Welcome to the December edition of Wellness Wednesday from Northern Lights Public Schools.
We are excited to share this month’s resources, which focus on Gratitude. We are grateful for many things, including the support we receive from our NLPS families to continue our work with our division priority to improve student mental health and wellness.
This month our Mental Health Team (Wellness Coaches and Student Advocacy Counsellors) has collected activities and resources you can use at home to help your children practice gratitude. We will also be focusing on gratitude with students in our schools throughout the month of December.
Gratitude Activities
- Grateful for You
An encouragement toolkit that includes a kindness challenge - Gratitude Quiz (Greater Good Magazine)
Take the quiz and learn more about the benefits of gratitude. - Gratefulness Practice Space (gratefulness.org)
Word of the Day, and daily questions to help you reflect on gratefulness and the role it plays in your life. - Mindfulness with Kids and Teens - Gratitude/Treasure Jar (Blissful Kids)
Create a treasure jar and then write notes about what you are grateful for to reflect on at other times of the year. - Gratitude Jar (Therapist Aid.com)
Another Gratitude Jar activity, but this one comes with prompts for children to use when writing things to put in the jar. - 13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises and Activities (Positive Psychology)
Science-based exercises to help you connect to more positive emotions and enjoy the benefits of gratitude. - The Gratitude Game (World Vision)
Play this game with the whole family, connect and practice gratitude. - Your 5-Day Gratitude Challenge (TED)
5 exercises to increase your gratefulness
Gratitude Resources
- Gratefulness.org
This site is full of information and activities to help you foster gratitude in your life. - VIDEO: A Grateful Day with Brother David Steindl-Rast (gratefulness.org)
Some inspiration for living a life of gratitude. - APP: 365 Gratitude Journal
Daily prompts for self-care - Express Your Gratitude this Holiday Season (Harvard Health Publishing)
Gratitude can help you slow down and gain more from the holiday season.
Healthy Relationships Resources
Things got away from us a bit in November and we missed sharing our Wellness Wednesday update with you. If you would like to check out our Healthy Relationships resources, please check out the November Wellness Wednesday blog on our website.
Stories of Hope
Have you heard our Stories of Hope on your local Stingray station (boom 95.3, Hot 101.3, boom 103.5)? Interviews with our staff and students run every second Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Our next interview is scheduled for December 8 and will feature Aurora Middle School in Lac La Biche. You can also hear our Stories of Hope commercials airing daily on all three stations. This month’s ads feature students and staff from Cold Lake Middle School.
If you would like to be featured in our It Starts with Hope campaign, please contact communications@nlsd.ab.ca.
More Mental Health and Wellness Resources are available on our website, including
- Successful Families, Successful Kids resources for families,
- It Starts with Hope project (including our radio interviews)
- Mindful Minutes and Mindful Movements videos
- And an archive of all our Wellness Wednesday blogs.