Host a Family Strengths Night at Your School!

In one fun and special evening, you can help your school become "a place of strengths" where everyone's unique gifts are recognized and celebrated. But how, you might ask? By hosting a Family Strengths Night!

A Family Strengths Night is a fun evening full of conversation, games, and activities in which students and families learn more about strengths, why they matter, and how we can all identify and encourage the unique strengths in ourselves, our families, and in our schools.

But first, do you know what strengths are and why they matter? Our character strengths are the best parts of who we are.  They are the positive qualities we demonstrate such as creativity, perseverance, curiosity, gratitude, love, and leadership, to name just a few. Each of us has a unique combination of these strengths. When we use the character strengths that come most naturally to us, also known as our "signature strengths," we not only make a positive contribution to the people around us, we also feel happier, more engaged, more energized, and more motivated.  We achieve more and we learn faster. We are more creative and we bounce back from setbacks more quickly. Our strengths truly bring out the best in us! They are what we are good at, what makes us feel good, and how we “do good” for ourselves and others.

Decades of research have proven that using your character strengths is an essential component of personal well-being, academic achievement, student motivation, creating positive relationships, and creating a positive school climate. But even those of us who know that using our strengths is a key element of success and well-being still don't always know how to begin identifying and leveraging our own personal strengths…or how to start helping our children understand their unique strengths.

 So here comes All Our Strengths to the rescue!  Using the free downloadable Host a Family Strengths Night guide and other resources that are available at www.allourstrengths.com, you now have everything thing you need to host a fun Family Strengths Night at your school that:

• Educates families about why strengths matter;
• Helps children (and their grown-ups!) identify some of their signature strengths;
• Shows families how to identify and talk about strengths;
• Recognizes and celebrates the strengths within your school community;
• Encourages students, staff, and families to act as Community Strengths Champions™ within your school.

 Although the activities in my Host a Family Strengths Night guide can be used with any list of strengths or strengths assessment tool, I especially recommend their use to help teach the character strengths that are identified in the phenomenal VIA (Values in Action) Character Strengths survey.  The VIA Survey is a free, scientifically-validated self-assessment tool that helps individuals determine their signature strengths out of a list of 24 strengths that are valued in almost every culture. There are youth and adult versions of the VIA Survey in multiple languages making it an excellent choice or working with people in schools and families, in addition to those in workplaces and organizations. www.allourstrengths.com/resources

 After participating in your Family Strengths Night, students and families will leave with fun ideas, practical tips, and easy strategies that they can use to see and share their strengths both at home and at school. And celebrating everyone's strengths will also help to foster and deepen positive relationships and build a welcoming, inclusive culture in your school! So download the free Host a Family Strengths Night guide at www.allourstrengths.com/resources start planning an event at your school today!