The Stellar Way – Weigh Down Bag

This activity allows the child to actually feel how anger can weigh us down, preventing us from being our best selves. By using the metaphor ‘weigh us down’ we provide a concrete concept to the abstract form of feelings, which increases the child’s understanding of how their anger impacts them. 

The child is asked to draw a picture of what angers them. They place the drawing in the pocket of the Weigh Down, tie it around their waist and are asked to dance the Hokey Pokey (or another song they like). They then are asked to process their anger, express their feelings, and see if they could have handled the situation differently. They dance again without the Weigh Down and can actually feel the difference.  

Pictured in the Drawing: This client described how he was angered by “Bully Bob” on the playground. “Bully Bob” called him names for over a week. We processed the event and talked about ways he could handle it in the future.