Optimism: Activity Center
Use these fun, family-friendly activities to get your kids thinking positive. There are activities for all age levels, so try one with your child today.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience
The goal of this activity is to help children identify several possible causes of a problem.
Ingredient: Emotional Awareness, Optimism, Empowerment
Rather than always focusing on the "ers," like better, stronger, healthier, create a list of items that you and your family already have in abundance.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience
The goal of this activity is to help children find positive meaning in a negative event.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Pick a park or street in your neighborhood and go on a 15-minute nature sense walk.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
At least once a week, take a 5-minute "beauty detour" with your child.
Ingredient: Optimism, Empowerment, Resilience, Goal Setting
Any "downtime" you have with the kids can be the perfect time to discuss positive changes with your child.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience, Hope, Empowerment, Emotional Awareness
Help your children to take stock of and clean out the "mental clutter."
Ingredient: Empowerment, resilience, emotional awareness, hope/goal
setting, optimism
Learning how to make good decisions and to problem solve is a way to build mastery skills.
Ingredient: Optimism, Empowerment
You can help your family enjoy the benefits of doing less and slowing down by challenging yourself to take a few "long cuts" each week.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience, Empowerment, Emotional Awareness
Encourage your whole family to create and display a list of activities that bring them joy.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Empowerment, Resilience, Optimism
Challenge yourself to praise not just the moments your child succeeds, but the steps they took to get there.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Help your child discover as much as they can about the good things happening in their lives by using open-ended questions that encourage long responses.
Ingredient: Optimism
Select various food/snacks, such as Goldfish® crackers, yogurt or fruit. Eat one of the items you selected and notice all the different tastes and textures.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Find a photograph that captures a happy experience.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Work with your child to decorate a box that is kept on the table you eat at regularly.
Ingredient: Optimism
Invite a few other moms and their kids to your house for a "savoring party."
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Create a list of simple items or experiences that make you and your child laugh, smile, or that bring a sense of pleasure.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience
The first, and most important, step in enhancing your family's sense of meaning is to think about experiences in the past that have felt meaningful.
Ingredient: Optimism, Empowerment
Explore with your children what they enjoy about themselves and their body—not simply it's appearance, but what it can do!
Ingredient: Emotional Awareness, Empowerment, Optimism
Leading by example is a great way to help make expressing gratitude a part of your family's daily life.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience
The purpose of this game is to help children develop the ability to see a situation from another person's perspective.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Emotional Awareness, Optimism, Empowerment, Resilience
Help your child communicate and work through a grudge with a set of simple circles and a positive attitude.
