Hello and thank you for sharing! In a responce, I will explain an experiment, connected to the emotions of the students. I saw it online and did it with my fourth graders, and I can truly say that this experiment changed the everyday language in the class and made them a little more possitive!
The experiment is called “The Power of Positive Words”
The main objective is to explore how emotions affect behavior and mood by observing the impact of positive and negative words.
You will need: 1. Index cards or pieces of paper, 2.Markers or pens, 3.A journal or worksheet for recording observations
Begin with a discussion about emotions. Ask the students how do positive words like “great job” make them feel?
How do negative words like “you can’t do it” make them feel?
Explain that they’ll be doing an experiment to see how words affect their feelings and actions.
Write a mix of positive (e.g., “You are kind,” “You’re smart”) and neutral or slightly negative (e.g., “This is hard,” “Try again”) phrases on the index cards.
Create two sets of cards:
Set 1: Positive words/phrases
Set 2: Neutral or slightly negative phrases
Shuffle the cards within each set.
For the experiment, divide the class into two groups. One group will work with positive phrases, and the other will work with neutral/negative phrases.
One at a time, students draw a card from their group’s pile and read it aloud. After reading the phrase, they perform a simple task, such as:
Balancing a pencil on their finger, drawing a picture in 30 seconds, solving a simple math problem or any other task you can think of.
After each task, students write or discuss how they felt – Were they motivated or discouraged? Was the task easier or harder after hearing the phrase? Did the words affect their confidence or focus?
Gather the class and discuss: Did the phrases make a difference? How? How do words from others impact us in real life? How can we use positive words to make others feel better?
I hope you find this experiment interesting and use it in your classes. I think the emotional health of the children is very important!
