About This Lesson
Movement and sleep are two simple but powerful ways to support wellbeing, learning, and emotional health.
This Movement & Sleep for Happiness activity bundle helps students understand how physical activity and healthy sleep habits can affect the way they feel, think, learn, and function throughout the day. Through reflection activities, practical strategies, and classroom-ready resources, students explore their own movement and sleep habits and identify small, realistic changes that can support their wellbeing.
The activities are designed to help students learn why movement and sleep matter. Students are encouraged to discover what works for them and create personalized strategies they can use at school and at home.
Designed with autistic learners and diverse learning needs in mind, the activities can be adapted for writing, drawing, discussion, visual supports, movement, or other individualized communication methods.
Here’s what you’ll get:
Sleep for Happiness Activities
- Introduction to Sleep for Happiness activity
- Sleep Shifts activity to help students identify and explore changes to their sleep habits
- “6 Benefits of Good Sleep” classroom poster
- Teacher recommendations for integrating sleep concepts into current instruction
- IEP recommendations
- Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) recommendations
Movement for Happiness Activities
- Personal Reflection on Movement for Happiness
- Exploring Movement Types & Mood-Boosting Additions
- Build Your Movement Recipe activity
- Teacher recommendations for integrating movement into current instruction
- IEP recommendations
- Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) recommendations
Why you’ll love this activity bundle:
- Helps students understand the connection between movement, sleep, mood, and wellbeing
- Encourages students to develop greater awareness of their own bodies, energy, and daily habits
- Gives students practical strategies they can use to support their wellbeing
- Promotes healthy movement and sleep habits without a one-size-fits-all approach
- Encourages student choice and personalization
- Supports self-awareness, emotional regulation, and independence
- Connects wellness concepts to everyday classroom routines
- Supports SEL, special education, autism support, and whole-class instruction
- Can be adapted for a wide range of communication and learning needs
- Includes practical IEP and BIP recommendations
- Makes it easy to incorporate positive psychology and wellbeing into existing instruction
Ways to use:
- Social-emotional learning (SEL)
- Health and wellness lessons
- Special education and autism support classrooms
- School counseling and social work
- Small-group instruction
- Morning meetings
- Brain breaks and movement breaks
- Classroom wellness activities
- Advisory periods
- Individualized IEP goal work
- Emotional regulation lessons
- Home learning and family discussions
- Whole-class lessons on healthy habits
What is Sleep for Happiness?
Sleep for Happiness is a science-backed wellbeing skill that helps students and families explore how high-quality sleep supports both physical health and emotional wellbeing. More than just rest, sleep is an active process that restores the brain, regulates emotions, and boosts happiness.
Grounded in the work of leading sleep scientist Matt Walker, this skill highlights how small, consistent habits like setting a regular bedtime, limiting screen time, and creating a calming routine can make a big difference. Whether you’re struggling with sleep or just want to feel better day to day, this resource offers practical, inclusive strategies to help all learners, especially those with autism, unlock the benefits of better sleep. Better sleep means better focus, stronger relationships, greater resilience, and a happier, more balanced life.
Science of Sleep for Happiness
Research consistently shows that quality sleep is a cornerstone of happiness and life satisfaction. Sleep doesn’t just impact physical health; it also plays a vital role in wellbeing. Scientists have discovered that sleep plays a critical role in regulating mood. In fact, research by leading sleep scientist Matt Walker shows that during sleep, the brain processes emotions, consolidates memories, and repairs itself, promoting mental clarity and emotional resilience.
BENEFITS
People who cultivate regular, high-quality sleep are more likely to experience:
- Higher levels of happiness
- Reduced stress and greater emotional regulation
- Improved cognitive functioning, including focus, memory, and decision-making
- Greater resilience to mental health challenges, including reduced risk of depression and anxiety (linked directly to better REM sleep)
- Improved relationships due to better mood and patience
- Enhanced cell growth in the brain
- Increased life satisfaction and overall wellbeing
Looking for More Sleep for Happiness Resources?
Explore the free Sleep for Happiness Unit Study, which includes teaching slides, additional worksheets and activities, and even IEP and BIP recommendations tailored specifically to students with autism.
What is Movement for Happiness?
Movement for Happiness is a wellbeing practice that emphasizes the importance of joyful movement for mental and physical health. Engaging in joyful movement can immediately lift your mood, with no minimum amount of movement required to experience the positive effects. Over time, regular movement can lead to greater happiness and life satisfaction.
For autistic students, who are often less physically active, integrating daily movement breaks and reflections can be a powerful way to boost physical wellbeing and happiness. This wellbeing skill offers tools and strategies to help educators, students, and staff start incorporating movement into their lives and teaching others to do the same, promoting happiness both inside and outside the classroom.
Science of Movement for Happiness
Movement has been known to trigger the release of endorphins, the brain's "feel-good" hormones. These hormones promote mental health and mood enhancement, famously referred to as the "runner's high." Recent research has revealed that muscles also play a vital role in mood regulation. The benefits of regular movement include:
- Higher levels of happiness
- Enhanced mood and immune function
- Improved sleep quality and duration
- Better cognitive and behavioral functioning
- Increased social inclusion and overall wellbeing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Looking for more Movement for Happiness Resources?
Explore the free Movement for Happiness Unit Study, which includes teaching slides, additional worksheets and activities, and even IEP and BIP recommendations tailored specifically to students with autism.
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Bonus access to full lesson plans and unit studies on the skills of happiness at our Skill Center.
