Spatial Requirements: Regular classroom setup; little or no space required
Activity Type: Group
Grades: 3-12
Group Size: 8 or more
Time: 10 minutes

Introduction: We can often identify the resources we possess in life by thinking about the things that we’re grateful for. This activity will help students identify the things in their own lives that they are grateful for and recognize those things as resources to help them be resilient.

Materials:

• 1 pen and paper per group of 4
• Whiteboard and marker
• Treat or prize (optional)

Activity:

Divide the class into small groups of 4. Instruct them that they are to think of as many things that they are grateful for within a 3-minute time period. One group member should be selected as a scribe. Further, instruct them that at the end of the three-minute idea generating phase, you will call time, after which each group will select a spokesperson to read their lists. Keep track of the total number of gratitude items on the whiteboard for each group. After all the groups have reported, declare a winner. You may want to award each member of that group with a small treat or prize.

Processing the Experience:

• Were you surprised by the number of items you came up with? (Make the point that there are many things in life (including people) that help us, and that we sometimes take for granted.)
• Which of these items serve as resources for you?
• What does it do to your resilience when you stand back and reflect on all the things you’re grateful for? (Generate several responses and make the point that our resilience can be increased by regularly reflecting upon the things in our lives for which we’re grateful. These are resources helping us accomplish our daily goals that we often take for granted.)