing, expressive writing, and simple movement—to build a personalized coping toolkit.

Teaching creative stress management empowers students to recognize and cope with stress early, improving emotional resilience and overall well-being in and out of school.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

5 minutes

Step 2

Identify Personal Stressors

5 minutes

Step 3

Drawing for Stress Relief

10 minutes

Step 4

Expressive Writing

10 minutes

Step 5

Movement Break

5 minutes

Step 6

Reflection & Toolkit Creation

10 minutes

Lesson Plan

From Stress to Serenity Plan

Students will identify personal stressors and practice drawing, expressive writing, and simple movement to develop a personalized creative coping toolkit.

Creative stress management empowers students to recognize stress early, express emotions safely, and build resilience through accessible art-based strategies.

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

10 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

5 minutes

Step 2

Identify Personal Stressors

5 minutes

Step 3

Drawing for Stress Relief

15 minutes

Step 4

Expressive Writing

15 minutes

Step 5

Movement Break

5 minutes

Step 6

Reflection & Toolkit Creation

15 minutes

Slide Deck

From Stress to Serenity: Creative Stress-Relief Techniques

Welcome students and introduce the session topic. Outline the flow: definition, stressors, three creative techniques, and reflection.

Objectives

Briefly expand on each objective and why it matters.

What Is Stress?

Define stress in simple terms. Ask students for additional examples of stressors.

Identify Personal Stressors

Invite students to reflect quietly. Offer examples if they’re stuck. Optionally invite a volunteer to share one stressor.

Drawing for Stress Relief

Distribute the [Creative Stress-Relief Activity Sheet](#stress-relief-creative-activity). Encourage bold colors and unique symbols.

Expressive Writing

Remind students the writing is private unless they choose to share. Offer sentence starters on the board.

Movement Break

Lead each movement slowly and clearly. Monitor space and safety.

Reflection & Toolkit Creation

Hand out the [Stress-Reflection Worksheet](#stress-relief-reflection-worksheet). Encourage honest reflections and future planning.

Next Steps

Reinforce the importance of ongoing practice and sharing strategies with others.

Lesson Plan

Stress-Relief Lesson Plan

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

Step 2

Identify Personal Stressors

Step 3

Drawing for Stress Relief

Step 4

Expressive Writing

Step 5

Movement Break

Step 6

Reflection & Toolkit Creation

Lesson Plan

From Stress to Serenity Plan

Audience

Time

Approach

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

Step 2

Identify Personal Stressors

Step 3

Drawing for Stress Relief

Step 4

Expressive Writing

Step 5

Movement Break

Step 6

Reflection & Toolkit Creation

Slide Deck

From Stress to Serenity: Creative Stress-Relief Techniques

Objectives

What Is Stress?

Identify Personal Stressors

Drawing for Stress Relief

Expressive Writing

Movement Break

Reflection & Toolkit Creation

Next Steps

Activity

Worksheet

From Stress to Serenity

Kathleen Attea