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Taming Anger with The Red Beast

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Resource creator

Kristina Wood

Subject

Emotional regulation (Health and Physical Education), Producing (Design and Technologies),

Level

Year 1, Year 2,

Description

Support emotional regulation with The Red Beast in a fun and meaningful Health and Physical Education lesson for Years 1/2. Aligned with the Australian Curriculum, students explore calming strategies through story, discussion, and a creative origami Regulation Helper. This hands-on resource helps young learners recognise anger and practise ways to calm down using strategies from the book or their own lived experiences.

Learning Intentions

• We are learning how to recognise and manage anger using strategies from a story

Successful Criteria

• I can talk about what makes people feel angry.
• I can name and explain different calming strategies.
• I can make a Regulation Helper to support emotional regulation.

Curriculum Alignment

AC9HP2P03 9.0 (Health and Physical Education Year 1, Year 2): Identify how different situations influence emotional responses

• recognising own emotions and demonstrating ways to manage how they express their emotions in different situations
• exploring self-regulation strategies to manage emotional responses
• identifying situations that may trigger strong emotional responses in themselves and others, and recognising the impact the responses can have on others
• identifying how someone might feel, think and act during an emergency through role-play and imaginative play
• predicting how a person or character might be feeling based on the words they use, their facial expressions and body language
• recognising how self and others are feeling in a range of situations

AC9TDE2P02 9.0 (Design and Technologies Year 1, Year 2): Use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions

• exploring how available materials can be used or re-used in construction play, for example using used wrapping paper and gift cards to design and make decorations or signage for the classroom or a school event to minimise waste
• practising a range of technical skills using tools and equipment safely, for example joining techniques when making products, watering and mulching gardens, preparing a recipe using a knife safely
• practising a range of technical skills using tools and equipment safely, for example joining techniques when making products, watering and mulching gardens, preparing a recipe using a knife safely

Materials

The Red Beast by K.I. Al-Ghani
Printed origami fortune teller template (with folding lines)
Scissors, glue sticks
Pencils, crayons, or markers

Instructions

Read-Aloud and Discussion

Read The Red Beast aloud to the class. Pause occasionally to highlight Rufus’ taming anger strategies: what helps it calm down.
After reading, ask:
- “What made the Red Beast grow?”
- “What helped it shrink?”
- “Have you ever felt like the Red Beast?”
- “What did you do to calm down?”

Brainstorm Calming Strategies

Create a class list of calming strategies, including ones from the book (e.g. taking deep breaths, going for a walk, using kind words).
Invite children to add their own.

Make a Regulation Helper

Give each child a fortune teller template.

They can either glue the calming strategy cutouts from the book or write/draw their own ideas in each flap.
Decorate the outside with calm colours or their own drawings of what helps them relax.
Help them fold the fortune teller into a Regulation Helper.

emotional regulation helper steven de gc the red beast (fortune teller origami) — How to make a Regulation Helper (fortune teller origami). Source: Wikipedia

Share and Practise

In pairs or small groups, children use their Regulation Helpers to practise emotional regulation strategies and acting them out:
- Pick a number (e.g., 3)
- Move the regulation helper with their fingers 3 times.
- Show the group what the helper says.

Reflection Circle

End the lesson with a circle time question: What’s one thing you’ll try next time you feel like the Red Beast?

Extensions

Creative Writing: Students write or draw a short story titled When I Felt the Red Beast and explain how they tamed it.
Class Display: Make a classroom wall display of Taming the Red Beast strategies collected from all students.
Home Connection: Send the Regulation Helper home with a small note explaining how families can use it together.