Optimism: Activity Center
Use these fun, family-friendly activities and games for kids to get them thinking positive. There are activities for all age levels, so try one with your child today.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
Starting school again can be stressful on a lot of kids. So grab a picnic
blanket, throw it over your dinner table, and delve into your favorite summer
memories with this simple activity.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
"Flow" occurs when you are fully immersed in an activity. We can help children experience "Flow" by identifying activities that require them to use their strengths, skills, and talents to the max.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
Summer is a great time for a family service project to teach social responsibility. To get started, use the “Be the Change” worksheet to brainstorm and identify an appropriate project.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
We do things to keep learning from fading during the summer, but have you ever thought of doing the opposite - helping your kids keep their “summer learning” from fading during the school year?
Ingredient: Optimism, Goal Setting/Hope, Empowerment
Make the most of summer free time by making a list of things your family wants to do, not has to do.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience
Savor spring and relish in positive emotions with this family-fun, easy new game.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
Help your children focus on the good in the world with this optimistic family-fun activity.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
To build a strength, you have to practice! Pick a strength with your child, then make a few weekly goals to improve it.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
This is a great way to help your kids recognize their strengths, and help them notice strengths in others, too!
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Emotional Awareness, Optimism, Empowerment
Make a "Love List" with your kids. Decorate it with words, drawings, and photos that represent all the different ways you and your child love each other.
- Pre-K and Younger
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
Here are some ideas for creating family rituals and traditions. Include your children in so that everyone enjoys them!
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
An End-of-Year family ritual for your family to reflect and build upon Fishful Thinking skills.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
Reflect on accomplishments of the past school year and make goals for the next one with this simple poster activity.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Emotional Awareness, Optimism
Create an Awe Wall in your home to teach your children to value being awe-struck and that feeling connected to something larger than oneself.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness, Goal Setting/Hope, Resilience, Empowerment
A great family-fun way to keep your kids busy with things they enjoy that will also enrich their lives.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience, Emotional Awareness
Build this simple, daily breathing activity into your schedule to feel more relaxed, resilient, and rejuvenated.
Ingredient: Emotional Awareness, Optimism, Empowerment, Resilience, Goal Setting
An End-of-Year family ritual for your family to reflect and build upon Fishful Thinking skills.
Ingredient: Emotional Awareness, Optimism, Resilience
You're likely very attentive when your child comes to you with a problem, but what about when they come to you with good news?
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience, Goal-Setting/Hope, Empowerment, Emotional Awareness
Help your children develop empathy through these simple, family-fun role-playing games.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience, Goal-Setting, Empowerment, Emotional Awareness
Giving children knowledge of their strengths is a great way to empower them. Create a Strength Family Tree together.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Teach your children to value and savor positive emotions by creating a ritual that spotlights a positive feeling.
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: 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, 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: 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, 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
Explore with your children what they enjoy about themselves and their body—not simply it's appearance, but what it can do!
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: 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: Emotional Awareness, Optimism, Empowerment, Resilience
Help your child communicate and work through a grudge with a set of simple circles and a positive attitude.
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, Resilience
The goal of this family-fun activity is to help children identify several possible causes of a problem.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Work with your child in this family fun activity to decorate a box that is kept on the table you eat at regularly.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
At least once a week, take a 5-minute "beauty detour" with your child in this family fun activity.
Ingredient: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Find a photograph that captures a happy experience.
Ingredient: Optimism, Resilience
The purpose of this family-fun 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: Optimism, Emotional Awareness
Pick a park or street in your neighborhood and go on a 15-minute nature sense walk.
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
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 goal of this family-fun activity is to help children find positive meaning in a negative event.
- Kindergarten - Grade 2
- Grades 3-5
- Grades 5 & Up
Ingredient: Goal Setting/Hope, Optimism
Form a We-Can club to help your children make positive changes in your neighborhood.
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.
