Brainy Gifts to Friends for Free
For teachers and teens who crave more mental zip, yet find themselves exhausted by holiday extras they can’t afford, the idea of fun free character gifts hold priceless offerings.
Rather than ride Grinch trains along tired tracks, students love to ring in holidays with lasting takeaways in bright packages. Gifts they create in class for free – offer brainy benefits well beyond school. How so?
Brains strengthen neuron pathways with each act of creating so givers benefit too. While newly discovered neuro facts add free fun to festivities, students’ unique capabilities grace their creations.
Holiday Giving Boosts Brainpower
First, students open personal pools of intrapersonal IQ to ensure their most confident, courageous, ready-to-roll genius.
When they are ready to wrap priceless gifts for game-changer holiday takeaways students then choose from the following gifts, to ~
GIVE …
- Novel looks. Support somebody’s new idea and watch holiday gloom re-shape into a sparkling new view. Truth is, gloomy minds default back to disappointing routines. What if you show 3 people how their talents are holiday gifts?
- Laughter drugs. Humor changes the chemistry of brains by amping up serotonin drugs. Dangerous cortisol chemicals fade into holiday hilarity. What if you asked one person to recount a comical personal story?
- Musical alterations. Singing together rebuilds trust so that differences emerge as gifts. Pelle Ahlerup, U of Gothenburg showed how singing together adds oxytocin, the trust chemical. What if you gathered a few friends to sing holiday tunes together in a senior’s home?
- Tools to tame tigers. When frustrations are fueled by disappointments, holiday magic dies. Tame the brain’s amygdala and moods lighten into jovial expectations. What if you invite one busy friend to help you plan a cheery surprise for somebody with less to look forward to this holiday?
- Finer views. Look at any celebration through another’s eyes, and you’ll open new neuron pathways to cheer. What if you listened to a friend’s holiday expectations – see it as that person sees it – and then suggest one possibility that enhances holiday fun for that person?
- Whistles while you work. Play music that rings with delightful merriment. Music changes brain wave speeds and lightens moods. What if you were to plan a musical extravaganza as this YouTube of a mall flash mob?
- Hooks onto cheer. Since the brain’s frontal region switches between “difficult times” and “magic moments,” hook wonder to replace worry. What if you were to help somebody as a way to hook onto a holiday event that brightens a difficult situation?
- Spirits outside a box. Survey multiple intelligences here for FREE to help capture seasonal spirit in strengths that many miss. Watch this homeless man sing of hope and holiday “diamonds in the sky,” for instance! What if you value a holiday gift from an unlikely person?
- Animated IQ tones. Brains literally rewire daily based on our lively actions. The Grinch may use poor tone as a silent killer, but practice good tone in response and you’ll give holiday cheer in new more animated offerings?
- Thanks to somebody. Thank and encourage those who least expect it. Why not create a card that shows the meaning of a friend’s name and shape joyous celebrations for that friend? Did you know that to use a person’s name with respect spikes personal wellbeing in that person’s brain. PET scans show a strong cerebral flow change when folks hear their names, imagine the card you could offer that person for a finer holiday season.
What brainy gift could you create this year that hold priceless value for a friend, without breaking the bank?
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Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset