“Gratitude is fertilizer for the mind, spreading connections and
improving its function in nearly every realm of experience.”
— Robert Emmons —
For Your Family
Gratitude Meal Chats
- On the occasions that you find your family around a table, you can kick off the meal by asking, “What Went Well?” It may take a little time for kids and teens to train their brains to answer that question, but over time you will be buffering their bodies and minds against sickness and stress. Pictures are a great way to practice gratitude for individuals with less language. They can point to a picture from their day that made them happy.
Car Connections
- As parents, we know just how many hours are spent driving kids to and from school, therapies, sports and music lessons. Why not give What Went Well a try on your next ride home? When your child enters the car after a therapy session or practice, ask them, “What went well in there?” Again, having picture cards with choices can make this accessible to almost anyone.
For Your School
Meeting Kickoffs
- Gratitude is a wonderful way to tune a group and get everyone feeling good at the start of a meeting. Ask the group to turn to a partner and share something that went well recently. Once they have had a few minutes to chat, you can ask for one or two people to share their good news with the group. Remember, What Went Well moments could be clearly positive, a silver-lining moment or the absence of something negative. Starting meetings with What Went Well is a good way to guide your team to greater cohesiveness, productivity and creative problem-solving. Our What Went Well Conversation Starters resource has some guidance for meeting kickoffs.
Write About It!
- Do you already send home a monthly newsletter or a daily communication log? Add a section called “What Went Well” that shares what’s going right in your classroom or sessions. Families love to get good news alongside all of the necessary information. Engaging students in helping to write or share pictures in the “What Went Well” section can be a fun way to roll them into the process. Our Capture the Good Canva Board template is a great way to capture What Went Well reflections from your students and can be shared with parents.
For Your Community
Capture the Good
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Create a photo challenge where people share a photo of a moment they were grateful for to practice What Went Well. These pictures, along with written reflections, can be displayed on a physical bulletin board or virtually in a collaborative Canva Board (use our templates with pre-made slide options for both students and adults).
Sign In With Gratitude
- Wherever people enter your office, classroom or school, place a gratitude jar and a stack of What Went Well Slips (or a set of post-its). When people enter, they will do more than sign the visitor log or move their picture to present; they will also write down one good thing and place it in the jar. Drawing from the jar to kickoff a meeting or share on the morning announcements is a fun way to start.
