In a time of New Year’s Resolutions, SMART Goals, and constant pressure to improve, the daily celebration of little wins is an important practice for acknowledging how much you have already accomplished and just how worthy you already are. Making a habit of celebrating these small victories will help you shift toward a more positive, confident, and motivated mindset. Read on for some tips for celebrating little wins at home and in the classroom and to get your FREE Little Wins Celebration Kit!
What are Little Wins?
Little wins are truly anything you feel deserves celebration. Each person’s little wins will look different from another’s and will probably change a lot depending on their season of life. Encouraging students to recognize and celebrate their little wins from an early age will help them practice gratitude and self-affirmation. It’s important to teach children that every win is a victory to be celebrated, no matter how big or small. Here are some examples of little wins that students may want to celebrate:
- I invited a new friend to sit with us.
- I read a book that made me laugh.
- I advocated for myself.
- I listened to my body.
- I asked for help.
- I shared my feelings with someone.
- I learned something new.
Little wins aren’t just for kids! Adults should consider celebrating their small victories, too. This could look like…
- I let myself rest.
- I discovered a new TV show.
- I chose to smile.
- I got to drink my coffee while it was still hot.
- I went for a walk.
- I got to eat my favorite desert.
- I called a friend.
Celebrating Little Wins at Home
Whether or not you decide to celebrate little wins in the classroom, I believe that recording and sharing little wins is a beneficial practice for everyone. Here are some ways you can do this in your personal life.
- Create a system for recording your wins (you can snag one for free at the end of this post 😉).
- Make a habit of recording your accomplishments at the end of every day.
- Store your wins in a binder or folder to look back on when you need a boost.
- Try to identify victories from a variety of areas of your life, including wins at work, with your family, and the steps you take to care for yourself.
- Find a way to celebrate your wins with others. We do that every week on Instagram!
Celebrating Little Wins in the Classroom
Depending on the age of students you work with and your educational setting, celebrating little wins in the classroom may happen in a variety of ways. Here are a few ideas:
- Encourage students to record their wins every day. This can be on a fancy tracking sheet or just in a notebook.
- Allow students to share their victories aloud. This could happen during morning meeting, closing circle, or in a turn and talk with a partner or small group.
- Create a bulletin board to celebrate your students’ wins.
- Have students submit their accomplishments on celebration slips. They can put them in a box or bucket to be drawn from and read to the class on a weekly basis.
- Consider embracing #littlewinswednesday with any of these activities to make little wins a part of your classroom culture.
Little Wins Celebration Kit
Need help getting started with little wins? Sign up below to get your FREE celebration kit! This freebie includes:
- Binder covers
- Weekly recording sheets for your students
- Weekly recording sheets for YOU
- Celebration slips for a Little Wins bulletin board or collection box
Don’t forget to join us on Instagram every week (@auniquelittleteacher) to celebrate Little Wins Wednesday!
