Fun with Character: What Floats Your Boat?

Start this activity with a discussion of the meaning of this phrase. It can refer to what makes you excited or what you find easy to be enthusiastic about. Give an example of something that you are enthusiastic about. Now divide the class into small groups and have them share something that they are enthusiastic about. While they are talking, draw a simple line drawing of a boat at the top of the chalkboard/whiteboard. When the groups are done sharing, ask for some examples from the groups and write these down on the board under the boat. You will find that the answers will cluster depending on the age of the students. When you have a good number of items listed, ask for some suggestions from the group at large for items that are hard to be enthusiastic about, but that you still have to do anyway. What are some ways you can make these things more enjoyable or less of a drag? Can you reward yourself with something you like when you finish a chore? Can you gamify it in some way – turn it into a contest with a sibling or time yourself and see if you can beat your best time? Give the students some time to think about something that falls into this category, and encourage them to each choose something they can do to help bring their enthusiasm to the chore. Set a time in the future when they will share if it worked for them or not.

To process this activity, ask these or similar questions:

• Is it fun to think about the things that you get excited about?

• Can we go through life only doing the fun things? Why not?

• Can we bring our enthusiasm to all the things that we do?

• Have you ever wasted time putting off a task, and then when you did it, it wasn’t that bad, or it took less time than the time you spent complaining?