Step Into My Sessions: Building Resilience with Beach Volleyball

No beach required when you have an XBox Kinect!

From time to time, I write about using video games in my sessions. Not Roblox or Minecraft – I favor the XBox Kinect video games, where you move, and the avatar on the screen moves. I really like sports games, and so do all of my students. Track and Field at the Olympics anyone? 🥇

Last week, three 4th graders were excited to try beach volleyball.🏐 We previewed possible feelings when trying something they hadn’t ever tried before, and they felt they were ready. Two students played as a “team” against the computer duo, and we rotated so everyone had the same number of games played.

Well, they lost every game.😔 The other (computer) team was surprisingly competent, and my students really struggled! Very unfriendly words were hurled at the screen. One student fell to the floor saying “I am a failure to humanity.” Maybe the tiniest bit dramatic, but it reflected her upset and anger. We talked for a bit about feelings and how hard it can be to play a new sport before our session ended.

They returned yesterday. We usually start our time together with everyone describing a comfortable and an uncomfortable feeling we’ve experienced recently. Yesterday, I asked them to illustrate contrasting feelings from the volleyball experience. One illustration is above – that student really liked the feeling of moving. But she was also SUPER angry😡, as you might have noticed. Here are the other two sketches:

It's so great to see how our students remember feelings and experiences. I love the “maddish like a radish” feeling label!

These illustrations gave us an opportunity to re-visit the upset of the previous week. We recognized the intensity of the feelings, and brainstormed solutions for trying again, something they were eager to do. 🧠💡

This group has used the Feeling Fixers before, and asked that both the Game Playing Fixers and Encouragers be propped up right by the telly. (Note to self: I probably should have had them out the first time we played!) We also talked about how they could support each other during the matches. Off they went to play again.

Such improvement!

In their volleyball abilities (they won all the games), but also in how they approached the games - especially when the other team was ahead or the score was tied. They were able to stay regulated and focused. They encouraged each other. They used phrases from the Game Playing Fixers, both to themselves and to each other. And they were able to feel the contract from the week before. It’s experiences like these, during which our students can recognize that they have learned new ways to handle challenging situations successfully, that resilience is built.💪🏼✨

All from beach volleyball…maybe they will try golf next time. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Happy resilience building through games!