💛 SELGrade 3Lesson 3
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Develop Positive Self-Talk

How to use: Download the PDF to print the worksheet. Then use this page to repeat activities and check answers.

Learning Objectives

  • 1Recognize negative self-thoughts
  • 2Replace negative self-thoughts with a positive reframe that is honest and encouraging
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Mini Lesson

Self-talk is the voice inside your head — the things you say to yourself when something happens. That inner voice is powerful. Negative self-talk can make challenges feel impossible, while positive self-talk gives you the energy to keep trying.

What is negative self-talk?

  • Thoughts like "I'm terrible at this," "I always mess up," or "Nobody likes me."
  • These thoughts are usually exaggerated — they use words like "always," "never," "terrible," or "everyone."
  • They focus on failure and make you want to give up.

What is a positive reframe?

  • A reframe is not pretending everything is perfect — it is finding a more honest and helpful way to look at the same situation.
  • "I'm terrible at this" becomes "This is hard, but I can get better with practice."
  • "I always mess up" becomes "I made a mistake this time. I will try again."

The reframe rule

  • Keep it honest — don't say "I'm amazing at this" if you're not.
  • Keep it kind — speak to yourself the way you would speak to a good friend.
  • Keep it forward-looking — include what you can do next.
Negative self-talk versus positive reframeLeft side shows a dark rain cloud labeled Negative Self-Talk. An arrow points right to a bright sun labeled Positive Reframe.Reframe Your Inner VoiceNegativeSelf-Talk"I'm terribleat this."reframePositive Reframe"This is hard,but I canimprove."Honest . Kind . Forward-looking
A rain cloud (negative self-talk: "I'm terrible at this") with an arrow pointing to a bright sun (positive reframe: "This is hard, but I can improve").
Three negative self-talk examples with positive reframesThree rows pairing a negative thought with an honest, encouraging positive reframe.3 Reframe Examples"I alwaysmess up.""I made a mistake.I will try again.""Nobodylikes me.""Some peoplecare about me.""I can'tdo this.""I can't do it yet.I will practiceand improve."
Three side-by-side reframe pairs — each negative thought (red) paired with its honest, encouraging positive reframe (green).
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Self-check: Can you turn "I can't do this" into a positive reframe right now?

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Guided Practice

Draw a face showing a feeling from this lesson on your paper. Then use the Tracing Pad to practice the feeling words.

Tracing Pad

Tip: As you trace each word, say a positive reframe out loud — speak kindly to yourself.

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Exercises

Tap a negative thought on the left, then tap its positive reframe on the right.

1. What is self-talk?

2. Which word is a warning sign of negative self-talk?

3. What does it mean to reframe a negative thought?

4. Which reframe of "I can't do this" is best?

5. How does positive self-talk help you when something is difficult?

6. A classmate says "I'm the best at everything" to replace "I'm bad at everything." Is this a good reframe?

7. What does "talk to yourself like a good friend" mean?

8. What is the main difference between negative and positive self-talk?

9. Why should a reframe be forward-looking?

10. What is the best positive reframe for "I always mess up"?

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Assessment

Parent / Teacher Checklist

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