“[In our research, we found] that, in social networks, happiness can be
contagious up to three degrees of separation from its initial source (you!)”
— Drs. Nicholas Christakis & James Fowler —
For Your Family
Wellbeing Wednesdays
- Create a family PERMA+ Snapshot journal, notebook, or poster. Keep your PERMA+ Snapshot tracking system somewhere central in your home, like your kitchen or entryway. Each Wednesday, make time to come together as a family to discuss your PERMA+ Snapshot scores. Look for opportunities to savor the high points or boost your score when it is low by visiting your PERMA+ Snapshot Blueprint. If Wednesdays don’t work for you, choose another day that is convenient for your family.
PERMA+ Element Spotlight
- For each of the next six weeks, choose one PERMA+ element for your family to focus on. You can go in order, choose which one seems good that week, or make a game out of it by drawing them at random out of a jar or hat. Each week, have your family members share what they do to boost each element and decide on an activity to do together that focuses on your spotlight element of the week. Use the PERMA+ Spotlight Activity Sheet to brainstorm some activities related to each element.
For Your School
Meeting Check-In
- Using the PERMA+ Snapshot is a great way to kick off a meeting and contribute to a team culture where wellbeing wins! Print copies of the PERMA+ Snapshot and distribute them to your team members. Give everyone a chance to take the PERMA+ Snapshot and a few minutes to reflect and discuss. Guidance and additional considerations are provided in the printable resource.
PERMA+ Snapshot Newsletter
- The PERMA+ Snapshot makes a great addition to a school newsletter or parent update email. We have provided some framing text to help explain the activity to your group but feel free to edit it to meet your needs. Download the PERMA+ Snapshot as an image so you can add it to your newsletter, email update or class webpage.
For Your Community
Community PERMA+ Board
- At a library, coffee shop, or some other public place, create a bulletin board for people to take the PERMA+ Snapshot and share what each of the elements looks like for them. Create a column for each element and provide pens and post-its for people to add their examples. It may help to leave a couple of examples for people to follow. View our PERMA+ bulletin board printable resource.
Book Club or Movie Night
- If you have a fiction or biography book club with friends, you can integrate PERMA+ into your discussions. Take the PERMA+ framework and apply it to some of the characters. Are they strong in a particular area? Do they completely neglect other areas? In what ways do the PERMA+ elements contribute to the plot or character development? Hosting a movie night is another great option, especially for kids and teens. After the movie, have them give recommendations to each of the characters to improve their PERMA+ elements. If you wrote a PERMA+ Snapshot Blueprint for the characters, what would you include? Applying the PERMA+ framework to a fictional character or historical figure can be a good first step to discussing each of the elements.