Frame 1099

    Character Strengths Activity (Years 7-10)

    This lesson plan introduces students to the VIA Character Strengths framework and supports them to recognise their own strengths, understand how these strengths show up in everyday life, and learn how to apply them in goal-setting, teamwork and personal development. It draws on positive psychology principles and is mapped to the Australian Curriculum.

    Author/ source: PESA

    Last updated: 13/05/2026

    View Lesson Plan
    Character Strengths Activity (Years 7-10)
    Format: Classroom lesson plan | Duration: 60 minutes | Target audience: Secondary students (Years 7–10)
    Objective

    This document is a ready-to-use lesson plan designed to help secondary teachers (Years 7–10) introduce students to the VIA Character Strengths framework in the classroom. Its core purpose is to give young people the language, self-awareness and practical experience to:

    • Recognise their own character strengths and understand what makes them unique

    • Apply those strengths intentionally in everyday situations, goal-setting and challenges

    • Value strengths in others, building empathy, collaboration and stronger team dynamics

    • Connect strengths to wellbeing, reinforcing the idea that knowing and using your strengths supports confidence, motivation and a sense of purpose

    By mapping the activities to the Australian Curriculum (Health and Physical Education, Version 9), the document also serves a secondary purpose: making it easy for educators to embed evidence-informed positive psychology practices into existing classroom programmes without additional planning.

    This is  a curriculum-aligned tool for building student wellbeing and self-awareness through a strengths-based approach.

    Related Resources

    Explore more resources >
    2026 PD Wrap Up: Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    Article PD Wrap Up
    2026 PD Wrap Up: Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    Mark Collard, experiential trainer, author, and founder of Playmeo, joined us in August 2026 for an interactive session unpacking the latest science and research on why intentionally building play and fun should sit at the heart of any group-based program. Below is a summary of the key takeaways and learnings from the session. Presenter: Mark Collard, Experiential Traininer, Author and CEO of Playmeo
    Access Resource
    Communicating with Today's Parents: McCrindle Research and RoundTable
    Research Summary
    Communicating with Today's Parents: McCrindle Research and RoundTable
    What do parents expect from schools when it comes to communication? PESA attended a round table to discuss the results of the research paper: "Communicating with Today's Parents" where 1000 parents were surveyed in February 2026. Author: Research by McCrindle. Article by PESA
    Access Resource
    Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    Webinar/Video 2026 Online PD
    Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    Mark Collard is an experiential trainer, author and founder of playmeo, the ultimate toolkit of icebreakers, energisers and team-building activities, used by thousands of teachers worldwide. This interatctive session explores tghe latest science and reserach which supports and encourages the intentional development of wellbeing as the central focus of group-based programs. This session presents a series of fun group activities which can easily be integrated into your exitsing curriculum to help your students feel valued, supported included. Presenter: Mark Collard, Experiential Traininer, Author and CEO of Playmeo
    Access Resource
    2026 PD Wrap Up: The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    Article PD Wrap Up
    2026 PD Wrap Up: The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    Sue Chandler, Founder of Transformative Schools presents the Relational Practice Bridge, a framework for shifting school culture from control to curiosity. Through three "stories" (the discipline biographies we inherit, the theories of change we adopt, and the patterns our systems reinforce), she explores why relational practice is hard to sustain and how educators can build genuine accountability through understanding rather than consequences. Author/Source: PESA and Sue Chandler, Transformative Schools
    Access Resource
    The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    Webinar/Video 2026 Online PD
    The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    Presented by Sue Chandler, Founder of Transformative Schools. Why Relational Practice Requires a Shift from Control to Curiosity.
    Access Resource
    2026 PD Wrap Up: Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    2026 PD Wrap Up: Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    Mark Collard, experiential trainer, author, and founder of Playmeo, joined us in August 2026 for an interactive session unpacking the latest science and research on why intentionally building play and fun should sit at the heart of any group-based program. Below is a summary of the key takeaways and learnings from the session. Presenter: Mark Collard, Experiential Traininer, Author and CEO of Playmeo
    Article PD Wrap Up
    Communicating with Today's Parents: McCrindle Research and RoundTable
    Communicating with Today's Parents: McCrindle Research and RoundTable
    What do parents expect from schools when it comes to communication? PESA attended a round table to discuss the results of the research paper: "Communicating with Today's Parents" where 1000 parents were surveyed in February 2026. Author: Research by McCrindle. Article by PESA
    Research Summary
    Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    Connection IS The Content: A Pathway to Wellbeing
    Mark Collard is an experiential trainer, author and founder of playmeo, the ultimate toolkit of icebreakers, energisers and team-building activities, used by thousands of teachers worldwide. This interatctive session explores tghe latest science and reserach which supports and encourages the intentional development of wellbeing as the central focus of group-based programs. This session presents a series of fun group activities which can easily be integrated into your exitsing curriculum to help your students feel valued, supported included. Presenter: Mark Collard, Experiential Traininer, Author and CEO of Playmeo
    Webinar/Video 2026 Online PD
    2026 PD Wrap Up: The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    2026 PD Wrap Up: The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    Sue Chandler, Founder of Transformative Schools presents the Relational Practice Bridge, a framework for shifting school culture from control to curiosity. Through three "stories" (the discipline biographies we inherit, the theories of change we adopt, and the patterns our systems reinforce), she explores why relational practice is hard to sustain and how educators can build genuine accountability through understanding rather than consequences. Author/Source: PESA and Sue Chandler, Transformative Schools
    Article PD Wrap Up
    The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    The Space Between Knowing and Doing
    Presented by Sue Chandler, Founder of Transformative Schools. Why Relational Practice Requires a Shift from Control to Curiosity.
    Webinar/Video 2026 Online PD
    Explore more resources >