Second - Third Grade
Developmental Characteristics
Physical
Enthusiastic about games
Experiencing improvement in both gross and fine motor skills
Possess a high activity level
Practice to master variations of movement for physical activities
Enjoy games that allow for comparison of skills
Enjoy games that allow for self-f-improvement
Social Emotional
Have a strong drive toward independence
Develop a strong sense of loyalty to friends
Need to belong to a group
Play with and are friends with same-sex peers
Like to take on responsibility
Live in a world of games, rituals and humor inhabited only by children
Like to have a best friend
Have a rigid sense of right and wrong
Need help accepting peers who are different or left out of a group
Cognitive
Like to talk; use language to express feelings/tell stories
Developing a sense of time
Enjoy collecting things
Enjoy problem-solving games like treasure hunts
Can plan and carry out projects with adult support
Becoming more self-directed in activities
Better able to understand and appreciate differences of opinion
Week 3: Sharing with Pride (1st-5th)
Students dance freely during the Confidence Pose Parade (freezing in their strongest confident pose when the music stops), then play Bravery Freeze Dance — freezing in response to confidence challenges like "Freeze like a superhero!" — before taking turns leading the class in their own brave pose for everyone to copy.
Week 2: Growth Mindset (1st-5th)
Students draw and decorate a "Brave Brain" worksheet with things that help them keep trying (friends, practice, courage), then act out how to fix playful "oops" moments (spilled crayons, drew on the wrong paper) one at a time while the class cheers "We can fix it!"
Week 1: Celebrating Strengths (1st-5th)
Students strike "Confidence Poses" responding to fun prompts (brave superhero, proud artist, kind friend), then draw and decorate a "Confidence Juice Box" worksheet — filling it with the people, activities, and moments that make them feel strong and brave — and share one "ingredient" with the class at the end.
Chain of Compliments
Students will learn what a compliment is, practice giving compliments to classmates, and notice how compliments can make a person feel valued. The class will build a paper chain of compliments together.
Garden of Greatness
Each child makes their own paper flower with a picture of themselves in the center and one talent written on each petal. All the flowers come together to form a class "Garden of Greatness" on the wall—a visible reminder that every child brings something to the room.
By Myself Poem
Students will read Eloise Greenfield's poem "By Myself" and then create their own "I am" poems, building a list of words and phrases that describe who they are. Younger students can draw a picture instead of writing.
Honey, I Love
Students will be able to identify the people, places, and things they love — building self-confidence by recognizing the joy and goodness already present in their own lives.
Drawing Feelings
Students practice self-awareness by checking in with how they are feeling right now and using colors, shapes, and lines to draw it. Sharing is invitational, and the activity builds the language and confidence to name big feelings.
Inside Me, Outside Me
Students will create a drawing or collage that expresses how they see themselves and how others see them — building self-confidence by giving voice to who they are on the inside.
Motivational Self Talk Book
Reflect on what types of statements energize and motivate them, create their own motivational self-talk statements and turn them into a book, and share and discuss their statements with classmates.
Positive Word Cloud
Students will write positive words and phrases to describe each of their classmates, then receive and read the words their peers wrote about them and turn those words into a personalized word cloud. They'll then reflect on how it feels to give and receive compliments and what the descriptions reveal about how others see them.
Self Sculptures
Students will identify a personal goal and use Play-Doh to sculpt two figures — one representing something they will do to achieve it and one representing something they will let go of — then share and discuss their sculptures with the group.
Self-compliment
Students will write a secret self-compliment, then take turns using the Operation game to pull out and read classmates' compliments while trying to guess who wrote each one.
All About Me
Each child creates their own small book titled "All About Me," using drawings and magazine pictures to share who they are, what they love, and what they hope for. The lesson builds literacy, creative thinking, and self-recognition all at once.
Look How I Can Move
A joyful, music-based activity where students explore self-expression and cultural awareness by creating body movements in response to different multicultural music styles.