Self Awareness Teaching Resources
Help your students develop self awareness with activities, printables and more social and emotional teaching resources designed specifically for elementary and middle school students.
Created by teachers, for teachers, this collection is full of digital and printable activities designed to help students recognize their emotions and learn to identify their own strengths and weaknesses. Each teaching resource has undergone rigorous review by the Teach Starter team to ensure it's ready for the classroom ... and your students!
Curious about teaching self awareness and wondering how it applies to kids in your classroom? Read on for some tips from our expert teachers!
What Is Self Awareness? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Most students are not terribly self aware when they enter elementary school, and that's completely normal. After all, any adults aren't very adept at self awareness! That's why it's so important to include these lessons in your planning to help students flex those muscles and become more aware of who they are.
So how do you explain the meaning of self awareness to your class, and how do you teach it? Let's start with a kid-friendly definition.
Self awareness means understanding yourself, your feelings and how your actions affect other people.
You might tell your students that being self aware is a bit like having a mirror inside your mind that can help you see who you are and how you can make good choices.
Explain to students that when you're self-aware, you know what you're good at and what you might need to work on so you can become your own superhero.
Why Is Self Awareness Important?
Learning to be self aware is part of gaining control of one's own emotions, thoughts and actions, and the lessons we teach in the classroom contribute to our students' personal growth, social interactions and overall well-being in the immediate future and well into adulthood.
When kids (and adults!) lack self awareness, they tend to struggle with poor decision making, and they may have trouble understanding how their behavior affects others. This can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts with peers and others around them or even unintentional harm to relationships, as they may struggle to empathize or consider the perspectives of others.
Self Awareness Examples for Kids
Explaining self awareness by providing a definition is one thing, but surely you want to dig a little deeper.
Here are some examples from our teacher team that you can use to illustrate what it means to be self aware — and why it's so important!
- Identifying Emotions — Being able to label our emotions with names like happiness, sadness, anger or excitement is a great example of being self aware. For example, your students might learn to say, "I feel happy when I play with my friends at recess."
- Understanding Your Talents — Another example of self awareness that kids can easily relate to is the concept of identifying one's strengths or talents. It can be helpful to consider things we can do well and things we want to work on to get better at. For example, a student might say "I am very good at singing, but I would like to practice my spelling to improve."
- Seeing Strengths in Our Peers — Acknowledging our own strengths is only part of being self aware. It's also good for students to be able to identify (and celebrate) the strengths of others. This will help them build better relationships in the long run.
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Growth Mindset Bookmarks
Encourage your students to think about their growth mindset with this set of printable bookmarks.
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Gratitude Tree and Leaves Template
Create a "Gratitude Tree" display with a printable tree and individual leaf cutouts.
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Building Confidence Worksheet
Give students an opportunity to brainstorm ways they can be an advocate for themselves and others with this building confidence worksheet.
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Positive Self Talk Match-Up
Teach your students how positive self talk in challenging situations can boost self-esteem with this match up activity.
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Proud to be Me Scoot Game
Engage students in identifying and describing personal identity while also promoting discussion with this active activity.
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Identifying Emotions Interactive Activity
Help your students identify and explore common emotions with this engaging digital activity.
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Exploring My Strengths Worksheet
Explore individual strengths with this My Strengths Worksheet.
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Growth Mindset Flipbook
Explore the topic of growing your mindset with your students using this engaging flipbook template.
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My Accomplishments Worksheets
Celebrate your students' achievements and accomplishments with these self-esteem boosting worksheets!
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Focusing on Strengths Sorting Cards
Identify individual strengths with this set of strength vocabulary sorting cards.
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Calm-Down Strategy Cards
Help your students choose and apply strategies when they need to calm down with this comprehensive set of calm-down strategy cards.
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Student Daily Check-In Template
Check-in with your students each day with this template.
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Growth Mindset Brag Tags
Celebrate students using a growth mindset with a set of printable growth mindset brag tags!
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Emotional Self-Regulation – Student Emotion Mood Meter
Allow your students to communicate how they are feeling using a non-verbal, desk-sized mood meter.
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Growth Mindset Coloring Pages
Inspire creativity and encourage your students to think positively with a set of growth mindset coloring pages.
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Emotions Worksheet Pack
Help students understand different emotions with this set of five emotions worksheets.
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About My Emotional Heart Craft- Printable SEL Activities
Teach feelings and big emotions to your young learners with a heart-shaped printable feelings book.
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Mindfulness for Kids - Daily Journal Worksheet
Create a mindfulness journal by printing your students copies of reflective mindfulness worksheets.
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How Would You Feel? Scenario Cards
Develop your students' emotional vocabulary with this set of real-life scenarios.
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Characteristics of Emotions - Poster Set
Learn the facial expressions and body cues that accompany the most common emotional states with this poster set.
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How Would I Feel? Sorting Activity
Develop emotional vocabulary using these real-life scenario cards.
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Managing Anger Worksheet (Intermediate)
Help older students identify and manage angry feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet.
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Understanding and Managing Anger Teaching Presentation
Teach your students about angry feelings with this comprehensive guide to understanding and managing anger.
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Managing Anxiety Worksheet (Intermediate)
Help older students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet.
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Managing Anxiety Worksheet (Primary)
Help students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection worksheet.
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Growth vs. Fixed Mindset Statements - Worksheet
Assess student understanding about the different statements that one might say to distinguish between having a growth or fixed mindset.
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Growth Mindset Worksheets (Grades K-1)
Print these growth mindset worksheets for kindergarten and first grade to learn about I Can and I Can't while practicing handwriting.
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Gratitude Journal Writing Prompt Cards
A set of 50 gratitude journal writing prompt cards.
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Share the Love - Gratitude Love Heart Template
Create a classroom display of gratitude and appreciation with this writing exercise.
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I Need a Break - Choice Boards
Help upset students regulate their emotions in the classroom with our printable ‘I Need a Break!’ choice boards.
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My Bowerbird Nest of Values Template
Help students understand what they value with this Bowerbird nest of values craft template.
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I Am Worksheet - Affirmation Art Activity
Use this I Am Worksheet to inspire your students to share how special they are at the beginning of the school year.
- Self Awareness Posters
- Self Awareness Worksheets
- Self Awareness Templates
- Self Awareness Games
- Self Awareness for Kindergarten
- Self Awareness for 1st Grade
- Self Awareness for 2nd Grade
- Self Awareness for 3rd Grade
- Self Awareness for 4th Grade
- Self Awareness for 5th Grade
- Self Awareness for 6th Grade