Classroom activities

How do I teach resilience to primary students?

Resilience is built through everyday habits, not one-off lessons. Students become more resilient when they can name their feelings, reframe setbacks, lean on relationships and notice what is going well.

Habits that build resilience

  • Gratitude. Noticing what is going well, even on hard days.
  • Positive reflection. Looking back on challenges and what was learned.
  • Kindness and service. Helping others builds connection and purpose.
  • Empathy. Understanding others' feelings strengthens relationships.

Simple ways to start

  1. Model it. Talk through your own setbacks and how you handled them.
  2. Use "yet": "I can't do it yet".
  3. Reflect weekly on one challenge and one thing that went well.
  4. Celebrate effort, not only results.

Growing With Gratitude is a resilience program built on these habits, with lessons, games and posters for every primary year level.

Why schools trust GWG

  • Listed on the Victorian Government Schools Mental Health Menu
  • Listed on the South Australian Department for Education External Wellbeing Programs Directory
  • Included in ACER's national Wellbeing Program Guide
  • Evaluated in a cluster randomised controlled trial in Australian primary schools
  • Australian Government funded: Naturally Brave (2024 to 2026), a disaster resilience program for primary schools in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, delivered with Bushfire Kids Connect and Makers Empire through the National Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Ready Fund, with support from SAFECOM, the Queensland Reconstruction Authority and the NSW Reconstruction Authority
  • South Australian Government funded: funding to the Adelaide Crows to expand Growing With Gratitude into more South Australian schools, with a focus on regional communities
  • More than 1 million students across 1,205 schools in 80+ countries have been part of a GWG presentation, workshop, online program or event

Try it first

Teachers can create a free GWG HQ account and try lessons in their classroom before the school makes any decision. School options are quoted to suit what you already have in place, with discounts available for smaller schools.

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