Personal & social development // Self-Regulation & Resilience
Positive Self-Talk
Use positive self-talk to manage difficult situations — replacing unhelpful thoughts like 'I'm stupid' or 'I'll never be able to do this' with encouraging ones like 'This is hard but I can keep trying' or 'I've done hard things before'
Quick check
When the learner is struggling with homework and starts saying 'I'm rubbish at this', can they catch that thought and replace it with something more helpful like 'I just need to try a different approach'?
Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.
Topic // Mastery
What mastery looks like
- Give an example of an unhelpful thought and rephrase it as a helpful one
- Use positive self-talk aloud or in writing when facing a challenge
- Explain how the words we say to ourselves affect how we feel and perform
Topic // Map
Where this fits
- RequiredMust come first
- HelpfulHelps, but not essential
Before this
4 topics- Simple Calming StrategiesRequired
Self-Regulation & Resilience // Ages 5 to 7
Positive self-talk builds on basic calming strategies
- Vocabulary: resilience and selfRequired
Self-Regulation & Resilience // Ages 7 to 10
Positive self-talk practice requires knowing the term 'self-talk' and distinguishing it from intrusive negative thoughts
- Emotion VocabularyHelpful
Emotional Literacy // Ages 7 to 9
Self-talk benefits from wider emotion vocabulary to name what you're feeling
- Growth MindsetHelpful
Self-Regulation & Resilience // Ages 7 to 9
Self-talk benefits from growth mindset framing
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Positive Self-Talk
Ages 7 to 9 // Method
Leads to
1 topic- Assertive CommunicationHelpful
Friendship & Cooperation // Ages 9 to 11
Assertive communication benefits from positive self-talk skills
Topic // Standards
Curriculum standards
- IB PYP Personal, Social and Physical Education (PSPE) Scope and Sequence
- PSPE-ID-LO-P2-11PSPE-ID-LO-P3-10
Personal & social development // Self-Regulation & Resilience
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