Grades 6 to 8 • Health Problems Series

Stress
You’re late for school, today's assignments aren't done yet, and you spill a drink on
KidsHealth.org/classroom
your shirt in the car. Let’s face it, you’re stressed! Your students feel stress, too,
at school and at home. These activities can help them to learn more about what
Teacher’s Guide stress is, and how to effectively manage it.

This guide includes:

• Standards Related KidsHealth Links
• Related Links Articles for Kids:
• Discussion Questions
Relax & Unwind minisite
• Activities for Students
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/center/relax-center.html
• Reproducible Materials
The Story on Stress
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/stress.html
Five Steps for Fighting Stress
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/5-steps.html
Standards
Talking About Your Feelings
This guide correlates with KidsHealth.org/en/kids/talk-feelings.html
the following National Health
When Tests Make You Nervous
Education Standards:
KidsHealth.org/en/kids/test-anxiety.html
Students will: School Counselors
• Comprehend concepts related KidsHealth.org/en/kids/school-counselors.html
to health promotion and
disease prevention to enhance Articles for Teens:
health. Stress & Coping minisite
• Demonstrate the ability to
TeensHealth.org/en/teens/center/stress-center.html
access valid information and
products and services to Stress
enhance health. TeensHealth.org/en/teens/stress.html
• Demonstrate the ability to use
What Stresses You Out About School?
interpersonal communication
skills to enhance health and TeensHealth.org/en/teens/school-stress.html
avoid or reduce health risks. Test Anxiety
• Demonstrate the ability to TeensHealth.org/en/teens/test-anxiety.html
use decision-making skills to
enhance health.
Handling Sports Pressure and Competition
• Demonstrate the ability to TeensHealth.org/en/teens/sports-pressure.html
advocate for personal, family, School Counselors
and community health. TeensHealth.org/en/teens/school-counselors.html

Discussion Questions
Note: The following questions are written in language appropriate for sharing with
your students.
1. A big test, an annoying little brother, and a bad haircut can all add up to a lot of
stress! What stresses you out? How do you feel when you’re stressed?
Everyone deals with stress differently. How do you deal with it? Do some stress
2.
management methods work better for you than others? Why do you think some
strategies are more effective in reducing your stress level?
National Health Education
Standards: What's the difference between good stress and bad stress? Give an example of a
www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/sher/ 3. situation in which stress could be helpful. When does stress become a problem?
standards/index.htm
© 2016 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Grades 6 to 8 • Health Problems Series
Stress
Activities for Students
Note: The following activities are written in language appropriate for sharing with your students.

Stress Mail

Objectives:
Students will:
• Learn to identify common stressors
• Explore strategies for managing stress

Materials:
• Computer with Internet access
• "Stress Mail" handout

Class Time:
20 minutes

Activity:
Everyone you know is stressed about something – homework, the big game, an argument with a parent. You decide to
reduce the stress level in people’s lives by creating a new Internet service called Stress Mail. A stressed-out person
can write you an email, and you’ll respond by providing suggestions for dealing with the stress. Start by reading the
emails on the "Stress Mail" handout. Choose one and write a response, using the information from the KidsHealth.org
articles. In your response, make sure to:
• Identify what’s causing the person’s stress
• Provide one or two ways for reducing stress
• Offer a suggestion for avoiding stress in the future

Extensions:
1. Now that you’ve helped others to manage stress, it’s your turn to help yourself! Create your own plan for stress
management. In your plan, include the following items:

• Things that make you feel stressed

• Strategies for managing stress that might work for you
• Changes you could make in your life to help avoid stress

2. Do you eat chocolate or run a mile when you're stressed? Take a poll of students at your school, and get the
lowdown on how they handle stress. Analyze the results. What patterns and trends do you notice about stress
management strategies? Do older and younger students deal with stress differently? How about girls and guys?
Why do you think you got the results you did?

© 2016 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Grades 6 to 8 • Health Problems Series
Stress
Stress Log

Objectives:
Students will:
• Write about stressful situations and stressbusting techniques for four weeks

Materials:
• Computer with Internet access
• "Stress Log" handout, pen or pencil

Class Time:
Several minutes a week outside class for four weeks

Activity:
Everyone deals with stress sometimes — from little things like missing the bus or having an argument with a friend, to
big things like dealing with divorce or a sick family member. First, read the KidsHealth.org articles related to stress,
then write down a couple of stressful situations that come up each week, how you dealt with them and how you felt
afterward. Are there some things you might have handled differently?

Extension:
Choose one stressful situation that came up during the month you kept a stress log. Write a brief essay about
the situation, how you dealt with it, and how you felt afterward. In retrospect, did you deal with the situation
in the best way? If not, write a better way you could have dealt with it.

Reproducible Materials
Handout: Stress Mail
KidsHealth.org/classroom/6to8/problems/emotions/stress_handout1.pdf

Handout: Stress Log

KidsHealth.org/classroom/6to8/problems/emotions/stress_handout2.pdf

Quiz: Stress
KidsHealth.org/classroom/6to8/problems/emotions/stress_quiz.pdf

Answer Key: Stress

KidsHealth.org/classroom/6to8/problems/emotions/stress_quiz_answers.pdf

KidsHealth.org is devoted to providing the latest children’s health information. The site, which is widely
recommended by educators, libraries, and school associations, has received the “Teachers’ Choice Award
for the Family” and the prestigious Pirelli Award for “Best Educational Media for Students.” KidsHealth comes
from the nonprofit Nemours Foundation. Check out www.KidsHealth.org to see the latest additions!

© 2016 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Health Problems Series
Stress
Name: Date:

Stress Mail
Instructions: Read the KidsHealth.org articles on stress, then choose
one of the emails below. Write a response, making sure to: From: will@woefullystressed.com

• Identify what you think is causing the person’s stress

To: Stress Mail
• Provide one or two ways for reducing stress Subject: Stuck in bed
• Offer a suggestion for avoiding stress in the future

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© 2016 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Health Problems Series
Stress

Stress Log
Everyone deals with stress sometimes — from little things like missing the bus or having an argument with a friend, to
big things like dealing with divorce or a sick family member. Write down a couple of stressful situations that come up
each week, how you dealt with them and how you felt afterward. Are there some things you might have handled
differently?
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

© 2016 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Health Problems Series
Stress
Name: Date:

Quiz

1. True or false: Stress is always bad.

2. Common physical symptoms of stress might include:

a) headache
b) stomach ache
c) racing heart
d) all of the above

3. Things that cause stress are called _________________.

4. True or false: Doing things like breathing exercises, yoga, or can help
ease stress.

5. Underline healthy ways to deal with stress:

a) talking to a trusted adult
b) exercising, going for a walk, or riding a bike
c) eating a dozen doughnuts
d) listening to music
e) throwing your phone out a window
f) playing with a pet

EXTRA CREDIT:
6. The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous
system and specific hormones. The hormones _________ and _________
speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism.

© 2016 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.
 Health Problems Series
Stress

Quiz Answer Key

1. True or false: Stress is always bad.

2. Common physical symptoms of stress might include:

a) headache
b) stomach ache
c) racing heart
d) all of the above

3. Things that cause stress are called stressors.

4. True or false: Doing things like breathing exercises or yoga

can help ease stress.

5. Underline healthy ways to deal with stress:

a) talking to a trusted adult
b) exercising, going for a walk, or riding a bike
c) eating a dozen doughnuts
d) listening to music
e) throwing your phone out a window
f) playing with a pet

EXTRA CREDIT:
6. The human body responds to stressors by activating the nervous
system and specific hormones. The hormones adrenaline and cortisol
speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism.

© 2016 The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth. Reproduction permitted for individual classroom use.