Self Esteem

About this resource

Some students find it hard to say anything kind about themselves. This is a short picture story a student can turn like a book, about being kind to myself, trying again and noticing what I did well, plus a set of "I am..." affirmation cards to read, and two short worksheets to write on. A log makes it something a student does, not just something they read.

EVERYTHING INSIDE — 30 pages

• An 8-page picture story, "I Am Me": one big picture and one short sentence on each page, a "My name" line and one instruction at the top of every page
• The whole story on one black-and-white page, for the photocopier
• 8 "I am..." affirmation cards in full color, cut apart 4 across and 2 down so each cut is one straight line: brave, kind, friend, learner, smart, creative, proud, important. Each has a picture, a word and a short line the student can read
• The same 8 cards in black-and-white ink-saver
• 8 blank cards: the student draws a picture and writes their own "I am" words on type-in lines
• Finish the I Am: 4 everyday moments with a picture each; the student writes what they could say to themselves, then a line for something they are good at
• I Am Proud: a page of 10 stars to color, one each time the student says a card, with a space to draw and a line to finish
• A how-to page: before the first read, reading it, the cards, the worksheets, what counts on the log, sending it home
• An I Am Card Log (20 rows: date, when, card picked, said it Y/N, initials)
• A weekly roll-up (8 weeks) with a percent graph
• A filled example: an invented student, one week on the log, three weeks on the roll-up and the cards picked across all three
• A family page with 6 small cards to cut apart and a note home
• A hand-off page so a paraprofessional or another classroom uses the same cards the same way
• A phrase bank: 23 lines in 6 groups (spoken lines for the story and the cards, written starters for the log, the roll-up and the note home)
• A storage and binder label sheet: 12 labels and a spine strip
• Start Here, a contents page with page thumbnails, and a "what's next" back page

The Picture Story

Eight pages, one picture and one sentence each, in plain present-tense words for grades 1-5. I am me. I am good at some things and still learning others. Everyone gets some things wrong, and I can try again. I can be kind to myself, the way I am kind to a friend. Some days feel hard, and I can still say something kind to myself. The last page is "I am proud of me." Student pages carry only a name line, one short instruction with a picture, and big pictures and words.

The I Am Cards

8 pictured cards the student can pick from: brave, kind, friend, learner, smart, creative, proud, important. Keep them in a pocket, on a ring or at the desk. Use a blank card for any "I am" line that is not printed here.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

It is a fillable PDF: type into the name lines, the log, the roll-up, the family page, the hand-off page and the blank cards, or print and use a pen. It works offline with no account or subscription. It is NOT an editable online slideshow or word-processor document.

Who This Is For

Teachers, counselors, special education teachers and paraprofessionals who want a calm, concrete picture story, affirmation cards and short worksheets for grades 1-5, and the families who get the home page.

More In The Collection

This set is in the Visual Supports Collection, alongside Social Story: It's OK to Make a Mistake, Stop-Think-Act Impulse Control Picture Cards and Log, Break Cards for Special Education and Sticker Chart. Free to try first: Visual Supports Starter Set FREE.

Pictures (color pages): Noto Emoji by Google, Apache License 2.0. Pictures (ink-saver pages): Fluent Emoji, Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation, MIT License.