Finding Positivity

Year Group

Year 3 (7-8 years old)

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

12 students

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National Curriculum Links

PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) – Relationships and Living in the Wider World

• KS2 - Mental wellbeing
  Pupils should know:

  • How to recognise what makes them and others feel good (mental wellbeing).
  • How to recognise what negatively affects their mental wellbeing and simple strategies for managing it.
  • How to judge what kind of physical contact is acceptable, comfortable, unacceptable and uncomfortable and how to respond.
  • Ways of recognising and talking about their emotions, including having a varied vocabulary of words to use when talking about feelings.

• KS2 - Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities
  Pupils should:

  • Be taught to develop self-confidence and self-esteem by recognising and celebrating their strengths and set-backs.

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Learning Objectives

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

1. Identify positive aspects in a range of everyday situations.
2. Use appropriate vocabulary to describe feelings and positive thoughts.
3. Work cooperatively with a peer to discuss and share ideas about maintaining a positive outlook.
4. Demonstrate basic strategies to foster positivity in daily life.

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Resources

• Flashcards with different everyday scenarios (e.g., lost a toy, found a new friend, rainy day, received a compliment, mistake at school)
• Large sheets of paper and coloured pens
• Feelings vocabulary chart (smiley faces with words like happy, hopeful, calm, proud, grateful)
• “Positivity Journal” page template for reflection
• Timer or visual countdown tool

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Lesson Outline

1. Starter Activity – Feelings Check-in (5 minutes)

• Arrange students in a circle.
• Show the feelings vocabulary chart.
• Ask each pupil to choose one feeling word that best matches how they feel right now and briefly explain why.
• This warms students up to talking about feelings and primes their vocabulary.

2. Introduction – What is Positivity? (5 minutes)

• Explain simply: “Positivity means looking for good things, even when something doesn’t go the way we want.”
• Read out loud one scenario (e.g., “You lost your favourite pencil.”)
• Ask students: “What could be a positive way to think about this?”
• Take a few responses; emphasise that different people can find different positive things.

3. Main Activity – Paired Scenario Discussion (20 minutes)

• Split the class into 6 pairs.
• Give each pair 2 scenario flashcards.
• Task: For each scenario, pupils discuss together and write down:
  a) What happened?
  b) One or two positive things you can think about in the situation.
  c) How would you feel if you thought that positive thought?
• Encourage use of feelings vocabulary and positive phrases.
• Teacher and teaching assistant circulate, scaffolding conversations, asking questions such as “What else could be good about this?” and “How could these positive thoughts help you?”

4. Sharing and Group Reflection (10 minutes)

• Each pair shares one scenario and their positive ideas with the whole class.
• Teacher visually maps their responses on a board or flipchart to create a “Positivity Map.”
• Facilitate a short discussion:
  “How does finding positive thoughts help us feel better?”
  “Can we practice this every day?”

5. Plenary – Positivity Journal Reflection (5 minutes)

• Hand out the “Positivity Journal” page template.
• Pupils individually write or draw one everyday situation from their own life and note a positive thought they can have about it.
• Optional: A couple of volunteers share their journal entry with the class.

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Assessment & Differentiation

• Formative assessment:
  Teacher listens in during paired discussions, noting who can identify positive aspects and use feeling words accurately.
  Observe confidence and participation during sharing phase.

• Support:
  Provide sentence starters on cards for pupils needing extra help (e.g., “One good thing is…”, “This makes me feel…”).
  Pair less confident students with supportive partners.

• Challenge:
  Encourage some pupils to think of multiple positive perspectives or to explain why positivity can help manage feelings.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• English:
  Use of vocabulary to describe feelings and situations; speaking and listening skills practice.
• Art:
  Opportunity for expressive drawing in the Positivity Journal.
• SMSC:
  Supports spiritual, moral, social and cultural development via empathy and emotional awareness.

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Additional Notes for Teachers

• Encourage a calm and supportive classroom atmosphere to help pupils feel comfortable sharing.
• Model positive language consistently throughout the lesson.
• Consider referencing previous lessons to consolidate learning about feelings and positive thinking.
• Celebrate all contributions to affirm pupil self-esteem and build class community.

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This thoughtfully designed, engaging lesson plan ensures Year 3 pupils develop emotional literacy aligned with the National Curriculum for England, empowering them to identify and nurture positivity in their everyday lives.