Building Resilience of 3rd-5th Grade Students

in an After-School ProgramTaylor Jones, OTD/S

Mission Statement

• “The mission of the Wilson County Schools Kids Club is to

provide a quality program in a safe, nurturing, and familiar

environment. The program can support students’ physical,

emotional, social, and cognitive development by providing

them with the opportunity to complete homework, play

independently, and participate in structured enrichment

activities when school is not in session.” (Kids Club

Handbook 2018-2019, p. 1)

Needs of the Wilson County Kids Club Program

• No current structured activities designed to target building

resilience or the development of social-emotional skills

• To create and co-lead occupation-based group activities

designed to increase 3rd-5th grade students’ knowledge and

understanding of components that contribute to building

resilience and promoting positive mental health.

• To provide the Wilson County Schools’ Kids Club Program

with a workbook of written group protocols along with

evidence regarding promoting resilience in children and

results from the pilot program implementation.

Students and Kids Club Staff completed Pre- and Post-Surveys

regarding components that contribute to resilience and their participation

in school and Kids Club. Questions from the Child Survey and Results

are below. Never Sometimes Most of the

time

Always

1. I get along well with other kids.

2. I can stay focused easily during school.

3. I can cheer myself up when I am sad or

angry.

4. I try things again even if I was not great at it

the first time.

5. It is easy for me to tell someone what I am

feeling.

6. I think before I say things to others.

7. I can calm myself down when I get nervous

or upset.

8. I make goals for myself.

9. I believe I can do hard things.

10. It is easy for me to make choices.

Results from the pre- and post- assessments were coded and analyzed

using descriptive statistics through the SPSS software. Responses were

coded as Never=0, Sometimes=1, Most of the time=2, and Always=3.

Overall, the average mean of answers increased from 2.007 on the pre-

assessment to 2.127 on the post-assessment. This means that overall

students rated being more frequently able to demonstrate the various

statements listed on survey.

Statements that showed the greatest increase in average responses

included:

1. “I get along well with other kids.” (0.38 increase)

3. “I can cheer myself up when I am sad or angry.” (0.54 increase)

6. “I think before I say things to others.” (0.25 increase)

7. “I can calm myself down when I get nervous or upset.” (0.43 increase)

On the Child Post-Survey, children answered the question “What did you

learn from the group activities?” and some responses are recorded

below:

• “I learned how to cheer myself up.”

• “How to make your feelings out loud.”

• “How important being aware of your body and feelings is.”

• “I learned to be assertive not passive or aggressive (which used to be

me).”

• “A lot about keeping myself calm.”

Week 1: Mindfulness

• Students were introduced to various ways to be mindful during their day and practiced these during the group (meditation, coloring, deep breathing, practicing gratitude, etc.).

Week 2: Understanding Emotions

• Students created a play with each student representing different emotions. Students then guessed each person’s emotion using a word bank based on their body language, facial expressions, and verbal statements.

Week 3: Coping Skills• Students identified various situations that evoke anger or stress then ranked those situations using a

Feelings Thermometer. Students created bookmarks with a Feelings Thermometer on one side and coping skills they chose to practice on the other side.

Week 4: Assertiveness

• Students discussed the difference between being passive, aggressive, and assertive. They were then introduced to “I-messages” and completed various activities to practice using “I-messages” including a puzzle activity and a role play activity.

Week 5: Setting Goals

• Students made “Goals Journals” that included a long-term goal “Dream Ladder” and short-term goals along with action plans. They then decorated the outside of their journal with pictures from magazines that they felt represented their futures.

Week 6: Problem Solving

• Students designed and created an “egg carrier” to hold an egg and withstand an “egg drop”. Before building their carrier, they were required to brainstorm various design ideas with their group and determine pros and cons of each idea.

Week 7: Serving Others

• Students wrote and designed cards for individuals at Providence Place of Mt. Juliet Assisted Living Facility. Discussion took place on why it is important to do nice things for other people without getting anything in return.

Wilson County Kids Club Program

Goals of Experiential Component Weekly Groups and Activities Outcomes of Experiential

Component

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my great appreciation to the Wilson

County Schools’ Kids Club Program, Stoner Creek Elementary

School, Anne Barger (expert mentor), and Dr. Christine Manville

(faculty mentor). I would also like to thank Alyssa Tidwell for her

assistance with running statistical analyses.

Week 4: Assertiveness, “I-

messages” puzzle activityWeek 3: Coping Skills,

student example of bookmark

Week 4: Assertiveness,

warm-up activity Week 3: Coping Skills,

Feelings Thermometer

Week 5: Setting Goals,

student example of Goals

Journal

Week 6: Problem Solving,

student example of “egg

carrier”

Week 7: Serving Others,

student example of card