Have your students write down a list of positive attributes and strengths about themselves. Write a list of positive affirmations on your chalkboard. Ask the students to choose several of the words they believe describe who they are. Choose words on the students' developmental level -- for example, smart, funny and happy for younger students and intellectual, humorous and creative for older students. Allow the students to choose as many strengths as they can think of, adding some of their own to the list you have already created. Recognizing strengths helps the students realize the positive qualities they possess, giving them a basis to build upon.
Have students come up with a list of people in their lives whom they admire for any given reason. Have the student give a brief description of why he admires this person. Talk to the student about how he can incorporate this person's positive qualities into his own life. For example, if he admires a football player who works with children in the community on the off-season, your student could volunteer to help with the younger kids' football league or become a tutor for students who need assistance during the year. Talking about who children admire helps them to find those qualities within themselves, building self-esteem and confidence.
Sit the children down in a circle. Write a list of positive affirmations on index cards and lay the cards in the center of the circle. Choose a variety of qualities from physical to emotional -- for example, great hair or good listener. Have enough cards for each child to pick two -- one to keep for themselves and one to give to another student. The student should pick a quality he sees in a friend or classmate and hand him the card. Continue in this fashion until everyone has two cards. Have the children then explain to the class why they chose a card for themselves and for a classmate. This not only helps other students feel more confident by receiving positive affirmations from classmates, but it helps children with deficits in public speaking overcome their fears.
Have the child write down his plan for life. Tell him to write down things he wants to do in the next year, the next five years and the next 10 years. Save the plan for the child and show it to him at the end of the school year. Have the child review what he wanted to accomplish and whether or not he did so. Allow the child to change any points he now wants to accomplish and remove things he is no longer interested in. Accomplishing even one goal on a list -- which the child should do -- will help to boost his self-confidence for the next year and beyond.