Perseverance Pumpkin Patch: A Free Perseverance Lesson Plan
The ability to persevere in the face of a challenge is a skill that must be taught and practiced. This lesson contains a fun fall activity to help teach students about perseverance.
Self-Awareness
Articles
5 Ways to Build Resilience
Community resilience is always a characteristic of human communities, but what about you? When you turn your lens inward, how resilient are you?
Watch Your Language
Language is powerful. It can build up or tear down, lift up or discourage. What if we all sought to find ways to change the labels surrounding others?
My Own Best Friend
Of course we are teaching our kids about how to be good friends. But are we teaching them to be good friends to themselves?
Why We Should Teach Kids About Gratitude
Ever heard the phrase "an attitude of gratitude"? Here's why it's important.
Building a Championship Team
All year long my fifth grade class talks about champions. What is a champion? Are champions only athletes? Are champions only famous people? Heavens no! All of us can be champions!
My Best Mistake
Instead of returning an assignment with a bunch of red marks, try this strategy to help build grit.
Get Your Grit Score
Has all this talk about grit made you wonder how gritty you are? Get your grit score!
Three Little Words
Michelle Kinder shares three little words that get a ton of play in her household. You'll love this simple strategy, or rather, Jedi mind trick!
Yes ... D'Oh! ... YET
"As I’m sure you can guess, many of the teenagers don’t mind talking about what they did well, but they often shut down when asked about the frustrations. Although we honor their resistance to sharing, we also invite them to learn grit." Read more...
Why Should We Teach Kids About Grit?
What is all the buzz around the word grit? And why should we teach children about it?
Outlook: Positive
Our outlook on life gives us the flexibility to bounce back and keep moving. It gives us the vision to try again or in another way. Keep reading...
Take a Walk of Wonders
Our brain needs training to zero in on the positive things around us. Here's one easy activity!
Toss That Thought!
It can be hard to be optimistic when negative thoughts are weighing us down. Sometimes kids need a way to get rid of the negativity before they can move on.
Create an Optimistic Bulletin Board
A simple way to encourage optimism in your classroom or home!
Turn a Mountain into a Molehill
Next time you're with a child who has made a mountain our of a molehill, try these questions to bring him back down to reality.
Why Should We Teach Kids About Optimism?
Optimists see the glass as half-full. But what does this really mean? And why should we care? Read on.
Appreciations
Momentous School teacher Jennifer Hartmann shares a strategy she uses to help kids express their appreciation for each other.
Grati-Toad
Use the adorable toad as a way to help kids express gratitude... or rather, grati-TOAD.
A Second Grade Service Project: The School Gratitude Tree
Momentous School teachers Sarah and Rene think that every school should have a gratitude tree. Read on to see why.
Gratitude Journals
Momentous School first grade teacher Ashley Stephenson shares about her class' gratitude journals in this short video.
Senses Journal
A senses journal is a great way to get kids to pay mindful attention to the world around them.
Videos
Where To Find Joy - with Ingrid Fetell Lee
Watch this short video featuring Ingrid Fetell Lee, author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness, for a little help on how to find joy. Ingrid was a featured speaker for our 2021 Changing the Odds conference - plans for our 2022 conference will be announced soon!
Park on Positive | Animated
Let’s take a moment today to pause the juggling and think about the positives.
Mental Stress During the Holidays | Animated
There’s no question that the way we typically celebrate at this time of year will look very different. To make the most of the coming months, clinician Dena Kohleriter offers three tips that can help support children’s mental health as we navigate this time.
Gratitude When Things Are Hard | Animated
Check out a few ways to practice gratitude with children even when hard things happen.
Small Things Add Up | Animated
Often when we feel like our mental health is not in the best place, we start looking for big things that could be causing us stress. When we aren't able to find a big issue that is causing the stress, it may be time to examine all of the small things because they could be adding up.
The Science of Gratitude
Can being grateful actually benefit your health? Listen in to our own Tina Robertson as she explains how there's more to gratitude than just saying "thank you."
Classroom Strategy: Pass the Bell
This classroom strategy teaches students how to focus on one activity while also learning spatial awareness and teamwork.
Pass the Cup
Here's a quick strategy to help students focus attention. All you need are cups and water!