Learning Intention

To understand how positive and negative self-talk influences emotions and responses to challenges.

Learning Experience Overview

Understanding Self-Talk

This week, students explored how the way we speak to ourselves in our minds, our self-talk, can influence emotions, confidence and resilience.

Language

In this lesson, students developed the language needed to recognise and reshape self-talk.

We explicitly explored vocabulary such as:

Self-talk
Positive self-talk
Negative self-talk
Exaggeration
Realistic thinking
Optimism
Persistence
Encouragement
Evidence from past experience

Students practised:

Identifying unhelpful or exaggerated internal messages
Reframing negative statements into balanced, constructive alternatives
Using specific and practical language rather than vague reassurance
Drawing on prior successes to strengthen positive self-talk

For example, students learned to shift from:

“I’m terrible at this.”

to:

“This is challenging, but I’ve improved before and I can keep practising.”

The focus was not on pretending problems don’t exist, but on using realistic, honest and helpful language to support emotional regulation and resilience.

Whole

Big Idea: Our Thoughts Influence Our Feelings and Actions

Students began by revisiting prior learning about:

How emotions can feel intense in the body
How we experience emotional ups and downs
How character strengths help us face challenges

We introduced the concept of self-talk — the internal conversation we have with ourselves throughout the day.

Students learned that:

Self-talk can be positive or negative
It can either help us cope or make situations feel worse
The way we interpret events shapes how we feel and respond

We discussed real-life examples such as missing a catch in sport or receiving a disappointing test result, and how different internal messages can lead to very different emotional outcomes.

Small

Skill Focus: Identifying and Rewriting Self-Talk

Students worked in small groups to practise recognising and reshaping self-talk in different scenarios.

Each group:

Analysed a scenario (e.g. starting at a new school)
Scripted examples of negative self-talk
Rewrote these into positive, realistic self-talk

Through discussion, students identified patterns:

Negative self-talk often:

Exaggerates how bad something is
Assumes things will last forever
Focuses only on failure
Ignores strengths and past successes

Positive self-talk tends to:

Acknowledge effort
Be realistic about the situation
Offer practical next steps
Encourage persistence
Draw on past experiences

Students were coached to make positive self-talk more believable by:

Challenging exaggerations
Using specific and practical language
Referring to evidence from past success

Whole

Applying the Learning: Building Resilience

We brought the lesson back to the big picture — resilience.

Students reflected on how practising positive self-talk can:

Help manage disappointment
Reduce emotional intensity
Strengthen determination
Improve confidence
Support long-term wellbeing

They recognised that negative self-talk often feels automatic, but positive self-talk is a skill that can be developed through awareness and practice.

To continue the learning at home, from this experience:

You might ask your child:

“What kind of self-talk helps you most?”
“What could you say to yourself in that situation instead?”
“Have you handled something like this before?”

Helping children challenge unhelpful thoughts and replace them with realistic, encouraging alternatives builds strong emotional regulation skills.

Allira, Gemma and Gracie

allira.zeneli@education.vic.gov.au

gemma.baggio@education.vic.gov.au

gracie.willis@education.vic.gov.au

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