Discover Your Strengths

Print a set of Strengths Cards for each tamariki. As well as helping them remember their results, they'll need these for our Use Your Strengths follow up activities.

This activity helps tamariki aged 10 and older identify their strengths to boost their self-esteem, resilience, and encourage a growth mindset.

This is a positive activity for any time but it can be a great way to set-up a positive classroom culture at the start of year 7 and 8, allowing you to call on and foster students' strengths throughout the year.

Māori and Pacific tamariki may associate acknowledging their character strengths with being arrogant. It may be important to reassure students that everyone has strengths, and that learning about these can help to bring out the best in ourselves and others. If you find anyone's not joining in, you may want to catch up with them away from the larger group.

If you haven't already, print a set of Strengths Cards for each student.

Getting the tech side of things all set up is really easy and the below steps will allow you to create a unique link for your students to use, so you can access their results.

1. In the consultants section of the VIA site, create an account.
2. Then choose step one: Set up a VIA pro-site.
3. Follow the steps to create your unique survey:
   – Under Name put your teaching name (the one students use)
   – Under Instructions, include a friendly note and a reminder to answer the questions as honestly as possible.
   – Under Surveys ensure you select the youth option (disregard the note re: those under 13, as this shouldn't prove an issue).

When you hit save you'll be taken to a page with your unique link to share with students, e.g: http://sparklersroom4.pro.viasurvey.org

If any of your Year 7 or 8 tamariki are not yet 10, you could work with them to choose their top three strengths, using the Strengths Cards as a guide.

You’re welcome to take the survey yourself – in fact we recommend you do! If nothing else it’ll make you feel good and boost your familiarity with the quiz.

Explain that everyone has strengths. Some of us might already have ideas about what these are, while others mightn't be sure.

Let students know that today they’re going to use a scientific survey to find out their top 24 character strengths.

They’ll need to answer lots of questions but if they’re as honest as possible, the system will identify their top strengths so they can continue to grow these and develop others too.

What do we mean by 'answering honestly'?
Answering based on how we actually are, right now, rather than how we'd like to be in the future, or how our 'dream self' might behave.

Why answer a quiz like this honestly?!
Because then the results will actually be about YOU! They will be valuable and feel 'true', rather than feeling made up. And remember, this isn't a test. There's no right or wrong, and no strength is better than another. No matter what, the results you get will be positive.

NB: We'd suggest giving tamariki their Strengths Cards worksheets as they finish the survey, to avoid the information influencing their answers.

Email out your class URL or write this on the board. Each tamariki will need a device to complete the strengths finder. Do this together (if you have enough devices) – or separately throughout the day.

When tamariki complete the quiz they will be taken to a page where they can view their results. Once they're there:

• encourage them to download and/or print a copy; and/or
• give them a Strengths Cards worksheet so they can record their results.

It's vital they save and record their results, as these can sometimes be hard to find on the VIA site, but you should be sent an email for each student. If you can't see these, check your spam folder (the joys of technology!).

Give students time to cut out their strengths cards and make the accompanying pouch. This should only take about 15 minutes.

You might also like to get tamariki thinking about how to use their strengths by encouraging them to check out Play To Your Strengths on the All Right? site.

Tamriki reactions:
Some tamariki may initially be disappointed by results they don't understand or think are uncool e.g. prudence. If this is the case, help them see the positive side of what may be a new concept or idea. Generally they'll be chuffed!

Our worksheets contain more child-friendly strength descriptions and these can help too!

Let tamariki know that we each have all 24 strengths – some are just stronger than others. If necessary reiterate that we can use our strengths to reach our goals, form strong friendships and face any issues that come our way. Sharing and celebrating each others’ strengths is important too.

Ask tamariki to focus on their top five strengths:

• Did they know these were their top or ‘signature’ strengths?
• How do they feel about them?
• What do they ‘do’ as a person that helped them get this top five?
• Have their friends noticed these strengths? The answer is usually yes!

A cool class exercise is to 'tally-up' your top fives (or tens) to work out your class' top strengths. This is a great chance to also celebrate the 'less common' strengths people bring to the mix.

And the only thing better than knowing our strengths is finding ways to use and foster them!

For easy, quick activities that help tamariki do this, try our Using Your Strengths activities.