A lesson that promotes building character in children to become better students, peers, and family members.
Group Meeting:
Gather your group to the meeting area and have them take a seat.
To begin, ask the group if they’ve ever heard of the phrase, “being your best self”.
If so, what do they think that means?
Tell the group, “For some people, being your best self is taking all of the positive things about yourself, like the strengths we talked about last week, and using them to be the best person we can be!”
Using butcher paper or a whiteboard, divide your visual into the following sections:
A great friend is…
A great family member is…
A great student is…
Have the children either verbalize or come up one at a time to write down a character trait for each category.
If children are having a hard time thinking of traits, list some examples such as, “I think a great friend is loyal,”, “A great family member is honest,”, “A great student is hardworking,”.
To hold a group discussion, ask the following questions:
“Out of all the traits we have written, which would you say are traits you have?”
“Are there any traits you have in one category but not in another?” (example, you may be an honest friend, but not an honest student.)
“Why do you think it may be difficult to show all your strengths in these different areas of life?”
“Why do you think it’s important to be consistent with how we show our positive traits and strengths?”
“Can you think of ways to change your attitude on parts of being a friend, family member, or student that may normally be hard for you?”
To transition to the activity, explain to the group, “If we want to become and have people see us as our best selves, it’s important that we use the good things about ourselves in all parts of our lives! This way everyone we meet can know what’s great about us, and make us into great people. For our activity today, let’s think about what character traits we have that show how we can be our best selves.”
Summary of Tasks/Activity:
My Best Self is…
Pass out writing and coloring utensils, as well as the “My Best Self is…” handout.
As you are passing out the supplies, tell the children to think about the main character traits or strengths that help them feel like their best selves..
Have the group either draw out or write in each shape of the handout the traits and strengths they’re thinking of.
Share and discuss what traits each child believes are most important to them.
Afterward, have the kids flip the page over and draw out their best self-portrait!
