Sharing Gratitude Creations

Overview

This 60-minute lesson for Year 0-2 students focuses on completing and sharing their gratitude drawings. The lesson supports the development of personal wellbeing by fostering awareness and expression of gratitude, promoting social connections, and discussing how gratitude relates to Taha Hinengaro (mental and emotional wellbeing). It is lesson 4 of 5 in the unit "Strengthening Our Wellbeing Whare."

---

Curriculum Links

• Learning Area: Health and Physical Education (HPE)
• Strand: Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Achievement Objectives (Levels 1 and 2):
  • Understand how managing personal emotions and expressing gratitude contributes to wellbeing (Taha Hinengaro).
  • Develop social competencies by interacting respectfully and sharing personal experiences.
• Key Competencies:
  • Managing Self: Recognising and expressing emotions appropriately.
  • Relating to Others: Sharing ideas and feelings with others to build positive relationships.
  • Participating and Contributing: Contributing to group activities, listening actively to peers.
• Values: Empathy, Respect, Integrity (seen in acknowledging and valuing each other's gratitude expressions).

This aligns with the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh by engaging students in health-related learning about wellbeing, language development through sharing and presenting, and social interaction .

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Complete their gratitude artwork using colours and drawings to represent what they feel grateful for.
2. Confidently share their gratitude creations in small groups, using simple language to describe their drawings.
3. Recognise and respond respectfully to classmates' expressions of gratitude.
4. Begin to understand how feelings of gratitude support their mental wellbeing (Taha Hinengaro).

---

Resources Needed

• Gratitude drawing templates or plain paper
• Colouring materials (crayons, markers, coloured pencils)
• Whiteboard or chart paper with sentence starters for sharing (e.g., "I am grateful for...", "This drawing shows...")
• Comfortable classroom space for group sharing circle

---

Lesson Plan

1. Introduction and Warm-up (10 minutes)

• Gather students in a circle.
• Use a "feeling check-in" where each student shares one thing they feel happy or grateful for briefly.
• Link this to the idea of Taha Hinengaro: "Our mind feels good when we notice and share things we are thankful for."
• Use simple language and model the vocabulary (e.g., grateful, happy, thank you).

2. Finalising Gratitude Creations (20 minutes)

• Students continue working on their gratitude drawings made in previous lessons.
• Encourage them to add colours and details that show their feelings of gratitude clearly.
• Circulate to support students with vocabulary and expression, prompting with questions like:
  • "What colours show your feelings?"
  • "Can you tell me what you are grateful for in your drawing?"
• For students needing extra support, provide simple sentence starters or have a peer buddy assist.

3. Sharing Creations (20 minutes)

• Divide the class into small groups of 4-5 students to share their drawings.
• Each child takes turns showing their artwork and saying a simple sentence about what they are grateful for, using prompts if needed.
• Encourage active listening: teach and remind students to look at the speaker, nod, and say "thank you" or "I like your drawing."
• Model respectful and supportive responses as a whole class before breaking out into groups.
• Teachers circulate to facilitate and support turn-taking and expression.

4. Whole Class Reflection and Connection to Wellbeing (10 minutes)

• Regroup into the circle. Invite a few volunteers to share highlights from their group discussions.
• Discuss briefly how sharing gratitude made them feel and how talking about positive things helps their mind feel calm and happy (Taha Hinengaro).
• Reinforce the connection between gratitude, kindness, and mental wellbeing in age-appropriate terms.
• Close on a mindfulness activity: a short breathing exercise or a gratitude moment where everyone silently thinks of one thing they appreciate.

---

Differentiation & Inclusivity

• Provide sentence starters and vocabulary visuals to support language learners and students with diverse needs.
• Allow alternative sharing formats (e.g., drawing a face to show feelings or using gestures) for non-verbal or neurodivergent students.
• Acknowledge and celebrate different cultural expressions of gratitude.
• Foster a safe and inclusive atmosphere for sharing personal feelings respectful of cultural and individual differences.

---

Assessment for Learning

• Ongoing observation: Monitor students’ ability to express gratitude verbally and non-verbally during group sharing.
• Anecdotal notes: Note students who use gratitude vocabulary accurately and those who show growing confidence in sharing.
• Peer interaction: Observe turn-taking and respectful responses in the groups.
• Reflection: Gauge understanding of how gratitude relates to mental and emotional wellbeing from students' contributions during whole class discussions and reflection.

---

Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson)

• Were all students able to express something they are grateful for, either verbally or non-verbally?
• How effectively did students listen and respond to others' sharing?
• Did the lesson foster a positive classroom atmosphere and strengthen social bonds?
• What adjustments might support hesitant or less confident students in future sharing?
• Plans for lesson 5 in the unit to build on this sharing and wellbeing foundation.

---

This lesson plan is intentionally paced for young learners (Year 0-2), providing scaffolded language support and multiple opportunities for expression and social connection, as emphasised in the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh. It integrates health learning with English oral language goals, reflecting the curriculum’s holistic approach to student wellbeing and competencies .