About This Lesson
The holiday season offers a perfect opportunity for students and teachers to pause, reflect, and create a Positivity Portfolio—a collection of items, memories, songs, or pictures that spark positive emotions like joy, gratitude, and hope. This activity fosters connection and encourages reflection, helping individuals and classrooms recharge during a busy time of year.
Inspired by Barbara Fredrickson's Positivity, Positivity Portfolios are a mindful way to cultivate happiness in daily life. Katherine May's Wintering highlights the winter season as a time for rest and renewal, aligning perfectly with the practice of creating a Positivity Portfolio. By embracing this natural rhythm, your classroom can reflect on the past year and prepare for new growth in the year ahead.
To get started with Positivity Portfolios, use this worksheet to help your class explore each of the 10 positive emotions a bit deeper. Within each box, read the definition and some common examples of things that inspire these emotions, and have students reflect on times they have experienced each in their own life — both alone and with others. A collective positive emotional experience is also referred to as Positivity Resonance. The more we experience Positivity Resonance with friends, family, and colleagues, the more we ALL benefit.
Here’s what you’ll get:
- 10 reflection prompts related to the 10 positive emotions
- Instructions to guide you on presenting the 10 positive emotions defined by positive psychology
- Access to the Positivity Portfolio lesson plans and a unit study
Why you’ll love this activity:
- The activity is easy to print and customize in your classroom or at home
- Gives students a chance to pause and reflect during a busy time of year
- Great activity for winter and the holiday season
- You can use this resource as part of a comprehensive, science-based unit study.
- The associated free unit study for Positivity Portfolios comes with activities, downloadable worksheets, and even IEP and BIP recommendations tailored specifically to students with autism
- Encourages emotional literacy and growth in social-emotional learning (SEL)
- Helps students and educators practice recognizing and amplifying positive emotions in everyday life
Ways to Use
- Incorporate into SEL curriculum
- Integrate into small groups and/or individual counseling sessions
- Families can use this at home, too!
What is a Positivity Portfolio?
A Positivity Portfolio, inspired by Barbara Fredrickson’s book Positivity, is a mindful intervention designed to help you cultivate positivity and happiness in your daily life. It’s a curated collection of items, memories, songs, or pictures that evoke one or more of the 10 essential positive emotions—joy, love, inspiration, serenity, amusement, awe, pride, interest, gratitude, and hope. Building and savoring your Positivity Portfolio for just 15 minutes a day can boost your wellbeing, enhance life satisfaction, and help you flourish.
Science of Positivity Portfolios:Positivity Portfolios are an evidence-based tool rooted in Barbara Fredrickson's Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions. Positive Emotions like joy, gratitude, and hope expand awareness, boost creativity, and enhance problem-solving skills. Over time, these emotions help build lasting mental, social, and emotional resources.
In the classroom, Positivity Portfolios foster individual growth and encourage positivity resonance—shared moments of connection and care. These shared experiences strengthen peer relationships, create a supportive classroom culture, and promote collaboration.
Positive Emotions feel good, and they are good for you! People who regularly feel positive emotions experience:
- Increased wellbeing and life satisfaction
- Increased attention, awareness, and memory
- A boost in learning, creativity, and mental flexibility
- Stronger relationships
- Less perceived stress
- Lower depressive symptoms
- Improved sleep and sleep quality
- Improved cardiovascular function
Looking for more Positivity Portfolio Resources?
- Explore the free Positivity Portfolio Unit Study, which includes teaching slides, additional worksheets and activities, and even IEP and BIP recommendations tailored specifically to students with autism.
Proof Positive’s resources are and will always be free. Be well!
Bonus access to full lesson plans and unit studies on the skills of happiness at our Skill Center
