ACTIVITIES
FOR DEVELOPING CHILDREN’S SELF-ESTEEM
Bag Those Negative Messages
Have
students blow up a small balloon. On the blown up balloon have students write
everything they do not like about themselves. On a paper lunch bag have
students list everything they like about themselves. Have the students place
the balloon inside the bag. As a class have all the students stand up and
place their bagged balloons on their seats. Have them all sit down at the same
time, popping their balloons as they sit.
“My
Self Esteem”
Have students write
their
names:
I
am
M
- agnificent
A
- ble
R
- espectful
Y -
our friend
Compliment
Notes
Give your child sticky
notes with the following sentences are written:
Amy, you are good at . . . .
Bobby, I like the way you . . . .
Tommy, you are special because . . . .
Special
Candy Game
Helps group
to get to know each other and to have each member of the group think about
things that are special and unique about themselves - they also find out things
that they might have in common with others in the group
Methods:
- Have participants
sit in a circle
- Give each person 10
pieces of candy
- Go around the circle
and have each person name one thing in their life that they think is
special or some talent or ability that they possess
- As each person says
what they want to say, the other members of the group throw that person a
piece of candy if that is not something that they have in common with that
individual
Example: I say, "I
can play the piano." If you can also play the piano you do nothing, but
if you cannot play the piano you throw me a piece of candy
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- You
should try to encourage the members of the group who are having a hard
time thinking of something, as there should hopefully always be something
to find in a persons life that is good
- The game should
hopefully end at a point where all members have the same amounts of candy
again or at least where everyone has some so that no one feels left out -
this up to the leader
Advertising
Introduce the group
to advertisements. Talk about their purpose and the method in which ads get the
message across - visually and with words. Ads promote the positive aspects of a
product, the finer qualities. Ads also persuade a person into buying the
product. The individual's task in this project is to come up with and
advertisement persuading someone to be their friend. Individuals should
depict positive aspects of themselves through pictures, words, or a combination
of the two.
If an individual has a
difficult time thinking of reasons someone would want to be their friend, have
them think of characteristics they look for in a friend. At the end of the
session have participants share advertisements with one another. Let other
participants confirm the positive qualities of the presenter.
The
Self-esteem Gauntlet
Form
two lines with participants facing each other. Have one person walk or skip in
between the two lines and "run" the gauntlet. As the person walks
through the line, others pat him on the back, give them "high 5" or a
hug, share kind words, or smile at them. Encourage the person to go through the
gauntlet slowly and to listen to the words and gestures given to him.
Expected Outcome: good
feelings about self, feeling good at giving others compliments, increased
self-esteem, group cohesion.
Just
The Way You Are
1.
Listen
to "Just The Way You Are" while patients/clients follow along with
printed lyric sheet.
2.
Discuss the lyrics.
3.
Have
each student write their name at the top of a piece of paper.
4.
Pass
it to the person on their right.
5.
Have
them write 2-3 positive comments, descriptors of the person whose paper they
have.
6.
Continue
to pass papers until each student has their original paper back.
7.
Have
the student read their paper aloud.
8.
Discuss.
Other suitable songs:
S.Gomes “Who Says”, W.Houston “Hero”, Nickelblack “When We Stand Together”,
N.Bedingfield “Unwritten”, Ch.Aguilera “Beautiful”, B.Morley “Don’t Worry Be
Happy”, Ch.James “Magnificent”, T.Turner “Simply The Best”
The
Compliment Game
This game is good to
play when you have a group of children, especially if they tend to have a lot
of personality conflicts.
- Give each child a
piece of paper. Ask him or her to tear the paper into pieces -- one for
each child in the group.
- On each piece of
paper, he should write name, then list all of the positive characteristics
he can think of about. Try to have them focus on personality traits and
behaviors, not physical attributes.
- When they have
completed their lists, they should put all of them into a box. One of the
children in the class can read aloud all of the positive comments about
each child. The children are usually very surprised at how many great
things are said about them.
- If they would like,
they can keep their lists in a folder or notebook. Then, when they're
feeling a little down about themselves, they can read about how wonderful
other people think they are, and this will help when building
self-confidence.
Picturing
Self-Esteem
This
is something that can be tailored for children of all ages and is good for a
group.
- Ask them to draw a
picture of what they think self-esteem looks like or feels like.
- Encourage them to be
as simple or complex as they want and set an agreed-upon time for them to
do their drawing.
- When all the
children are done, each one can discuss his or her own work with the
others in the group.
Letter
to Myself
This activity allows a
child to express his feelings, thoughts and dreams to himself in a letter.
Encourage him to write down several goals he wants to accomplish by the end of
the school year. Save the letters and give them to him before summer break; review
with him how much he was able to accomplish in just one year.
The idea of this activity
is to have a child work toward a goal and realize he's a capable human being.
It might be helpful to review the letters prior to the end of the school year,
especially for a child struggling with self-esteem issues.
Interview
Your Classmate
Break your students into
groups of two. Set a timer for five to 10 minutes and have each student
"interview" the other person, asking questions and getting to know
her. You could develop a specific set of questions, but this usually works
better if a child is given the opportunity to create the dialogue (but have the
questions as icebreakers, just in case.) Pair up two opposite personalities or
children who may have previously struggled to get along. Have each student
present to the class a few things they learned about their classmate when time
is up.
The concept of this
activity is to show a child he has things in common with another person. It
also helps develop and strengthen empathy and communication skills, as the
child needs to listen to the other person to present information to the class.
Brochure
About Me
Make a tri-fold
brochure with colored paper. Each child should decorate the front of the brochure
with her name. List categories on the whiteboard such as "one of my
talents" or "my biggest accomplishment". Tell the students to
fill in the answers to the categories on the inside of the brochure. Reassure
the children that although the class will pass the brochure around, nobody will
be reading what is written on the inside. Once everyone is finished, provide
each child with a sticker to seal his brochure. Then students pass the
brochures clockwise around the class. Each child checks the name on the front
of the brochure, then writes something positive about that person on the back
of the brochure. Continue passing the brochures around until everyone has
written a comment about each student. Children keep the
brochures for positive reinforcement.
Personal
Control
Have a class
discussion on Eleanor Roosevelt's statement that, "No one can make you
feel inferior without your permission." Ask the class to discuss if this
is a true statement. Identify what ways people make themselves feel inferior.
Instruct students to consider situations when other people have tried to make
them feel inferior and how they handled it. Have the class list techniques
people might use to prevent low self-esteem.
"About Me" Collage
This activity is a good way to focus a child's attention
on those characteristics that make her special. You will need poster board,
scissors, glue, photographs and old magazines.
Have the child think for a moment about good aspects of her life and
personality or hopes and dreams she has. The child should then find words or
pictures from magazines or photos to symbolize those things. Glue these to the
poster board to make a collage. The child can draw things on the poster or add
glitter glue, pipe-cleaners, clip art or anything else available. Anything the
child places on the collage should focus solely on her positive traits. When it
is finished, have the child explain what each thing on the poster represents
and then hang it in a place where it will be seen every day. This will be a
positive reminder of all the things that make the child special and unique and
the reasons why the child should feel good about herself.
When
I Look in the Mirror
Place small mirrors in
front of all participants. Have everyone look into the mirrors. Ask him what positive
things he sees in the mirror. Have the group tell the individual the positive
things they see.
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