I’m going old school with this book, but self esteem never really gets old and we can’t afford to let kids go through life not knowing how truly wonderful they are. I think I bought this book about three schools ago, but the message in it rings true as much now as it did back then.
As we’re planning lessons to help children develop a growth mindset, embrace their unique gifts, and protect their self esteem, Jamie Lee Curtis’ picture book deserves a place on the shelf. She packs a lot into this little book. (It’s written in rhyme, so I recommend practicing it first.) It’s a great text for launching conversations about:
- self esteem and the role it plays in our mental and physical health
- individual expression of style
- honesty, empathy, and gratitude
- being part of and contributing to a community of people
- persevering through obstacles and learning from failure
3 QUESTIONS FOR KIDS
After reading the book, I’M GONNA LIKE ME, these are some questions we’ve used to get conversations started in our first and second grade classrooms. No doubt they would work in kindergarten, too.
- Do you think the author has an important message she’s trying to share? What do you think she wants us to learn? Why is that important?
- Think about the “outside” of you. What is something you like about the way you look?
- Now think about the “inside” of you. What special thing do you want your friends to know about your behavior, personality, or attitude?
I don’t like to lead too much, but if they need help on the last question, try prompting with something like:
- “For example, maybe you’re a person who keeps practicing to get better at something. Maybe you’re a person who is very good at sharing your things with others. Maybe you’re a person who is confident at trying new things. Or maybe you’re a person who tells people nice things when they need cheering up.”
Sharing simple examples like the ones above assures children they don’t have to pretend or come up with something super impressive to share.
A MINI MANTRA
We’ve adopted this excerpt from the book as one of our classroom mantras. It’s a win for letting off a little self esteem!
- I’m gonna like me ’cause I’m loved and I know it, and liking myself is the best way to show it.
RELATED BLOG POST
No matter how much we work on self esteem, there will be tough times and rough days here and there. When little ones experience big emotions, we need to be prepared to help them acknowledge the feeling, understand the source, and then move through to a solution.
This resource for K-2 teachers is one tool for helping children deal with anger, embarrassment, fear, disappointment and other emotions that can stop us in our tracks. Read more here:👉 CALMING STRATEGIES FOR KIDS.
