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LIFE SKILLS MODULE

Research · February 2017

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31835.16162

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Azlin Norhaini Mansor

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
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 CONTENTS

1 Introduction: How To Use This Module? i

2 Background: What Are Life Skills? ii

What are life skills? ii
Who are at-risk students? iii
What are the causes? iiii
Life skills targeting model v
Module development vi
How this module can help at-risk students vii

3 Section One: Interpersonal Skills

Activity 1 : Circles Of Friendship 1
Activity 2: My Signature My Character 3
Activity 3: Missing the Message 5
Activity 4: Am I Assertive Enough? 6

4 Section Two : Cognitive Skills

Activity 1: Tree of life 8
Activity 2: i-THINK 10
Activity 3: Flying Without Wings 11
Activity 4: The Three Cs 12

5 Section Three : Social Skills

Activity 1:Tower of Success 14
Activity 2: Don’t Leave Me Out! 16
Activity 3: Are You A Leader? 17
Activity 4: Human Knot 18

6 Section Four: Health Skills

Activity 1: My Rights and Responsibilities 19
Activity 2: Coping with Stress 20
Activity 3: Hygiene Matching Test 21
Activity 4: Bad Touch 22

7 Appendix 23
INTRODUCTION:

This section attempts to provide answers to two main questions:

a) What are included in this module?

b) Why do we need to use this module?

a) What are included in this module?

This module provides suggestions and active learning activities to teach life skills for at-
risk students or youth. It also provides guidance for those who plan, manage, teach or
work with this group of students in both formal and informal programs. It could be
adapted and employed in different cultural contexts.

This module contains practical information on:

1. approaches to teach life skills

2. suggestions to plan and develop a life skills program
3. practical ideas for educators to teach life skills
4. detailed instructions to conduct life skills activities

b) Why do we need to use this module?

1. To support the existing formal and informal school programs
2. To serve as a reference
3. To guide life skills educators
4. To provide students information on sources of support

This module is for people who are working with at-risk students or young people aged
8-16 years old. The suggested activities could also be employed for students of diverse
categories. The activities could be tailored according to the program’s objectives,
program duration, students’ needs and level. The amount of time allocated for the
activities may change due to the program’s objectives, students’ needs and level.

The activities are divided into four sections. The goal for each section is to develop or
improve specific life skills which are listed below:

Section One: interpersonal

Section Two: cognitive

Section Three: social

Section Four: health

i
BACKGROUND:

What Are Life Skills?

United Nations agencies in the United Nations Inter-Agency Meeting held in Geneva, 1998
attained complete unanimity that life skills education is designed to enhance the practice and
augmentation of psychological skills in a culturally appropriate way. The objectives are to
contribute to the betterment of personal and social development, cessation of health and social
problems, and prevention of human rights violation. Life skills education is also aimed to
promote the development of psychosocial skills that are essential in combating the demands
and challenges of everyday life particularly among youth (WHO 1991; WHO 1997; UNICEF
2014).
Life skills education is a structured program. It focuses on the needs and outcome based
participatory learning that aims to increase positive and adaptive behaviour by assisting
individuals to develop and practice psychosocial skills. As a result, the individuals are able to
minimize risk factors and maximize protective factors. Life skills education programs are
theory and evidenced-based, learner-focused, delivered by competent facilitators, and
appropriately evaluated to ensure continuous improvement of documented results. It is
conspicuous that life skills approach could be used to help learners develop not only
knowledge, but also the psychosocial life skills.

Capabilities of children and adolescence in resisting negative pressures, nurturing the sense of
responsibility for making healthier decisions, and avoiding risk behaviours are predicted to be
enhanced by learning and practicing these skills (Lou, Wang, Tu and Gao 2008; Mangrulkar
et al. 2001; Kord-Noghabi and Sharifii, 2008; Ghombavani, Alwi, Ghadi and Tarmizi 2012).
Hence, life skills education is essential and should be taught to students of all levels. In
addition, life skills education could increase students’ chances of getting a job as it lays the
essence of learning skills which are needed in the current job market (WHO 1999).

Life Skills in Malaysia

Malaysia has grouped life skills into four essential skills that are paramount to be mastered;
basic, psychosocial, practical or contextual, and living skills (UNICEF, 2014). Basic skills
comprise of literacy, numeracy, information and communication technology skills.
Psychosocial skills are the ability to acquire culturally relevant skills and behavior which
allow an individual to function effectively in his/her current environment. Psychosocial skills
also consist of interpersonal skills namely problem-solving, critical thinking and
communication. Practical or contextual skills refer to technical or vocational, income-
generation, and skills pertaining to health, gender, family, environment and civics. Practical
skills empower an individual to sustain his/her livelihood and enhance his/her family’s health.
Living skills encompass manipulative skills such as behavior management, self-management,
self-care, home living and leisure.

What are life skills?

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) postulate that the
betterment of individual’s way of life can be enhanced through integration of life skills in
education training (ESCAP 2009). Like skills programs is believed to be able to augment
personal and social competencies provided that all these skills is learned by the students
(Botvin and Griffin 2004). Botvin also proclaim that health risk behaviour of students can be
ii
reduced through training of life skills program (Botvin 2002) as life skills training process
teaches the students to use and make the best decision at the same time being critical about it
(Ghombavani, Alwi, Ghadi and Tarmizi 2012).

In this module, we are based on the definition of life skills from Hendricks (1998);

“ Life skills are skills that help at-risk students to adapt and behave positively so that
they can deal effectively with the challenges of everyday life. It is important for them to
survive at school or outside of school. The skills that involves are social, cognitive,
interpersonal, and health.”

Who are at risk students?

In the year 1990, 155 country leaders including Malaysia pledged for a joint commitment at
the World Conference of Education in Jomtien, Thailand to provide Education for All by the
year 2000. Nevertheless, most of these countries showed an unsatisfactory performance as
reported in the global assessment of EFA progress in the year 2000. Hence, World Education
Forum was held in April 2000 in Dakar, Senegal. In this conference, international community
renewed their pledge to achieve the aim of Education for All by the year 2015.
According to Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad, the number of drop-outs in Malaysia was
approximately 50 000 students. Approximately 40 000 students would leave school before
completing their form five, or Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) annually (Lajiun 2012). The
statistic also shows that out of 352,000 students who graduated from secondary school, only
168,000 would go for diploma and certificate programs. Every year, 100 000 students would
enter the degree program at public universities. Yet, out of 168 000 students, 30 000 students
would not graduate from diploma and certificate programs. Only 83 000 students out of 100
000 students would actually complete their degree program.
Many countries are considering reforming the traditional education system which does not
represent the reality of today’s modern social and economic life through the development of
life skills education (WHO 1999). Schools facing non-academic related problems such as
violence in schools and student drop-out impede the schools’ ability to accomplish their
academic goals (WHO 1999). In addition, one of the articles stated in the Convention of the
Children’s Rights emphasizes on the reduction of drop-out rates and encourages regular
school attendance rates as mentioned in Article 28(e). A significant pressure from the United
Nations Convention on the Children’s Rights instigates the United Nation agencies’ support
for the betterment and implementation of life skills education at schools. It is evident that
decisive actions need to be structured by the Malaysian government to combat this issue and
cease the waste of human capital (Unesco 1984).

In this module, we categorize at risk students into three groups.

a. Students who do not achieve educational goals

b. Weak in academics - often fail
c. Not engage / alone because of social problem/ emotional.
d. Alone - discipline problems
e. Not interested in education

iii
What are the root causes of student to be at-risk?
Teenagers often face repertoire of challenges that lead them to become at-risk of dropping out
of school. While literature on truancy in Malaysia is still lacking, other studies have identified
that truancy is a behavior caused by vulnerability, school climate, family background and
community’s social environment (Baker, Sigmon, and Nugent, 2001; Heilbrunn, 2007;
Hammond, Smink, and Drew, 2007; Blum, Beuhring and Rinehart, 2000). Other related
studies indicated that low academic achievement, low self-esteem, less competent
interpersonal skills, high anxiety level, and learning disabilities could lead to school truancy
(Hammond et al. 2007; Southwell 2006; Sheppard 2005; Corville-Smith et. al. 1998; Romero
& Lee 2008; Bell et al. 1994).

Truancy is due to three major reasons namely school, home and community, and personal
factors (Mansor et al. 2012). The factors are summarized as below.

School factors Home & community Personal factors

o Lack of attendance policy
o Poor truant documentation
and monitoring
o Teacher’s uncaring
attitude
o Unwelcoming & unsafe
school climate
o Too academic oriented
o Family instability (financial, o Poor academic
health, relationship) achievement
o Abusive parent o Low self esteem
o Neglected students o Health needs
o Family pressure o Drug abuse
o Unsafe community o Lack of education
o Parents do not value education goals
o Negative role models

HOME
PERSONAL

SCHOOL

Drop-out
Figure 1: Root-causes to at-risk school drop-out

iv
Life Skills Targeting Model
In this module, we are referring to Life Skills Targeting Model developed by Hendrick
(1998). The life skills are further divided into four skills.

INTERPERSONAL COGNITIVE SOCIAL

HEALTH
(HEART) (HEAD) (HANDS)

Living
Caring  Healthy lifestyle
Managing Giving choice
 Concern for
 Resilience  Community  Stress
others
 Keeping record services- management
 Empathy
 Planning/ volunteering  Disease
 Sharing
organizing  Leadership prevention
 Nurturing
 Wise use of  Responsible  Personal safety
relationship
resources  Contribution to
 Goal setting group
Relating Being
 Accepting Working  Self esteem
Thinking
differences
 Critical thinking  Marketable/useful  Self-
 Conflict skill responsibility
 Problem solving
resolution
 Decision making  Teamwork  Character
 Social skills
 Learning to learn  Self-motivation  Managing
 Cooperation feeling
 Communication  Self-discipline

HEAD

HANDS
life HEALTH
skills

HEART

Figure 2 : 4H life skills model

Source: Hendricks (1998) “Developing Youth Curriculum Using The Targeting Life Skills Model”
http://www.extensioniastate.edu/4h/skls.eval.htm (adapted)

v
Module Development
This module was developed based on several studies and educational programs
involving a total of 300 at-risk students. These students are from Hulu Langat, Kota
Bharu, Johor Baru and Ipoh. Data was collected using a set of questionnaire which was
developed based on The Targeting Life Skills Model. School counselors, discipline
teachers and Assistant Principal were also interviewed to get a comprehensive overview
on the life-skills needed by these students.

Contrary to current perceptions, at-risk students know their weaknesses and they were
able to identify the types of life-skills needed to help them to exit from the at-risk
category. The study shows that majority of the students (90.3%) responded that they
needed cognitive skills the most, followed by skills for better health and being (90.1%),
interpersonal skills (85.1%) and social skills (85.5%). The details of the findings are
listed below:
Percentage (%)
List of life-skills Needed Mostly TOTAL
needed
Personal safety 32.3 65.9 98.2
Self responsibility 38.6 57.0 95.6
Communicate effectively 46.6 48.0 94.6
Think creatively 45.7 48.4 94.1
Goal setting 38.6 54.7 93.3
Community services-volunteering 69.1 24.2 93.3
Self discipline 39.9 53.4 93.3
Coorperation 55.6 37.2 92.8
Family responsibility 27.8 65.0 92.8
Safeguard self pride 26.5 65.9 92.4
Managing feeling 48.9 43.5 92.4
Wise use of learning resources 55.6 36.3 91.9
Decision making 57.0 34.5 91.5
Team work 54.7 36.8 91.5
Good character 57.0 34.5 91.5
Problem solving 53.4 37.7 91.1
Healthy lifestyle 33.2 57.8 91.0
Contribution to group 57.0 33.6 90.6
Learning to learn 44.8 45.7 90.5
Self motivation 54.3 35.9 90.2
Nurturing relationship 65.5 24.2 89.7
Disease prevention 41.3 48.4 89.7
Social skills 57.4 32.3 89.7
Concern for others 60.5 29.1 89.6
ICT skills 56.1 29.6 85.7
Entrepreneur skills 58.3 27.4 85.7
Develop mental and emotional strength 50.2 35.4 85.6
Empathy 67.3 17.0 84.3
Leadership skills 67.7 13.9 81.6
Sharing problems with friends 58.7 21.1 79.8
Accepting differences among friends 55.2 17.9 73.1
Stress management 46.6 18.4 65.0

vi
How life skills could help at-risk students?
Life skills learning do not change students’ life events. However, it helps students to
cope better with these events and enrich the world they live in.

Life skills learning could help students to become more aware of:

 What they are doing

 How they are doing
 How they obtain information
 How they think, feel and behave

Better understanding about themselves and others enable the students to make better
decisions. Educator could help students to look deep inside themselves, discover causes
for problems and start to develop more positive behavior.

vii
SECTION ONE: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Objectives : 1. To understand others and use this ability to interact,

collaborate, and manage communication
2. To communicate with peers more effectively
3. To be more friendly, confident and help each other in the
learning process

Activity 1: Circles of Friendship

Objective : To show that we have different kinds of friends.

Skills : Self-awareness, communication, creative and critical thinking
Materials : One large piece of paper, markers/pens/crayons

Archana
Piya
Idayu
Rahman
Herry
Lutfi
Seha Ahmad Izam

Ika Sally
Afiq
Rita Meena
ME Yusuf Eyra

Muse Aida Yusuf

Aisyah
Tini

Diba Teem
Padma
Mehala

Figure 1 : Example of Circles of Friendship

Duration: 45 minutes
Steps : 1. Teacher explains that not all friends are good friends, or even close
friends. We have different kinds of friends.
2. Teacher asks students to think about the different kinds of friends.
3. Teacher shows the example of Circles of Friendship. Teacher explains
about the circles.
4. Teacher asks students to draw their own Circles of Friendship.
 Write their own name in the middle (or draw a symbol, picture, or
initials of their name).
 Write the name(s) of their closest friend(s) in the next circle.
 Write the name(s) of casual friends (people that they enjoy talking
to) in the middle circle.

1
  Write the name of acquaintances (people they speak to
occasionally but do not consider to be friends) in the outer circle.

Discussion: The following questions could be used to generate discussion.

 How do you decide who are in your inside circle, middle circle,
and outer circle? What makes closest friends different from other
friends?
 Have your friends move from one circle to another? When? Why?
 How old is your closest friend/s? Why do people choose friends of
different age? What are the advantages or disadvantages of having
older people or adults as friends?
 What are the two things/topics of discussion that you would share
with your close friends but not with casual friends or
acquaintances? Why?
 What are the actions that you take to get to know an acquaintance
better?
 In your circle of friends, are there any reasons that make it
difficult for newcomers to be accepted? How could you help
newcomers in your community feel more welcome and
comfortable?

Note for the facilitator:

If you feel this activity is too sensitive for the group members, ask them to make up nicknames
or code names for people that they know. Pictures or symbol can be used to represent people.

2
Activity 2: My Signature My Character

Objective : To understand about effective communication

Skills : Communication
Materials : A stopwatch, worksheet
Duration : 20 minutes
Steps : 1. Provide every student a worksheet.
2. Explain the instructions of the game.
You need to complete the worksheet within 10 minutes. You have to find
your friend that suits the characteristics as stated in the worksheet. Ask
your friend to pen down his/her signature in the given box. Every
character must have different signature. You are not allowed to sign
your own worksheet. Don’t cheat!
3. After 10 minutes, you can start your searching mission.

Worksheet: My Signature My Character

Wear spectacles Shoe size: 6

Student 1 : Student 1 :

Student 2: Student 2:

Own an Instagram account Wear a watch

Student 1 : Student 1:

Student 2 : Student 2:

Have 5 siblings First child

Student 1 : Student 1:

Student 2: Student 2:

Left-handed person Carry a red bag

Student 1 : Student 1:

Student 2: Student 2:

Height above 150cm Favorite color: Blue

Student 1 : Student 1:

Student 2: Student 2:

4. Call students randomly. Ask them to give a real name for every
signature. They may forget the owner of the signatures!

3
Discussion: These questions can be used to generate discussion:
 How did you approach your friends to fill up your worksheet?
 Did you say “please” and “thank you” to your friend?
 Could you remember all your friends’ signature?
 What are the 3 words that could develop effective communication?

Examples of good communication:

Hello, what is your name? Are you carrying a red bag? Can you please sign
here? Thank you.

4
Activity 3: Missing the Message

Objective : To understand what helps and what hinders good communication.

Skills : Self-awareness, communication, critical thinking
Materials : Paper, pencils
Duration : 40 minutes
Steps : 1. Divide students into small groups of five. Explain that each group is
required to draw a picture. You will secretly tell one group member what
you want them to draw. This student secretly tells the next person. This is
repeated until the last person in the group receives the message. S/he then
draws the picture. The first team to draw the picture correctly wins.

2. Give each group a piece of paper and a pencil.

3. Call forward one student from each group. Tell them this sentence. ONCE
only…

Your last group member should draw a round table. In the middle
of the table there is a plate of biscuits. To the left of the plate
there is a spoon and to the right there is a cup without a saucer.
Under the table there is a cat with a kitten.

4. The last person will show the drawing to facilitator.

5. Discuss the communication barriers:

 Did not listen carefully
 Do not remember the message
 The explanation was too fast
 Too many details
 Cultural differences
 Stress
 Noisy area
 Intonation
 Pronunciation
 Body language

Discussion: Explain the basic elements of communication:

 Sender : Creates and sends the message
 Receiver : Responds to the message
 Message : The information that the sender intends to communicate to
another individual.
 Feedback : How the receiver responds when s/he has received the
message for example by repeating the message or by asking a
question.

5
Explain that ineffective communication is due to:
 The sender does not send a clear message
 The words are not clear or confusing
 The speaker’s intonation
 The speaker’s gestures
 The receiver does not listen to the message attentively
 The receiver could not understand the message
 The receiver does not confirm his/her understanding by giving
appropriate feedback to the sender
 The sender does not acknowledge or respond to the feedback
appropriately

6
Activity 4: Am I Assertive Enough?

Objective : To discover how assertive we are.

Skills : Communication, interpersonal relationship, self-awareness
Materials : Sign card, score card, paper, pencil.

Sign card : Score card :

S = Most of the time
M = Some of the time
A = Almost never
0-5 = You need to practice
hard
6-10 = You are doing okay,
but you still need to
practice
11-15 = You are doing well.
Keep it up!

Time : 20 minutes
Steps : 1. Assertiveness is a way of being strong for yourself. It is the best way of
communicating in many situations.
2. Give each student a paper and a pencil.
3. Put the signs on the wall or white board so that everyone can see the
signs clearly.
4. Go through the instructions of the activity :

I will read 15 statements. As I read each, think about how

often you do what the statement says. There are three signs
along the wall marked with S,M,A. When I read the statement,
write down the sign that best represents yourself about the
statement.

5. Conduct the quiz. These are the statements that can test the students’
level of assertiveness.

Quiz : How Assertive Am 1?

a. If I disagree with friend, I say so, even if it means s/he

might end up not liking me.
b. I ask for help when I am hurt or confused.
c. I do what I think is right, even if I know it may make me
unpopular.
d. I let people know when they disappoint me.
e. If a friend borrows money and is late paying it back, I
remind him or her.

7
 f. I say no when classmates want to copy my homework or
test answers
g. If a friend is talking or making noise during class, I ask
him or her to be quiet.
h. If I have a friend who is always late, I tell him or her
how I feel about it.
i. I ask my friends for a favour when I need one.
j. When someone asks me to do something that goes
against my values, I refuse.
k. I express my views on important things, even if others
disagree.
l. I don’t do dangerous things with my friends.
m. When I don’t understand what someone is telling me, I
ask questions.
n. When it is clear that a point need to be made and no one
is making it, I say so.
o. When people hurt my feelings, I let them know how I
feel.

6. Ask student to add up the number of M’s on their paper.

7. Show the assertive score card. Go over the numbers on the score card
and explain what they mean.

Discussion: Assertiveness is about defending your right to what you want or need.
Assertiveness requires two basic ways of communicating :
 Asking for what you want
 Refusing what you do not want

How to be assertive :
 State clearly what you want or need.
 Defend your right to have what you want or need.
 Say what you feel or think.
 Refuse to do what is not in your own best interest.
 Respect other people and never threaten, punish, or humiliate each
other.

Many people find it difficult to be assertive because they don’t like conflict.
They prefer to keep quiet and hope the conflict will go away. It is also
difficult to be assertive in some situation, for example, when young people
are talking to older people. It is important to discuss with the group what
are acceptable assertive behaviors with parents, teachers, religious leader,
elders, etc.

8
SECTION TWO: COGNITIVE SKILL
Objectives : 1. To think, give opinions, to understand, and to remember
things that happened in students’ daily lives.
2. To encourage creative and critical thinking in problem
solving.

Activity 1 : Tree of life

Objective : To develop student’s self-awareness about their present lives.

Skills : Self-awareness, critical thinking, creative thinking
Materials : A large poster of the picture tree.

Time : 30 minutes

Steps : 1. Show to students the picture and explain that the tree represents life.
The people on the tree are at different stages of their lives. They are
doing different things for different reasons.

2. Show the students the figure on the tree which illustrates where you
feel you are in life today. Explain the reasons for your choice.

Example: I feel like I am at the bottom of the tree waving and looking
happy because I am just beginning to practice life skills. I am looking
happy because I hope the class will help me and I am waving at my
friends who will be with me.

9
 3. Ask the children to choose one figure that is closest to representing
themselves at present time. This first figure will represent the short-
term goal of their life. Ask them to explain their choice.
4. Next, ask the children to choose another figure that represents
themselves in three years ahead. This second figure will represent their
long-term goal.

Note for the facilitator:

If students find that giving the reasons for their choice is difficult, do not force them, but let
them think about their ideas and if possible talk about their ideas to a friend. Help them by
giving simple ideas on how to explain their choices.

10
Activity 2 : i-THINK

Objective : To nurture students’ creative thinking.

Skills : Creative thinking, group work
Materials : Worksheet, pen/pencil/ colour pencils
Time : 40 minutes
Steps : 1. Facilitator explains what is i-THINK and the purpose of i-THINK.
2. Facilitator explains the eight thinking maps in i-THINK. (See Appendix)
3. Divide students into groups of five.
4. Gather up a collection of small cards that contain any topic and put
them into non-see through bag/box.
5. Ask a representative from each group to take out one card from the
bag/box.
6. In 15 minutes, they need to choose and prepare one of the thinking
maps regarding their topic.
7. After 15 minutes, call upon each group to present their thinking map.

Discussion: These questions can be used to generate discussion session :

 Why did you choose a particular thinking map?
 How do you think this thinking map can help you in your learning?

Note for the facilitator:

Visit the website http://www.ithink.org.my/Home/Page/ThinkingMaps for further ideas and

information about i-THINK.

11
Activity 3 : Flying Without Wings

Objective : To understand the meaning and importance of ‘goal(s)’.

Skills : Creative thinking, critical thinking.
Materials : A balloon, a chair, stopwatch.
Time : 20 minutes
Steps : 1. Divide students into groups of five.
2. Give them 2 minutes to discuss their goal(s) as a student.
3. Call upon a leader from each group. Write down their group’s goals (on
a piece of Mahjong paper?) discussed earlier.
4. Give every leader a different colored balloon. Ask each leader to blow
the balloon and let the balloon fly. Stand at where the balloon landed
and repeat this step until time is up. (Facilitator blows a whistle after 5
minutes). Ask the student to mark the last place where the balloon
landed. (Activity 1)
5. Put a chair at one point as target. Next, ask (leaders) to repeat step 2.
This time, they have to blow their balloon towards the target (chair).
Time is not recorded. They have to finish the task no matter how long it
takes and the manner it is done. (Activity 2)

Discussion: Goals are important in life. Long-term goals refer to goals that take a long
time to achieve. For example, furthering one’s education, getting a good
job, building a house. Short-term goals are those that can be achieved in a
short time like winning the next football match, passing a test, get an A for
Mathematics in the final examination. The key is to have a specific target or
goal in life.

To achieve specific goals you have to make effort and never give up on
reaching that particular goal. In setting your goal, make sure that your goal
is SMART!
S -Specific
M- Measureable
A-Accurate
R- Reliable
T- Time-bound

These questions can be used to generate discussion:

 What is the difference between activity 1 and activity 2?
 How did you feel about these two activities?
 Do you think that you can achieve your group’s goal? (As stated
earlier)
 How can you relate this activity with real life?

12
Activity 4 : The Three C’s

Objective : To learn skills to make thoughtful decisions.

Skills : Creative thinking, critical thinking, problem solving
Materials : A poster showing The Three C’s, a poster showing ‘Join the dots
brainteaser’, paper, marker pen/pencil.
Time : 20 minutes
Steps : 1. Give each student blank pieces of paper.
2. Draw the nine dots on a large piece of paper and ask children to copy
the pattern. Tell them that they have to join all the dots using four
straight lines.

3. After 5 minutes, give them the answer.

Join-the-dot answer

4. Ask what we can learn from this brainteaser. (To solve the problem, you
may have to think out of the box).
5. Talk about how we make decisions :
- Suddenly
- Putting off the decision until someone/something else makes
the decision for you
- Not making any decisions at all
- Letting others to make decisions
- Looking at choices and then focusing.

13
 6. Draw an outline of The 3 C’s in decision making.

The 3 C’s in decision making

1. Challenge (or decision you are facing)

2. Choices
Choice 1
Choice 2
Choice 3
3. Consequences (of each choice either positive or
negative)

7. Give them one situation. For example, should I join an after-school club?
(This can be the first C- Challenge)
8. Point the word Choices and ask students to think about different
choices towards the situation given. For example :
Choice 1 : To talk to other students who go to this club.
Choice 2 : To find another club.
Choice 3 : To carry on without going to a club.
9. Next, point the word Consequences and ask student to think of good
and bad consequences of each choice.
Choice 1 : To talk to other students who go to this club.
The students may tell you useful information and encourage you to
join them.
BUT
You may not feel the same way as they do about the club.

Choice 2: To find another club.

This may be a better club with more opportunities for you
BUT
You have not tried it so you don’t know if this one will help you. You
may get frustrated.

Choice 3: To carry on without going to a club.

You may be not taking any risks
BUT
You will not be taking any opportunities to make life better.

10. Ask everyone to agree or take a vote to find the most popular choice.
11. Explain that in life, you have to face your own challenges and make your
own decisions but you can ask for other ideas before making a decision.

Discussion: Has anyone made a decision(s) that did not turn out well?
Would the 3C’s steps have helped you in making the decision(s)? How?

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 SECTION THREE: SOCIAL SKILLS
Objectives : 1. To build awareness of other people and their feelings.
2. To create a positive and harmonious relationship and
able to maintain long-term relationships.
3. To cultivate leadership in group.

Activity 1 : Tower of Success

Objective : 1. To cultivate a spirit of cooperation in the group.

2. To help student explore their own creativity.
Skills : Cooperation, creative thinking
Materials : 50 pieces of straws, tapes, scissors.

Example of Straw Tower

Time : 30 minutes

Steps : 1. Divide student into groups of five (maximum).

2. Give each group 50 pieces of straws, tapes, and scissors.
3. They have to build a tower using their group’s creativity.
4. Give them one minute to discuss the planning and organization before
they begin the actual construction.
5. They are given 15 minutes to complete the task.

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 6. They also need to give a name for their tower.
7. The winner is judged based on the tallest and most self- supporting
structure of the tower.
8. A representative for each group has to promote their tower.

These following questions can be used to generate discussion.

Discussion:  How did you start the discussion? Who is the leader? Was s/he
chosen by the majority or volunteered to lead?
 How did your group finalize the discussion?

Note for the facilitator:

FacilitatorFOUR
SECTION can use tennis ball
: HEALTH to test the stability of the tower.
ASPECT

16
Activity 2 : Don’t Leave Me Out!

Objective : 1. To understand what it feels like to be left out from a group/society.

2. To be aware of people or groups who are left out from society.
Skills : Critical thinking, empathy.
Materials : Sets of stickers in three different colours (eg: green, yellow, red).
Time : 30 minutes.
Steps : 1. The facilitator places one of the three coloured stickers on the back
of students’ shirt. Don’t let them know the colour of the sticker yet
and remind other students not to tell too!
2. Tell the student that in this game, they will greet everyone
differently according to the colour of the sticker placed on the back
of the other persons’ shirt.
3. Tell the students that they can move around the room and greet
each other in the following way :

Green : greet this person as if they are very important to you

and who you haven’t seen for a long time. You are very happy
to see them and greet them warmly.

Yellow : greet this person as if they are someone you pass

everyday. You greet them but it is not a big greeting.

Red : this is someone you do not want to see or greet. Try to

avoid them but if you must greet them, do so coldly and try to
get away quickly.

4. Students move around the room and make their greetings for 10-
15minutes.
5. Now, they can look at their sticker and form groups according to
their sticker colour. Discuss what happened in the activity and what
it felt like to be greeted in a particular way.
6. Call out representative from each group to share their key points.

Discussion: These questions can be used to generate discussion:

 What did it feel like to have the red, yellow, or green sticker?
 Are there any people in society that are often disliked or left out?
(Eg : people with disability, HIV, homosexuals, people of different
culture)
 How do you think those people feel like when they are intentionally
left out? Try to relate with the activity.
 How can we help those people to feel more included in society?

Note for the facilitator:

Facilitator can ask students to close their eyes while you are placing the stickers.

17
Activity 3 : Are You A Leader?

Objective : To understand more about oneself in terms of being a learner and a leader.
Skills : Leadership, self-awareness
Materials : Balloons
Time : 30 minutes.
Steps : 1. Divide students into groups of five. Appoint one student as a leader in
every group.
2. Give every group a blown balloon.
3. Go through the instructions of the activity.

Ask students to touch the balloons at least 10 times

within two minutes. Touch with the tip of your finger
only. Don’t hold the balloon!

4. After two minutes, stop the game. Ask the student ;

 Who touch the balloon more than 10 times? How many times do
you touch the balloon?
 Who touch the balloon less than 10 times? How many times do you
touch the balloon?
 Why cannot you complete your task (of touching the balloon for 10
times)?
5. If there is a person who cannot complete the task, repeat the activity.
This time, remind the leader to play his/her ‘role’.

Discussion: These questions can be used to generate discussion:

 How did you feel when you could not touch the balloon 10 times
within the time given?
 What is the role of the leader in a group? How can you help your
members to complete their given task?
 How can you apply the activity in society?
 How important is the leader in society?

Effective leader is one who does the following :

 Creates and inspires vision of future
 Motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision
 Manages delivery of the vision
 Coaches a team to achieve the vision.

Once you are chosen as a leader, play your role. The best leader know what
needs to be done.

18
Activity 4 : Human Knot

Objective : To illustrate the importance of being considerate of others.

Skills : Cooperation, communication, self-awareness
Materials : None
Time : 30 minutes
Steps : 1. Divide students into groups of 6 to 8.
2. Ask students to form a circle and then reach across and take the hands
of two different people standing on the other side of the circle. Tell
them that they cannot hold hands with the person next to them (when
everyone has grabbed hands you have a human knot).
3. Next challenge is to untangle the ‘human knot’ without letting go of
each other’s hands.
4. Remind students to take their time and to make sure no one gets their
arm twisted in a way that hurts.
5. When the knot is untangled, conduct a discussion session. These
questions can be used in the session.
 How did it feel to be in the human knot?
 What did you do to untangle the knot?
 How did you make sure no one got hurt?
 What is an example in real life when everyone depends on each
other to do their part?”

Discussion: In real life most of what we experience involves people affecting each
other’s lives. When we make decisions for ourselves we have to think
about how those decisions affect others. Last session, when we did the
obstacle course, we talked about who you turn to for social support. Today
we will think of the ideas you have for making good choices and how you
can not only make good choices for yourself, but can be a positive influence
on others.

19
SECTION FOUR: HEALTH SKILLS
Objectives : 1. To place emphasis on habits, behavior, interactions and
decisions related to healthy living and how that involves
the formation of behavior that contribute to the well-
being of self and others.
2. To apply healthy practices in daily life.

Activity 1 : My Rights and Responsibilities

Objective : To share idea about children’s rights and responsibilities.

Skills : Creative thinking, critical thinking, responsibility skills
Materials : Mahjung paper, pencil/ marker/ pen.
Time : 30 minutes
Steps : 1. Divide student into groups of five. (different gender if appropriate)
2. Ask students to draw the outline of a human body on mahjong paper.
3. Explain that the body drawing will become a child’s rights and
responsibilities.
4. Students brainstorm all the rights they think they should have, and
write all the rights inside the “body” using a pen/marker.
5. Then, ask them to list the responsibilities they have. To help them, show
them that many rights have a corresponding responsibility. For
example, a right to speak and a responsibility to listen.
6. Read through all the rights that have been listed inside the ‘body’.
7. Ask students to vote for the three rights that are most important to
them.
8. Draw a thin line from each of these three rights and write the ideas
about how to achieve them.

Example of body outline.

Discussion: Rights : What children should have (food, shelter, safe water, health care,
play, etc.)

Responsibility : What children should do (respects others’ rights, help one

another, etc. )

Discuss rights of students in your country. (See Appendix)

20
Activity 2 : Coping with Stress

Objective : To identify how stress can build up and cause outbursts.

Skills : Coping with stress and emotions, creative thinking, critical thinking.
Materials : A picture of volcano or bomb, paper bags.
Time : 30 minutes
Steps : 1. Explain that many things can cause feelings to build up and that can
lead to stress and anger. Explain three types of stress ;
Frustration : occurs when someone is blocked by others or by the
situation when they want to do or ask something.
Conflict : occurs when a difficult choice must be made.
Pressure : occurs when someone feels forced to do something s/he
does not really want to do, or forced to do too much.
2. Show the picture of volcano or bomb. Explain that some people will
explode like a volcano if the level of stress builds up too high.
3. Ask the group to give examples of causes of stress in their own lives. For
example : when people harass me, when I work hard for little payment,
noise, smell, health problem.
4. Ask them to decide the point at which someone may explode (become
very angry) if all these causes came together.
5. Give them a paper bag. When they tell the other group about the causes
of stress that have been discussed, ask them to blow up and burst the
paper bag at the point where they think they should.

Discussion: These questions can be used to generate discussion:

 What are your main sources of stress? (peers, family, school, media,
others)
 How can stress be reduced?
 How can you tell if someone is stressed?
 What can you do if your friend has reached that stage?

21
Activity 3 : Health and Hygiene Matching Test

Objective : To learn about good health and hygienic practice

Skills : Self-awareness
Materials : Worksheet, pen/pencil
Time : 15 minutes
Steps : 1. Ask students to give examples of things people do for their health and
hygiene especially teens.
2. Group students according to gender.
3. Ask students to complete a worksheet on hygiene with a partner

Worksheet : Health and Hygiene Matching Test

1 Using deodorant
2 Using soap when bathing
3 Using shampoo to wash hair
4 Changing socks regularly
5 Washing school shoes
6 Trimming nails
7 Checking head lice regularly
8 Washing feet frequently
9 Wearing clean school uniform
10 Frequent bathing
11 Shaving
12 Performing breast-self examination
13 Using facial cleanser
14 Applying a hot water bottle or heating
pad to abdomen
15 Brushing teeth twice a day
16 Having a regular dental check-up
17 Changing sanitary pad regularly
18 Washing hands after using the toilet
19 Washing hands before eating
20 Using hand-sanitizer
21 Exercising regularly – jogging, aerobic etc
22 Disposing of sanitary pad appropriately
23 Wearing loose underwear
24 Wearing correct bra size
25 Using breath mint, (to prevent bad
breath)

1 Can detect small lumps that could

develop into cancer
2 May eliminate menstrual cramps
4 Clean the genitals regularly and
keeps them odor free – where are
these supposed to appear?
5 To keep the body smelling clean
and fresh.
22
6 Essentials for sexual and
reproductive health for women.
7 To keep the vagina clean when
menstrual cycle happen.
 Discuss the answer :

Discussion: These following questions also can be used to generate discussion:

 What did you learn from this activity that surprised you?
 What is one health behavior that is important enough to tell a
brother or sister or friend about?
 Is there anything you learned today that your parent(s) or friends
would disagree with? Why?
 Is there any health behavior discussed in this activity that people in
your culture are taught to do differently? What does your culture
teach about that particular behavior? Why do you think that is so?

Note for the facilitator:

For further explanation on hygiene and health care, see Appendix.

23
Activity 4 : Bad Touch

Objective : To help students understand unwanted sexual actions.

Skills : Problem solving, critical thinking, self-awareness
Materials : Puppets, body maps, colored pen or crayon
Time : 40 minutes.
Steps : 1. Using three puppets representing an adult, a child, and ‘advocate’each,.
Present a situation where a child is befriended by an adult who is giving
them food and letting them stay in his/her home. This adult then starts
to sexually abuse the child.
2. Discuss with the students if this kind of abuse ever occurs/ has ever
occurred to them or someone they know.
3. Ask student to form groups of four and give each group a body map and
a colored pen. If possible, divide them according to gender.
4. Students are asked to mark;
 Parts of the body where they would not like to be touched by
someone without their permission ; or
 Parts where they have been touched which made them feel
uncomfortable.
5. In groups, let student discuss another example of bad touch. Ask them
to act out a role play which shows adults approaching children with the
aim of bad touching.
6. The groups present their short drama.

Discussion: These following questions can be used to generate discussion :

 Where can bad touch happen?
 Who does bad touch?
 How would you handle the situation if you became a victim of ‘bad
touch’?

Note for the facilitator:

If you don’t have puppets, you can just simply give the students a related situation.

24
 FAKULTI PENDIDIKAN, UKM

Dr Azlin Norhaini Mansor

Dr Maslawati Mohamad;
En Jamallulail Abd Wahab;
Dr Mohamad Sattar Rasul;
PM Dr Rosseni Din
PM Dr Hamidah Yamat;
Dr. Khadijah Abdul Razak;
PM Dr Mohd Izham Mohd Hamzah;
Dr Mohamad Yusoff Mohd Nor;
Dr Norhayati Mohd Noor;
Prof. Dr Noraishah Buang;

PUSAT CITRA, UKM

Dr Shahizan Shaharudin
PM Dr Fazilah Idris;

IPG KAMPUS PENDIDIKAN ISLAM, KPM

Dr Zaida Nor bt Zainuddin

Dr Ali Ahmad Bin Seman

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 26

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