Adversity is rarely a topic that we want to deal with, regardless of age.
It can be difficult, especially for younger students, to put into words.
These prompts are designed to help students elaborate on and deal with the emotions that can accompany adversity, whether it is focused on themselves or focused on others.
Hopefully, these can help students self-reflect, or at least gain insight into how adversity can affect any one at any time.
How to Use the Prompts
These can be used in different ways.
- They can be assigned to students based on what needs they might have.
- They can also be randomly assigned by picking numbers from a jar or bowl of some sort.
- There are plenty of ways to get creative and have some fun, even when dealing with a heavier subject.
The Prompts
- What challenges have you overcome? How?
- Do you have any survival strategies to deal with adversity? Describe them?
- What obstacles have you encountered? How have the changed you?
- Describe a situation where you had to deal with a great deal of adversity.
- Have you ever failed massively at something? What did you learn?
- Has failing ever taught you a really important life lesson? Discuss it.
- Have you ever achieved a difficult goal? Describe how and why it was difficult.
- Describe a scenario that puts you outside your comfort zone.
- What was the last time you were scared? Describe how and why.
- Discuss a fear in detail and talk about how you might overcome it.
- Do you like to be challenged? Explain your answer.
- Create a story about someone overcoming a challenge.
- Write a letter to someone who has hurt your feelings.
- Do you ever feel underappreciated? Write a letter describing how and why.
- Write about why it is okay to be alone sometimes.
- When have you ever been provoked to react a certain way? Describe what happened.
- What stressors do you have. Describe a strategy to relieve some of it.
- Can you recall a time a bully said something really awful to you? Why did it hurt your feelings? How did you get past it?
- Do you think meditation would help you with a bully? What would?
- Do you respond well to feedback? Why or why not? How can you improve this?
- Write a story about someone with bad time management skills.
- Make up a story about someone who has a fear of bunnies. How do they overcome it? What do their friends say?
- Have you ever gotten past disliking something? Describe how and why you did it.
- Write a story about someone who is a procrastinator ans how it negatively impacts them.
- Describe someone without motivation and why they have trouble because of it.
- Write about someone who has no clue what discrimination is and how they learn about it.
- What is adversity? What adversity have you overcome?
- Make up a story about someone your age overcoming a serious health challenge. Describe also the people around the character during this.
- Do you have strategies to help deal with adverse situations? What are they and how do they help?
- Have you ever had to deal with discrimination? Write about how you dealt with it, or describe how you would if you haven’t.
- Why is change so hard? Write a story where the main character has to make a big change.
- Are there any events that shaped who you are? Describe them and their effects.
- Write a story about someone having their personal beliefs challenged and how they change because of it.
- Is it the hardest to trust yourself? Why or why not.
- Have your fears changed or grown as you have become older? Describe how and why.
- Write a story about a bully who changes their ways. What made them choose to change?
- What would you say to someone bullying you? Could you stand up to them?
- What would you do if someone important to you was being bullied?
- How do you make me time? Describe why it is important to do this.
- Write a story about a life event that ended up differently than you believed it might.
- Write about a person with no self-control and how others are affected by it.
- Write a story about the most patient person in the world.
- Write a story about someone dealing with an illness and overcoming it.
- Make up a story about someone who discriminates and how the people around them react.
- Can you write a poem about how it feels to be made fun of?
- Do you go out of your way to make others feel appreciated? How?
- Write a story about an animal standing up to another and why it happened.
Need More?
There are plenty more where these prompts came from. Check out our website and see the resources available here.
If you think we missed something or would like to share an idea please drop us a line, we would love to hear from you!
