Enrichment · Wellbeing

Notice someone today.
Then tell them.

Each prompt pairs a person to think about with a way to say thank you, from a sticky note to a letter read aloud. Pick who is doing it and which circles of people to include, and get one for every day of the week.

Get this week’s promptsWhat you get

Deal a week of appreciation prompts

The worked example is made up: a grade 3 class week and two weeks for an adult. Write first names or initials in your notes, not full names.

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What you get

Enrichment · WellbeingFree

What you finish with
A school week, a week or two weeks of appreciation prompts, each pairing a person with a way to thank them and a hint to make it specific, marked done as you go, with notes on how people reacted.
Who it is for
Students from kindergarten to grade 12, teachers running a class gratitude routine, families, and adults building a daily habit.
Format
Browser prompt generator with saved sets and a writing timer. Prints the prompts as cut-out cards or a list; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Wellbeing space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Choose who is doing it and which circles of people to include.
  2. Each morning, open the next prompt in the present view.
  3. Think of the person, and use the hint to name exactly what they did.
  4. Tell them the way the card suggests; swap the card if it does not fit today.
  5. Mark it done and jot how they reacted.

Get this week’s prompts

Why say it out loud

One prompt, one minute, one thank-you1Pick the personFrom the prompt: someone athome, school, work or nearby2Name what they didOne action, as exact as youcan3Say what it meantHow it helped you or others4Tell themThe way the card suggests,today if you can5Notice the reactionUsually warmer than you expectOne prompt, one minute, one thank-you1Pick the personFrom the prompt: someone at home,school, work or nearby2Name what they didOne action, as exact as you can3Say what it meantHow it helped you or others4Tell themThe way the card suggests, today if youcan5Notice the reactionUsually warmer than you expect
Drawn for this page. Specific thanks (“you waved every morning”) lands better than general thanks.

We underestimate thank-yous

In three experiments, people who wrote thank-you letters expected the recipients to feel awkward. The recipients actually felt more surprised and happier than the writers predicted, and much less awkward.

A small, repeatable act

In an online trial of several short happiness exercises, writing and delivering a letter of thanks gave a clear lift that lasted about a month. Writing down three good things each day had effects that lasted longer. A daily prompt keeps the habit going.

Specific beats general

“Thanks for everything” is easy to forget. “Thank you for waving every morning on the bus” is not. Each card has a hint for that reason.

Sources

  1. Kumar, A., & Epley, N. (2018). Undervaluing gratitude: Expressers misunderstand the consequences of showing appreciation. Psychological Science, 29(9), 1423 to 1435. doi:10.1177/0956797618772506
  2. Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410 to 421. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.60.5.410
  3. Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377 to 389. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377
  4. Durlak, J. A., et al. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405 to 432. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x

Prompts were written for this page; the example sets are made up. This is an everyday habit, not therapy or a treatment for low mood. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.