I've rounded up the best self esteem activities for kids that you can try today! Read on to learn about them!

Click to jump to:

• Why We Need To Teach Self Esteem
• Self Esteem and Mental Health in the Classroom
• Best Self Esteem Activities for Kids
  • Crafts
  • Children's Books
  • Group Activities
• Tips for Teaching Self Esteem
• The Effects of Practicing Mental Health in the Classroom

Why We Need to Teach Self Esteem

Incorporating self-esteem activities for kids in the classroom is one of the best ways to help young children develop a strong sense of self-worth. This impacts their success in the classroom in a very real way. A child's self-esteem influences their ability to try new things, engage in social situations, and handle negative thoughts.

Children with healthy self-esteem are more likely to…

• Embrace a growth mindset when learning new concepts
• Tackle difficult tasks with resilience and perserverence
• Develop strong problem-solving skills
• Have healthy and positive relationships with peers and teachers
• Engage more with academic topics and tasks

By integrating self esteem activities for kids into daily lessons, teachers can play a crucial role in shaping positive outcomes for students.

Self Esteem and Mental Health in the Classroom

Mental health is an important part of a child's overall well-being, and good self-esteem plays a crucial role in maintaining emotional development. When children experience low self-esteem, they may struggle with negative self-talk, avoiding new challenges or doubting their own abilities.

Creating a supportive environment where children can practice self esteem activities for kids and focus on their positive traits helps to counteract these negative feelings. Teachers who prioritize emotional intelligence and social development in their classrooms help students build a positive self-image and healthy relationships with peers.

There are lots of times that we can incorporate self esteem activities for kids into our school day. For example:

• During morning meeting or circle time
• As part of our social emotional learning lesson time
• As an option during choice time or workshop time
• During transitions between lessons or going/coming from recess

Let's dive into some examples of self esteem activities for kids that you can start using in your classroom right away!

Best Self Esteem Activities for Kids

There are various self esteem activities for students that teachers can use to foster self esteem in the classroom. These activities focus on promoting positive thinking, problem-solving skills, and a sense of accomplishment.

I've rounded up some of my favorites. Some of these are independent craft projects that students do on their own, some are group activities to do together as a class, and some are discussions around children's books that are relevant to the topic of children's self esteem.

In deciding which of these self esteem activities for kids are best for your students, think of the needs of your students as well as what works best for you in your classroom planning. There's no wrong way to do it, as long as you're doing something! It's always okay to start simple and then plan to do more later.

Crafts

Crafting is a great way to help children express their emotions and recognize their strengths. Crafts help students practice and apply new skills without even realizing they are doing this hard work! I love using crafts in my classroom as a way to review any topic, and social emotional topics are no different.

These crafts have been selected because they are age appropriate and research based self esteem activities for kids. They are also very low prep, and don't require extra work from you to add to your lessons – so it's a win-win!

Here are some fun and confidence-building activities you can use with your students:

Positive Affirmations Craft

In this craft, students think of adjectives that describe themselves. They put these adjectives around a self-portrait, creating their very own affirmation station. You can brainstorm positive adjectives with your class (and weave a grammar review in there at the same time!) to help them get going. These can be displayed in the classroom, or kept at students' desks as a constant reminder of how great they are!

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

Bucket Filler Craft

In this self esteem craft for kids, students think of positive messages they can tell themselves to fill their own buckets. The bucket metaphor (see book suggestion below!) is a well-loved metaphor that is great for children. Then students write their positive messages in stars and hearts and glue them around their bucket. You can brainstorm positive messages with your class to help them get going. These make a fun display for your classroom!

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

“What I Love About Me” Craft

In this self esteem activity for kids, students think of things they love about themselves. This can be anything from their long curly hair to their funky dance moves to their empathy for others. Then students write down three of these things to help them remember how great they are. This is a wonderful activity for helping students wire their brain to recognize positive things about themselves and send themselves positive messages.

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

Taking Care Of Me Craft

In this self care craft for kids, students are invited to think hard about what they need to feel supported. Self care is an important skill, and it takes self reflection to be able to recognize what we need in the moment when we are upset. This flipbook walks students through the process of reflecting on what helps them feel better when they are upset – what people can they talk to? where can they go? what activities are soothing? Recording this information in a flipbook will help students be more likely to act on these ideas when they are next upset.

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

Self Love Journal

Journaling is an important skill that can be especially helpful to young people as they learn to navigate their feelings. Journaling is one of my favorite self esteem activities for kids, because there are so many possibilities. From positive affirmations to identifying emotions, there are lots of possibilities for journaling. Including self love journaling as a weekly activity can be a great way to help students build these important social emotional learning skills.

You can get this Self Love Journal template here.

Books

Reading children's books that highlight self-esteem and confidence is an important part of fostering a positive mindset. Children's books are a wonderful way to show examples of new strategies or concepts – when students see them in action in the characters' stories, they are more likely to be able to apply these ideas to their own lives.

I've rounded up some ideas for you that cover topics like positive affirmations, accepting and loving our unique qualities, and reflecting on our needs when we're upset. These books can be great companions to some of the other self esteem activities for kids included in this post!

Check out these self esteem children's books and choose a few to read to your students:

Incredible You

This book validates the familiar feeling of wishing we were someone else. But then it goes on to remind students of all the amazing things that only they can do! This book is great for curbing feelings of jealousy or inadequacy amongst your students.

I Am, I Can

This book provides daily affirmations, along with some activities to go with them. This is a great book to pair with the self affirmations craft.

How Full Is Your Bucket?

Students have probably heard about filling each other’s buckets to spread kindness. Whenever someone receives a kind compliment, their bucket is filled. Whenever something negative happens, their bucket gets dipped. This book reminds students that we have to fill our own buckets too!

It's Okay

This book teaches students that even when they mistake or are having a hard time, they are still worthy of love and acceptance. This is an especially helpful book to read to students who have a hard time with perfectionism or making mistakes.

Sometimes I Need

This is a wonderful book with lots of strategies students can use for identifying what they need when they’re having a hard time. Use this book to help your students reflect on how they can help themselves and empower them to ask for what they need when they are upset.

Full Class Activities

It can be fun to do some self esteem activities with your whole class. These ideas give you some anchor charts that you can do to get the whole class involved and practicing self esteem strategies.

I love doing this type of activity to hype up your class before a big test or when starting a new concept that’s particularly challenging.

You can use these examples as inspiration to draw your own anchor charts. Or, I've also included the links to check out the templates if you'd like to save time by printing them or tracing them!

What I Love About Me Chart

In this self esteem activity, students think of something that makes them unique and special. They each write their idea down on a star and add it to the anchor chart. I love this activity for highlighting that our differences are actually unique qualities to be loved and appreciated. Reframing negative thoughts about the self is so important, especially for children.

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

Positive Affirmations Chart

For this anchor chart, students have to help think of positive affirmations. This can become your own little classroom affirmation station. Post it in the classroom and let students start the day by saying a positive affirmation of their choice!

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

I Can Fill My Heart Chart

In this self esteem activity, students think of a kind message they can tell themselves. They each write their idea down on a heart and add it to the anchor chart. I love this activity for helping our students practice positive self talk and self encouragement.

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

Taking Care Of Me Chart

In this self esteem activity, students brainstorm ways that they can take care of themselves when they are having a hard time. Encourage them to think of people they can talk to about what's wrong, safe spaces they can go to reset, and soothing activities that help them self regulate. You can have students share their ideas and write them on the chart, or have students write them on sticky notes and add them to the chart themselves. I love this activity for practicing self care habits and getting students thinking about ways they can advocate for themselves.

You can get this template here, as part of the Self Love Lessons & Activities.

Positive Affirmations Song

This self esteem activity for kids is not an anchor chart – it's a song! And it's a great activity to do with your class that requires zero prep from you! Singing a positive affirmations song as part of your morning meeting or morning circle time can be a great way to start the day off with positivity and high self esteem.

I love this ABCs song because it's catchy and fun – students will love seeing the affirmations paired with each letter.

If you want to try this song out in your class, you can check it out right here.

Tips for Teaching Self Esteem

If you're ready to jump into this important work and start doing some self esteem activities for children in your classroom, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind. These will help you get the most out of each activity, so that students are absorbing and applying these skills while doing this important work.

1. Encourage Positive Reinforcement: Praise effort and hard work rather than just outcomes. This helps build a child's confidence in their own abilities.
2. Create a Safe Space: Ensure students feel comfortable expressing themselves without fear of judgment. A supportive environment fosters a positive self-image. It's important to go over norms or expectations with your class before starting these important discussions.
3. Model Positive Self-Talk: Demonstrate how to replace negative self-talk with positive statements. Children learn by example, so being a role model is essential.
4. Use Physical Activities: Engaging in physical activities like yoga, dance, or team sports is a great way to boost self-esteem and develop social skills.
5. Incorporate Social Situations: Group projects and interactive games help students practice social skills and build confidence in social development. Any time you can turn something into a group activity, you'll get more mileage out of it!
6. Introduce Role Models: Share stories about individuals who overcame challenges and developed a strong sense of self-worth through perseverance and positive changes.
7. Encourage Problem-Solving Skills: Allow students to tackle challenges on their own with guidance, helping them feel capable and independent. It's okay if these conversations feel hard. Help students understand that this important work takes time to master.
8. Engage Family Members: Involve parents and guardians in self-esteem-building activities at home to reinforce what is taught in the classroom.
9. Address Low Self-Esteem Early: If a child is struggling, provide additional support and, if necessary, recommend professional help to ensure their mental health is prioritized.

The Effects of Practicing Mental Health in the Classroom

It's not that hard to start weaving these activities into your classroom – you just have to pick a way to start and jump in! And the effects of doing so will be so worth it. Our students need these kinds of activities to help them build the skills to succeed in the classroom.

When children are taught the importance of self-esteem, they develop healthier relationships, handle social situations with confidence, and approach new things with excitement rather than fear. Positive reinforcement, a safe space, and engaging activities all contribute to emotional intelligence and self-worth. Over time, these confidence-building activities help students achieve high self-esteem, fostering resilience and a lifelong positive self-image.

By prioritizing self-esteem education, teachers empower students to believe in themselves, take on difficult tasks with courage, and embrace the challenges of growing up. The best way to support young learners is to make self-esteem a central focus in the classroom, helping them grow into confident, capable individuals.

So... Which self esteem activity are you going to start with?

Resources For You

Articles For You:

10 Growth Mindset For Kids Activities Your Students Will Love

35 Must-Have Social Emotional Learning Books For Teachers And Students

The Best Social Emotional Curriculum for Elementary School

Essential Social Emotional Learning Activities To Help Your Students Thrive

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