How it Works – Growing with Gratitude

How it Works

Teacher Tactics

Please Note: “Home Grown Gratitude” is the home/family version with the same aim as “Teacher Tactics”.

As a teacher, you know the importance of preventing mental health issues in children at an early age. And you have wanted to implement a powerful wellbeing program at your school for some time, but you’ve been stopped by a lack of time in your already bursting teaching schedule to wrap your head around the numerous complicated programs out there.

That’s why we take pride in the fact that we’ve developed Growing with Gratitude. It is an easy-to-implement way with simple, ready-made resources that teachers like you can implement immediately in the classroom and that are backed by powerful research. This program works and most daily activities are only 2-10mins long.

Why We Created Growing With Gratitude:
Teachers Tactics

how_it_works_1

  • Mental Health Issues in children in Australia, USA, UK & in many parts of the world are at high levels
  • Teachers and parents are aware of the issues but are not sure how to prevent/reduce mental health issues
  • They may not be aware of the power of teaching children and themselves positive habits
  • Teachers are time poor and find it hard to fit additional teaching practices into their daily schedules

Easy to Use, Engaging & Fun

For Students/Children

  • Learn positive habits in a fun and engaging way through the extremely popular Habits of Happiness Wheel

For Teachers & Parents/Families

  • Ease of implementation: Our resources are ready-made and the research has been done for you PLUS the daily activities are only 2 – 10 minutes long.
  • Ready made resources: The resources provide an element of fun for you and the students
  • Flexible in design: The program is set so you can add your own twist to the activities and the implementation. If an activity does not suit your classroom that day, spin again or hand pick a suitable activity.

how_it_works_2

What to Expect: the Proven Results,Outcomes & Wellbeing Benefits

We did not want to launch Growing With Gratitude without robust evidence of the program achieving what we aim to do. We teamed up with the University of South Australia and tested the program with over 600 children from Australia and Hong Kong.

The data has just come in and currently being analysed by Professor Debbie Price and Dr Deborah Green from the University of South Australia. The early indications are IT WORKS!
A full report will be made available once complete.

Benefits for Students/Children

  • Prevent/reduce mental health issues in children through learning positive habits as soon as they start school. Students will be equipped with the necessary tools to work through life’s challenges and cope with stresses of life.
  • Promote optimism and resilience by working through challenges by learning strategies for positive thinking and to learn, “I will find a way”.
  • Reduce behavioural issues. A major cause of poor behaviour is selfishness. Through students learning habits of gratitude and kindness they will develop a sense of less entitlement and a greater consideration for others.
  • Increase creativity in students through learning mindfulness
  • Promote social and emotional wellbeing through learning habits that develop a positive sense of self, build respectful relationships and help students manage their own emotions and make responsible choices.
  • Promote teacher/student/family relationships through the journey of learning the 5 Habits of Happiness as a class community and as a family.

Benefits for Teachers & Parents/Families

  • Promotes a growth mindset in students not to give up
  • Creates a grateful, kind and happy class environment
  • Improved academic results from students: The 5 Habits of Happiness activities heavily focus on cultivating gratitude, kindness, optimism and mindfulness. We know these virtues develop happiness and positive emotion, which puts students in a better frame of mind to learn.

steps

The activities are based around the 5 Habits of Happiness

The Five Habits of Happiness

1.

An Attitude of Gratitude

Students are guided to regularly think about, discuss and record the things they are grateful for in their daily lives and environment.

2.

Random Acts of Kindness

Students are guided to plan for and regularly complete small acts of kindness.

3.

Positive Reflection

Students are guided to reflect on and record the things that they are grateful for and any positive experiences they have.

4.

Wellbeing Warriors

Students choose to complete a minimum of 15 minutes of exercise, read five pages of a book, make healthy food choices, or complete a mindfulness activity or meditation each day.

5.

Operation Home Service

Students are guided to plan ways they can regularly help out at home e.g. doing the dishes or cooking dinner.

how_it_works_3

The program is linked with:

  • The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA): Health and PE
  • The Personal, Social and Physical Education Scope & Sequence (PSPE) in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and is aligned aligned with the Dr Martin  Seligman’s PERMA guidelines.

Please Note: The program is simply adapted to all school curriculums

Grade Level Modules

The modules/lesson plans have been developed as Year Level specific Rec/Prep – Grade 7) and are available in two versions, one aligned to the Australian Curriculum and one aligned to the IB stream.

Each Year Level specific curriculum focuses on one key element of the Habits of Happiness, and it is designed so that a child could do the program every year of their primary school experience and learn something new from the program.

The grade level modules are available from the free resource library. To download the modules go to www.growingwithgratitude.com/library and register as a school or teacher.

how_it_works_4

Click Button to Read More

Basic Program Plan

Basic Program Plan

Short daily activities (2–10 minutes long) to be completed each school day during the Term and recorded in students’ Gratitude Journals.

4 x 45 minute classes taught over a period of four weeks or (five x 45 minute classes for Year 7s), each session focusing on a different element of the Habits of Happiness.

Teacher Directions

Teacher Directions

Activity

Short daily activities (2–10 minutes long) to be completed each school day during the Term and recorded in students’ Gratitude Journals.

Purpose

To practice gratitude growing behaviours so they become habits

Activity Length

2–10 minutes per day When: Each day at a designated time e.g. at the days beginning or before lunch

  1. Choose a student or teacher spins the wheel to see which activity to complete.
  2. Whichever activity the spinner stops on is the activity all students complete. (If it lands on the same activity multiple times in a row or the activity doesn’t suit that day, you can choose to spin again).
  3. Direct students to use their Gratitude Journals to record their progress each day.
  4. Junior Primary students may find some activities challenging. Teachers are able to adapt the tasks to suit or choose a more suitable activity.