Self Esteem..

[tigereyes10]

Hi! I'm a teaching assistant in a secondary school and after half term I'm taking over an intervention based around self esteem. So every week a small group will come to me for an hour and the aim is to improve their self esteem. I've been sent over all the lesson materials/plans etc and it's all a bit boring! Death by PowerPoint is not my vibe! So I'm going to replan it all and hopefully make a difference as I'm quite passionate about this topic, probably because as a child I had no self esteem and nobody to help or listen to me.
My question is though, what do you wish your children were being helped with at school in terms of self esteem? Is word searches, mindfulness colouring and affirmations the way to go? Is me standing at the front of the class talking at them going to help? Or more of a group discussion?
If you have a child with low self esteem - what helps them?
Thank you!

I think this is a great initiative and well done for taking it so seriously. I think a group discussion focussed on each person finding what makes them special, what they’re good at and making them feel proud of themselves is the way to go. You should start with creating a safe space where people can speak openly and make it clear that what is said in the session should be confidential. You could share what gives you self-esteem. Schools can be crushing places for those who are not academic so it’s great if they can be helped to see themselves positively, as a good friend or someone who is kind or can make people laugh. Everyone has something worth celebrating. Just my thoughts.

Hearing and accepting praise.
Being able to say 'I did that well' to yourself in an honest way
Recognising that knowing your strengths is not the same as being boastful.
Knowing a person's value is not the same as their academic ability or sporting prowess.

^^ That is what my DD has needed help with.

So also help finding things they are good at and can build on.

Check out Pinterest as shit loads of ideas on there for different activities. Mix it up as kids learn differently

My DD did some sessions (at her local state primary) like this. Run by a local authority mental health team. Maybe contact yours and ask for advice? This was camden. They have them scenarios and they discussed eg you come into lunch and your friend is sitting with people you aren’t friends with / don’t like/ have been mean, how do you feel / react??