Appreciate

It’s important for us to stop and appreciate who we are as people, to think about our beliefs and values, and our dreams and goals.

It’s also good for us to show our appreciation to others, those that take care of us, who are great friends to us and those who help us with things.
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Doing activities like writing a diary to reflect on things that have been happening, talking with family about the things that you appreciate about them, or enjoying some quality ‘ME’ time, are very beneficial to our wellbeing and help us to feel positive and happy.

Improve your sleep

Good quality sleep is so important for your body and mind.  It helps you to think more clearly and concentrate better. Try to get 10 – 12 hours sleep each night.

Together as a family, download the activity from the creators of the popular Resilient ME gratitude Journal for kids to create a schedule of some relaxing things you can do each night to get the best night’s sleep.   

You can find out more about AWESOME inc. and browse their range of gratitude journals here.
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Learning about the body

It's important for us to know how the body works so we can appreciate it and understand how to look after it. Do you know about the different parts of the body and how they work? Check out Michelle's video. 

When you have watched the video give these activities a try:

Flower breathing

When we are feeling overwhelmed by feelings, like worry or fear, there are lots of ways that we can calm our brain, to make ourselves feel better. Check out this video from Harold and our Educator Genevieve.

When you have watched the video, have a go at the activities below:
  • Download our Finding Calm Learning Experience and do the activities with your family here.
  • Read through our What are feelings? Fact Sheet and give Harold's quiz a try here.

Positive thinking

Sometimes our brains can default to negative thinking, which can make it hard to relax and get a good night sleep. Watch this video and try this clever trick to train our brain into thinking more positively. 

Once you have watched the video, give the activities below a try:
  • Together as a family, download Harold's Learning Experience and work through the questions here.
  • Fill in the It's great to be me activity sheet here.​
  • Check out our Fact Sheet What is mindset and give the quiz a try here.

Take time out to appreciate nature

​Sit in your backyard and watch the world go by – how do the clouds move across the sky?  What are the birds and insects doing? What can you smell? Take your shoes off - How does the ground feel beneath your feet.

Challenge yourself to product less waste

​Are there things that you throw away that could be re-used in another way, given away to someone else or recycled?

Give compliments

Give regular compliments to each person in your family and let them know why you appreciate them. 

​It might be written in a note tucked under a pillow for someone to find or you might choose to say it face to face.  

Go for a walk around your neighbourhood

How many native plants do you notice?  Can you spot a pohutakawa, kowhai, tōtara or harakeke? Can you spot any native birds?  

Appreciate what we have now

Talk with someone older than you about what things were like when they were your age.  What was different and what was the same?

You could ask questions like:
  • What was it like to go to school?
  • How did they communicate with people that lived far away?
  • How did they listen to music?
  • What was their favourite food?
  • What activities did they look to to do in the weekend?
  • What chores did they have to do around the house?

​Maybe you could give someone a call on the phone that you haven't talked to in awhile. Do you have a grandparent, family friend or neighbour you could ask these questions?

Make your own 'Thankful Jar'

Our Ambassador Avril McDonald is the author of the Feel Brave book series. In this video Avril talks us through some of the things that she is thankful for. She then shows us how to make a Thankful Jar, writing down the things that we are thankful for so we can then read though them later to help us feel good and appreciate how lucky we are.

Future me

To ensure that we have a great future to look forward to we have to think about what we are doing now. We know that little things can make a big difference to what happens in the future.

Together as a family, download Harold's Learning Experience and work through the questions with your family here.

I'm happy to be me

We are all different. We like different things and we can do different things. That’s what makes each one of us a special person. 

Together as a family, download Harold's Learning Experience and work through the questions with your family here.
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Celebrate the special things

Sit down with your family and share the things that you think are the most special about your family. 

Here are some things to think about:
  • What special traditions do you have?
  • What is special about the people that make up your family?
  • Is there anything special that you do that might be different to other families?

My Superpowers

Our Ambassador Avril McDonald is the author of the Feel Brave book series. Check out this video that she has made to help us think about all of the things that are special about us, which are our special superpowers. 

To do the Superpowers activity, you can download the 'What are your superpowers?' sheet used in the video here.

Write a letter of appreciation

Write a letter to someone who has done something nice, caring or special for you recently. Tell them how they helped you, how it made you feel and how much you appreciate what they did for you.

You are lucky to be you!

Think about how lucky you are to be you. Sometimes you can forget just how special you are, how clever you are and how much the people around you love you!

Sit down and write a list of all the reasons that you are lucky to be you, all the things that you are really good at, and your favourite things about yourself.

Check out Harold's Fact Sheet about loving ourselves and give Harold's quiz a go here.

Enjoy some quality 'ME' time

Take some time out for yourself to relax and enjoy your own company. What activities do you like doing on your own?

Here are some ideas:
  • Do some colouring in or drawing
  • Read a book
  • Go for a walk
  • Do a puzzle

Check out Harold's Fact Sheet about enjoying your own company here.

Stars in the night

Our Ambassador Avril McDonald is the author of the Feel Brave book series. In this video she demonstrates an exercise that can help to make you feel positive and calm.

Follow along with Avril's video to give yourself a some positive and calm vibes!

Powerful positivity

Positive thinkers are more likely to be successful and achieve results than negative thinkers. Being positive helps you to achieve your goals and to overcome any problem or difficulty. 
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Together as a family, download Harold's Learning Experience and work through the questions here.

Saving for a scooter

When we want something, it’s a good idea to set a goal. Once you have set a goal you can then make a plan of the steps that it will take to help you reach that goal.

Together as a family, download Harold's Learning Experience and work through the questions here.

Reflect

Write a journal about the things that have been happening in your life. Write about what you've been thinking about a lot, about how you feel and about how these things have been affecting you. 

Writing a journal can help you to clear your mind and to open up and understand more about some of the things that you've been going through.

There is nothing like a good friend

Friends are so special! They can help make us happy when we're feeling sad, they look out for us, and they support us. Check out the 'Nothing like a good friend' video from Feel Brave.

Have a think about all the special friends that you have in your life and the ways that you can be a good friend to them and show them that you care.

Check out the te reo version of 'Nothing like a good friend' here.

Keen for some more tips on how to be a good friend? Have a read through Harold's Fact Sheet here.

We are all unique

Every person in the world is unique … that means there never has been, is now, or ever will be another person just like you. We are all different. Just imagine a world where people were all the same!

Together as a family, download Harold's Learning Experience and work through the questions here.

Appreciate that there are many languages spoken in NZ

​What are the three national languages of NZ?  Challenge the family to say ‘thank you’ in a different language every time they are thanking someone.

Remember me home

​This song was written to help people who have had to say goodbye to someone they care about, for people whose loved ones have passed away or for people whose situation changes for some reason. 

​Listen to the song – Each person in your whanau can talk about how the music makes them feel and what the words make them think about.  If you have lost a loved one you might think about the beautiful memories you have of that person and as a family share stories about the things you remember.
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