TEACH Gratitude Letter Writing

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) are more than just behavior supports – they’re pathways to learning and success. By prioritizing wellbeing and happiness in BIPs, you can help create structure and consistency while also making space for joy, connection and resilience. With the right supports in place, students can feel empowered, successful and experience more happiness at school.

1. As a proactive strategy, have students reflect on all of the people that have positively impacted their lives in and out of school. Ensure the list is posted and present in their visual field during all classroom activities. Set a regular increment (e.g., 1 time per week or 1 time per month) for when they will dedicate time to writing a Gratitude Letter or Scrapbook to one of the people on their list.
2. Have students create a list of preferred people in the school building. As a de-escalation strategy, prompt them to write a short gratitude note or create a gratitude video for someone on their list when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed.
3. Create visual cue cards for students with a prompt to think about a person they are grateful for in their life. As a proactive strategy, or to de-escalate, present the card to encourage the student to consider positive relationships and gratitude.

PRINT PDF

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) ensure every student has access to the supports they need to thrive. When happiness and wellbeing is included and prioritized in IEPs, students are more likely to flourish in learning and in life. By shifting from a deficit-based approach to one of strengths and potential, IEPs can open doors to learning, connection and joy – at school and beyond.

1. Students will learn to identify positive and negative traits/actions in people or characters.
2. Students will learn to sort items/people/activities for which they are grateful from those they are
   not grateful for.
3. Students will learn to identify a specific person and three discrete moments or things they are
   thankful for about that person.
4. Students will learn to craft a gratitude letter or scrapbook to someone who has shaped their life, and deliver it to them when possible.

PRINT PDF

Bringing wellbeing to the forefront doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your classroom routine. By integrating happiness skills into what you’re already teaching, you can help students learn and practice happiness in simple, meaningful ways. From morning meetings and check-ins to reading, writing, and relationship-building, there are countless ways to make wellbeing part of everyday learning.

1. Utilize teacher modeling of gratitude letters and activities by creating a gratitude letter for your classroom and students. During a morning meeting or communal time with your students, share the letter to enjoy the positive benefits of expressing gratitude.
2. Incorporate Gratitude Letters into your current content by having students write Gratitude Letters to characters in a book, historical figures, nature, or scientists that have positively impacted the world.
3. During transitions, have students partner up and share one thing they are grateful for in their partner as they transition to the next location or activity.

PRINT PDF