Challenge students to notice and gather small moments of gratitude in a class jar!
This activity supports the development of the following social-emotional skills: social awareness and relationship skills.
Read the book My Gratitude Jar by Kristen Wiens and lead a discussion about the importance of pausing to reflect on the different things, big and small, that make us feel grateful.
Over the course of one week, ask students to take time throughout each day to reflect and document when they feel grateful for something. This can be anything, from something kind someone did for them, a special object or experience, or a beautiful place that brings them joy! These moments of gratitude should be documented on notecards and placed in a class gratitude jar at the front of the class, or added to a digital board using a tool like Padlet.
After the challenge has been completed, gather students in a "gratitude gathering", and read the notes in the jar to recognize and celebrate your students’ moments of gratitude! During this time, encourage students to give others a shout-out for any particularly kind actions that they took.
Guide students through a post-activity reflection by asking the following questions: