Achieve Greatness Together With Positivity & Interpersonal Skills

Staying positive is the best medicine! It helps maintain mental focus, manage stress better, and improve overall health and self-concept. It also encourages social participation and promotes healthy interactions. By nurturing a positive attitude and mindset, individuals effortlessly connect with others, build meaningful connections, and achieve greatness together.

This social-emotional learning lesson for kindergarten is about the power of positivity as a key ingredient in developing children’s interpersonal skills. Through the inspirational and true story of Helen Keller, this lesson teaches kindergartners how overcoming negativity together can lead to a happy and meaningful life enriched by true friendships and positive relationships.

An insightful class discussion opens this lesson, introducing the concept of positiveness—the last rule in the classroom Code of Conduct. The lesson defines it as "Feel good about yourself, and help others feel good too." Afterward, the teacher cites examples that help students picture and better understand what the concept means.

Following the discussion is the touching story of Helen Keller, a legendary woman who got sick and turned deaf, blind, and mute at 19 months. Growing up, Helen could not easily communicate and only expressed herself by kicking things and screaming. To help with her severe disabilities and challenging situation, her parents enlisted the help of a remarkable teacher named Anne Sullivan. Anne’s unwavering optimism, empathy, and deep care for Helen withstood the challenges and difficulties that came their way.

With Anne and Helen's strong bond and unwavering positivity, Helen learned to communicate, read, and understand. She went to college and earned her Bachelor’s degree. She then continued advocating for people with disabilities and received numerous honors for her efforts. Today, Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan remain among the most famous and inspirational people worldwide.

The valuable lesson of the story is clear: feeling good about oneself and helping others feel good too can bring people closer, strengthen their bond, and bring them together toward success. Both Helen and Anne exemplify positiveness. Despite her challenging task of helping a blind, deaf, and mute little girl to communicate, Anne remains optimistic about her and Helen’s potential. Meanwhile, Helen remains hopeful amid her severe disabilities.

Linking the connection between positivity and interpersonal skills can be challenging for young students. So, another class discussion follows storytime. In this part of the lesson, the teacher elaborates more on the story and encourages students to share their thoughts. Ultimately, students remember to treat others with positivity and help each other feel good about themselves.

This lesson is crucial for kindergarten students as it empowers them to embrace positivity across all aspects of their lives. By nurturing positive thoughts, actions, and feelings, kindergartners are equipped with resilience to overcome any problem, thrive in their future academic and professional pursuits, and cultivate adaptability in the face of an ever-changing world.