This post is sponsored by Greater Good in Education. All opinions are my own.

Check out this fun Three Good Things social-emotional activity for elementary-age children from Greater Good in Education.

Last week, I was presented with a new activity to complete with my students in my classroom from Greater Good in Education, but let me start by telling you about my class. I’m teaching 3rd grade at a school with an interesting overall dynamic. Situated just minutes from a major university, our community is a hub for highly-educated individuals who are professors, engineers, doctors, graduate students, scientists, mathematicians, and more from around the world. The school is also surrounded by neighborhoods representing a full range of socioeconomic levels, so I teach a truly diverse population of children. 

What’s nice about this mixture of cultures, languages, and backgrounds is that children are exposed to so many types of people at a young age. However, as an educator, it also presents challenges – How do I meet the needs of such a diverse population of students?

Mental health and overall social well-being is a priority in my classroom. I am always looking for ways to build up my students. We conference individually about ways to improve their grades and test scores. We do cooperative learning groups {both same-ability and mixed-ability}, so children learn the skills to appropriately interact with one another every school day. I try to establish a strong connection with my students’ parents through consistent communication weekly. And maybe most importantly of all, I try to get to know my students as individuals who come with a variety of experiences {both good and bad} by the time I receive them at the age of 7 to 9 years old.

So I mentioned a new activity above. We worked on Three Good Things. The lesson plan like the ones at sel lesson plans is really easy to follow, and I even printed my own papers, then cut them in half, for the students to respond. This activity is a great exit activity at the end of the day, so students can reflect back on how their day went, focusing on the positives.

I found this free activity at the Greater Good in Education website, a collection of science‐based practices for integrating social‐emotional learning, mindfulness, and character education into classrooms and schools. I wanted my students to be able to see the good in what feels like just another day of school, and more than that, I wanted them to think about how they help make good things happen. Here are a few things I learned while doing this activity:

1. Kids need ideas of what to write. They may not be able to see simple things – like enjoying breakfast in the morning with a sibling, going on the swings at recess, or feeling challenged to write a creative story in class – as “good things.” Make them aware of ideas they can share!
2. For some kids, writing good things is triggering. I actually had a child cry the first day because “nothing was good” that day. I talked through it with him, and he was able to jot down a few thoughts, but I had to be aware of how far to push him versus giving him space to just think through his day.
3. Some kids still don’t have the language skills or writing skills in 3rd grade to communicate their positive thoughts well. Like any mindfulness activity (I would compare it to yoga), it’s a practice. With time, children become better communicators of their experiences.
4. Kids liked to add color to their papers. It was a great way to allow for more self-expression!

 

I definitely recommend teachers check out the other research-based ideas, strategies, and activities at Greater Good in Education to find which would work best for their students! 

What social-emotional skills do you target within your classroom?