Invite students to write a letter to their future selves, reminding them to practice gratitude even during difficult times.
This activity supports the development of the following social-emotional skills: social awareness and self-management.
Engage students in a discussion around gratitude. You might ask:
Set a timer for 5 minutes, and ask students to make a list of people or things they are grateful for. They should write down as many ideas as possible. Then, ask students to narrow down their list to the top 2-3 people or things they are grateful for.
Ask students to write letters or postcards to themselves, reminding them of who (or what) they are grateful for. Students can also use Future Me or schedule an email in Google or Outlook to type an email to themselves, and then schedule it to send at various times throughout the year.
Alternatively, you can wait until a particularly challenging day in your class and then deliver the letters to remind students to show gratitude even when it is difficult.
Invite your students to write a letter to peers in your Empatico partner class, which expresses gratitude for them and offers them support and encouragement for navigating a particular challenge, or even just dealing with a difficult day.
Facilitate a live virtual exchange with your Empatico partner class so students can read their letters to each other, and share more about how they practice and express gratitude each day.
Guide students through a post-activity reflection by asking the following questions:
This activity was created in partnership with Kristin Harrington.
Ask students to present about a local hero they want to recognize and express gratitude towards.
Go To ActivityInvite students to share a story about someone who had a positive impact on their life.
Go To Activity
