Gratitude and Appreciation
Lesson by LessonUp UK Spotlight
This lesson contains 13 slides, with interactive quizzes and text slides.
Gratitude and Appreciation
Welcome teachers to this PSHE and wellbeing lesson on gratitude and appreciation. This resource explores the psychological benefits of thankfulness and positive reflection, offering fully customisable elements and interactive tools to use with your class.
Smelling a flower
Watching a sunset
Eating a well prepared meal
I find these irrelevant
What are you most grateful for?
Use this poll to gather immediate feedback on how often students actively practise gratitude in their daily lives. This establishes a baseline of student behaviour before introducing reflection techniques.
What will we learn today?
Understand what gratitude and appreciation mean.
Explore how gratitude can improve wellbeing and relationships.
Learning Objectives
What is your definition of gratitude?
Use this open question to collect students' individual understandings and definitions of gratitude before introducing the official definition.
What is gratitude?
Gratitude means recognising the good things in life.
It includes appreciating people, experiences and opportunities.
It is more than just saying "thank you".
Gratitude helps us notice support from others.
Gratitude is like turning on a torch and spotting the positives around you.
This informative slide outlines the formal definition and core components of gratitude. It provides the foundational knowledge required for the subsequent lesson activities.
Why does gratitude matter?
Research suggests gratitude can:
Increase positive emotions
Strengthen relationships
Improve wellbeing
Encourage kindness and generosity
This informative slide details the physical and psychological benefits of gratitude on mental wellbeing. It explains the scientific evidence behind positive reflection to ground the practical activities.
What are you thankful for?
Use this open question to prompt students to share personal examples of things they value in their daily lives. This helps them apply the concept of gratitude directly to their own experiences.
Feedback
Different people value different things.
Gratitude can focus on both big and small positives.
Everyday moments are often overlooked.
Appreciating others can strengthen relationships.
This item has no instructions
Gratitude and Relationships
Appreciation helps people feel valued.
Saying thank you shows respect.
Recognising effort can strengthen friendships.
Gratitude can improve teamwork.
Small acts of appreciation can have a big impact.
This informative slide explains how expressing gratitude strengthens interpersonal relationships and builds social connections. It outlines the impact of appreciation on friendships and family dynamics.
Gratitude Meditation
Watch and discuss:
How did the exercise make you feel?
Why might gratitude affect wellbeing?
Could gratitude become a daily habit?
This video is optional, and will depend on your learning environment.
Thank your teacher or classmates for something you appreciate
Use this open question to collect written messages of thanks from students to their peers or teachers. This activity provides practical experience in expressing gratitude within the classroom environment.
Who has helped you recently?
What is something you are grateful for today?
How does appreciation affect relationships?
Reflection
Use this answer by category slide as an exit ticket to sort student reflections on gratitude into distinct groups.
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