WELCOME + CHECK-IN 4 Minutes

Activity: Finger-Switching Coordination Challenge

Instructions for Facilitators:
  1. Have students stand up and prepare for a coordination challenge
  2. Demonstrate the activity: Alternate between pointing with one hand and giving a thumbs up with the other hand
  3. Have students switch which hand points and which gives thumbs up as quickly as possible
  4. Challenge: See who can do the coordination switch fastest without making mistakes
  5. After the challenge, ask students to share highs and lows of their week
Purpose & Expected Outcomes:
  • Demonstrate brain coordination and complexity in a fun, engaging way
  • Create energy and focus through physical movement
  • Introduce the concept of brain development and neural coordination
  • Provide emotional check-in opportunity through highs and lows sharing
MINI-TEACH 8 Minutes

Daniel Siegel's ESSENCE Framework

Neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Siegel discovered that adolescence has an "ESSENCE" - four powerful developmental strengths that emerge during the teenage years. Rather than seeing adolescence as a problem to endure, Siegel shows how these characteristics are actually superpowers that help teens develop into innovative, passionate, and connected adults. These same qualities also keep adult brains healthy throughout life.

The Four Developmental Tasks of ESSENCE

EMOTIONAL SPARK (ES)
Enhanced emotional intensity and passion for living fully.
Emotions become more powerful and influential during adolescence. While this can lead to moodiness, it also creates a passionate drive to live life fully and capture the excitement of being truly alive.
SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT (SE)
Turn toward peers and deep relationship-building.
Teens naturally shift focus from parents to peers, developing crucial social skills. While peer pressure can be negative, this drive creates the foundation for lifelong supportive relationships that promote health and happiness.
NOVELTY-SEEKING (N)
Courage to explore the unfamiliar and unknown.
Brain changes create a drive to seek new experiences and take risks. While this can lead to dangerous behavior, it also provides the courage needed to leave home and explore the wider world independently.
CREATIVE EXPLORATION (CE)
Push against status quo and innovate new solutions.
Adolescents naturally question "how things are" and imagine "how things could be." This can be disorienting, but it's also the source of most innovations in art, music, science, and technology throughout history.