Why calm bodies make better learners and how we're helping our kids thrive this Term 3

Young and Healthy · May 2026

Did you know that emotions pass through the body in just 90 seconds? According to Harvard brain scientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, when something triggers an emotional response, a chemical process floods through the body — and naturally clears — within 90 seconds. If a child (or an adult) stays upset longer than that, it's because their thinking mind has grabbed hold of the feeling and kept it going.

"When a person has a reaction to something in their environment, there's a 90-second chemical process that happens; any remaining emotional response is just the person choosing to stay in that emotional loop." — Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, Harvard brain scientist and author of My Stroke of Insight

Which means the single most powerful thing we can give our tamariki isn't a screen or a reward chart, it's the tools to notice how they're feeling, make a choice about what they need, and take action to look after themselves in ways that they can choose. That's a life skill. And it's exactly what we teach.

Meet the Power Up framework

At the heart of the Power Up Virtual Adventure is a simple, three-step framework that tamariki can use anytime, anywhere; in the classroom, on the playground, or at home.

Check in: How am I doing? Tamariki pause and notice what's happening in their body and mind right now.

Choose: What do I need right now? They identify what would help them feel better, more focused, or more settled.

Power Up: Take action to power up their amazing brain and body. This might be hydrating, moving their body, eating something nourishing, taking a rest or taking a moment to be mindful.

It sounds simple, because it is. And that's the point. When children have a repeatable way to tune in to themselves and respond with care, they build self-awareness and resilience that stays with them for life.

Hauora is holistic

The Power Up framework is deeply aligned with Te Whare Tapa Whā — Sir Mason Durie's model of Māori health and wellbeing, developed in 1984.² The model uses a wharenui (meeting house) as its symbol: four walls, all equally essential, all holding each other up. Those four dimensions are taha tinana (physical wellbeing), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing), taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing), and taha whānau (family and social wellbeing), grounded in connection to the whenua.

When tamariki Check In, Choose, and Power Up, they are, often without realising it, tending to all four walls of their wharenui. Movement powers taha tinana. Mindfulness supports taha hinengaro. Connection with others nurtures taha whānau. And doing it together, as a class, builds something that goes beyond any single lesson.

Introducing the Power Up Virtual Adventure

This Term 3, we're inviting schools across New Zealand to experience the Power Up framework in action through the Power Up Virtual Adventure. It's a free, easy-to-run wellbeing programme where tamariki get moving, build healthy habits, and learn that looking after themselves is something worth doing every day.

It's fun. It's impactful. And it doesn't cost a cent.

Schools that have participated before know the difference it makes, not just in how their ākonga feel, but in how they show up in the classroom. Teachers tell us students are more focused, settled, and more connected to each other while taking part.

Movement is medicine

When tamariki move their bodies, something shifts. The nervous system settles. Stress hormones drop. The brain gets the oxygen and natural chemistry it needs to focus. Movement breaks aren't lost learning time, they're the thing that makes learning possible in the first place.

Sign up your class or whole school, today

If you're a teacher, principal, or school leader in Aotearoa, this is your invitation. The Power Up Virtual Adventure runs in Term 3 and registrations are open now. It's free, it's flexible, and it's a great way to engage with whānau too.

Head to youngandhealthy.org.nz to register, or reach out to Kim at kim.harvey@youngandhealthy.org.nz. We'd love to have you join us.

Kia pai te rā,

Kim

Young and Healthy 2019 Trust,

Supporting hauora / wellbeing for life.

References

1. Taylor, J.B. (2008). My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey. Viking/Penguin. The 90-second rule is also discussed in: Psychology Today — "The 90-Second Rule That Builds Self-Control" (psychologytoday.com)

2. Durie, M. (1998). Whaiora: Maori health development. Auckland: Oxford University Press, pp. 68–74. See also: Ministry of Health NZ, "Te Whare Tapa Whā model of Māori health," health.govt.nz; Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, mentalhealth.org.nz/te-whare-tapa-wha