Myself

lesson 1:

Knowing myself, Growing Myself

Lesson Summary

Students explore their personal story and uniqueness. Through My Story in a Minute, they see that no two people are the same, yet we can still find connections. This builds self‑awareness and empathy as the foundation for growing sturdy friendships.

Purpose

Knowing ourselves is the first step toward growing ourselves and bringing our best building blocks into friendships

Process

Time Needed:  25 to 30 minutes

  1. Activity: Same Same But Different (5 mins)

  2. Intro: Knowing Myself (5 mins)

  3. Activity: My Story in a Minute (15 mins)

  4. Activity: Pair & Share (5 mins)

  5. Lesson Debrief (5 mins)

Materials & downloads

For this lesson, you will need the following: 

Activity - same same but different (5 mins)

Provide each student with a piece of plain paper (could also use a page in a notebook) and a pencil.

Teacher Script: Take a moment to listen carefully to the following instructions and draw exactly what you hear. We are going to take a few minutes to draw a house. I want you to do this by yourself, trying not to look at what anyone else is drawing. 

1. Start by drawing a square or rectangle for the base of the house. This will be the main part of the house.

2. Add a triangle on top of the square or rectangle to create the roof.

3. Draw a rectangle or square within the main shape for the door.

4. Add two smaller rectangles on either side of the door for windows.

5. Draw a chimney on top of the roof by making a tall rectangle with a small square on top.

6. Add details like bricks or siding to the walls of the house by drawing horizontal or vertical lines.

7. Draw a pathway leading up to the door by making a curved line from the bottom of the door.

8. Finally, add some details like bushes or flowers around the house to make it look more inviting.

Now, I’d like you to hold your picture up in the air for a moment so we can see all the wonderful completed houses. 

Debrief:

Even though you all heard the same instructions, all of our drawings are slightly different. No drawing is exactly the same. It is just the same with us as people. Even in similar circumstances - like all being in the same class or being the same age, we are all different and unique. Because we are unique, every friendship we have is going to be and look different to any other friendship we have or somebody else has. 

Let’s take a minute to do a walk-through of all our drawings in silence. In a moment we will feedback to the class about what specific detail we noticed in somebody else's drawing that we liked/enjoyed and that maybe we wish we even popped into our own drawing.

Intro: Knowing Myself (5 mins)

Welcome to Friendship Fitness!

Every friendship begins with what you bring: your strengths, your differences, your story.

Remember, no two of us are the same, and that’s a good thing.

Knowing yourself is the first step in the superpower of awareness. When you know yourself, you can start building strong foundations to be the best you can be. Being self-aware means noticing how you feel and why you feel that way, how you act and why you act that way. This superpower helps you grow, make new friends, care for your friends, and solve problems in your friendships.

When we are being our best, we give our friendships every chance to be their best too.

That’s why it’s so important to start with our own personal foundations, because they join together to build the foundation of every friendship.

Class Question

No two of us are the same, why do you think that’s a good thing for our friendships?

Activity: My Story in a Minute (15 mins)

Introduction: Let’s think for a moment — what is a story?
A story is a way of sharing information; we use stories to help us understand more about someone or something.

And here’s the thing, everyone has a story to tell about their life so far. A story about where they have come from, who’s in their family, the things they like, and the things that make them who they are.

That’s where we’re going to start today — with My Story. (Hand out worksheet now.)

As I read this script aloud like a story, you can fill in the blanks with your answers as we go. This is just about you, there are no right or wrong answers. You will have a chance to share it later.

Grade 1/2 Teacher Script: Read slowly, pausing at each blank for students to write.

My name is ______________________________________________

I live with my _____________________________________and I have ________________ brothers and sisters.

My favourite colour is ________________.

Something I am really good at is ________________ and something I would like to learn is ________________.

I think the most important thing in friendships is ______________________________________________

Grade 3/4 Teacher Script. Read slowly, pausing at each blank for students to write.

My name is , and I was born in (month of the year) on the (day of the year)

In (city/country) .

I live with. , and I have. brothers and sisters.

One of my favourite sports to play or watch is. , and my favourite colour is .

If I could eat anything right now, I would choose .

One person I would love to meet if I had the chance is , because .

I once had an injury or got hurt when , and it made me feel

Something I feel really good at is , and something I would like to improve on is .

Happiness for me looks like .

If I had to describe myself in three words, they would be , , .

I believe a good quality in a friend is .

I think is the most important thing in friendships.

Although we all have the same script, our stories are never the same.

activity: Pair & Share (5 min)

Teacher to:

- Organise students into unfamiliar pairs (someone they don’t usually sit or work with).

- Explain: We’re going to share our stories with a partner. Each person will get about 2 minutes to tell their story. If you’re the one talking, share your answers with confidence. If you’re listening, give your partner your full attention. While you listen, try to notice the things that are different, but also listen carefully for anything you might have in common.

Tips for success:

- Remind students to be respectful listeners (eyes on the speaker, wait their turn.)

- Encourage them to listen for both differences and common ground.

Teacher-Led Discussion: This conversation can be guided by student responses, focusing on how valuing diversity impacts well-being, how diversity fosters moments of inclusion, and the role of positive self-talk. Additionally, it’s important to explore how a sense of connection and belonging contributes to overall.

Reflection Questions:

What did you notice that was different in your partner’s story? (Examples: both have names from family, both have siblings, both enjoy certain foods or sports)

What did you notice that you had in common?

Did any of your partner’s answers surprise you? Why?

How did it feel telling someone your story?

Why might some of us have written different answers? (Examples: being from different cultures, having different experiences, different family values.)

Has your understanding of someone changed after listening to their story?

Debrief:

Answering these questions hopefully gave us a chance to reflect inwardly, discovering and learning more about our thoughts, opinions, and identities. While no two stories are the same, you likely found some common threads. And that’s the beauty of friendships — we may be different, but those differences create opportunities to connect and belong. ME becomes WE when we share our stories and listen to others.

Lesson Debrief:

Let’s bring this all together. We’ve just seen that every person is unique, even when given the same instructions, we all do things a little differently and have different stories.

We noticed that we can connect when we appreciate our differences, allowing us to learn from one another and even making our friendships stronger.

We learned that ‘knowing myself is the first step in growing myself.’ When I know what I bring, my strengths, my habits, my challenges, I can build better friendships. The more I understand myself, the more helpful it is in understanding how others see the world, too. It reminds me that everyone has their own story, strengths, struggles and joys. When I grow in self-awareness, I can show up with more empathy, patience, and respect, which makes friendships deeper, healthier, and more genuine.

Think of it like this: if I know what blocks I’m building with (having self-awareness), the bridge between me and my friends will be sturdy. If I don’t know what I bring, it’s like building with wobbly blocks; the bridge won’t hold for long.

Today, we began with your story, as it forms part of the foundation of who you are. By sharing it, we begin the transition from ME to WE.

Even though no two stories were the same, you still found connections. That is how ME becomes WE.

Thank you!!

for spending time building fitter friendships