What's the Buzz? for Primary Students: A Social Skills Enrichment Programme

What’s the Buzz? is an internationally renowned series of programmes designed to help children and young people develop social and emotional awareness. Now available in a revised second edition, What’s the Buzz for Primary Students is a sixteen-lesson programme targeting everyday social challenges faced by primary aged children, such as peer pressure and bullying style behaviours; competition and handling disappointment; feelings and wellbeing and self-awareness. Each lesson is designed around the SAFE criteria (Sequenced; Active; Focused; Explicit) and includes:

• A new and beautifully illustrated ‘Archie’ story, in which the popular character faces a new and relatable social challenge
• A series of lively and exciting games and activity suggestions
• Role-plays and discussion points so that children can put their skills into practice in a supportive environment

Having already proven to appeal to teachers and support staff, counsellors and psychologists worldwide, this resource is suitable for anybody looking to enrich the social lives of children.

Resources and training modules to support this book can be found on the website www.whatsthebuzz.net.au.

Table of Contents

Front Matter

• List of Photocopiable and Online Resources
• A Quick Guide to the Games
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements

Introduction

Lesson 1. Meeting people and exiting

Lesson 2. Seeking attention

Lesson 3. Peer pressure; when to follow and when to go your own way

Lesson 4. Being Friendly

Lesson 5. Competition; winning and losing with style

Lesson 6. Feelings; yours, mine and everyone’s

Lesson 7. Feelings and the warning signs

Lesson 8. Feelings and thinking positively

Lesson 9. Feelings and Wellbeing

Lesson 10. Empathy

Lesson 11. Anxiety - name it and work with it

Lesson 12. Handling Disappointment

Lesson 13. Bullying and bullying-styled behaviours; dealing with them

Lesson 14. The connecting ART of conversation

Lesson 15. Self-awareness: building emotional intelligence and identity

Lesson 16. The value of giving encouraging feedback

"Having used ‘Archie’s BIG BOOK of friendship adventures’ together with the ‘What’s the Buzz? For Early Learners’ I strongly believe that a new edition that incorporates an older Archie (e.g 11 or 12 years of age) with stories at the beginning of every lesson will enhance the new edition. Reflecting on the new titles for some of the chapters makes sense too as well as the new chapter, ‘Giving friendly feedback’. This is an area that continues to grow in today’s society. Students seem to come to school or pre-school with immature social skills and emotional development. Students with additional needs such as ASD, Attention disorders, anxiety are more prevalent in educational settings and as such staff and families are needing educational resources like What’s the Buzz and Archie to assist implement these program at home, school or in other health services."
- Virginia Evans, Head of Kurrajong, Pulteney Grammar School, South Australia