Evidence-Based Life Skills Curriculum & Programs.
Positive Action is a complete educational program focused on teaching life skills to students from preschool through high school. By using Positive Action’s life skills curriculum in your school, you’ll help each student become aware of their own abilities, which will set them up for success in life.
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How Do Positive Action Programs Work with Life Skills?
Our education curriculum is based on the social-emotional learning philosophy that we feel good about ourselves when we do positive actions. The program's goal is to teach today’s youth about how they can apply life skills and learning to promote a healthy and positive cycle of thoughts, feelings, and actions in their everyday life.
Over the course of the school year, the six units in the Positive Action curriculum provide education on how to handle oneself in real-world situations using life skills. After learning about each life skill, such as creativity, honesty, time management, and several others, students will have the tools they need to make the most out of life both inside the classroom and out.
🔢 View our Program Structure
Positive Action Life Skills Curriculum by Grades
The Positive Action life skills curriculum works for students of all ages, young and old. We have teaching and learning kits available for each grade level focusing on the skills each group of students needs at that point in their lives and education. Each kit includes enough materials for 30 students.
Preschool (Pre-K)
As a student’s first time in a classroom, it’s important that preschool provides young children with the communication and social skills training they’ll need throughout their education. Our Pre-K teaching and learning kit introduce important life skills like self-concept and self-control in a fun way using two hedgehog puppets who encourage and support health-based tasks and decisions.
Elementary School
For young students in grade levels kindergarten through fifth, our skill-based kits teach them new interpersonal skills using group tasks and stories of relatable characters in various scenarios. Together, they will add new problem-solving, personal health, and goal-setting skills to their tools collection.
Middle School
As middle school students in grade levels six through eight grapple with becoming teenagers, our middle-school-level education kit provides them with higher-level learning lessons that align more with real-life situations. Through journaling and group activities, youth in middle school will learn how to develop their positive qualities, speak honestly, and listen to themselves and others.
High School
Our highest level of the life skills training program uses more dynamic formats like group role-playing, community service, and creative projects such as a health fair to help high school students learn about themselves and figure out who they want to become.
In the final year of high school, students will have the option to mentor one another in order to prepare for life after graduation when they will venture out into the community and enter professional settings. The aim of the program is to give high school students the tools and resources to make smart life and health decisions they will need going forward.
📚 Discover our Curriculum Kits
Free Sample Lessons
Each Positive Action kit includes two free sample lessons available for download. To access a lesson, click the banner below or go to the product page for the kit of your choice and click on the link in the product description.
Research Outcomes
Positive Action is an evidence-based life skills program, meaning that educators have seen tangible improvements among their students. Our curriculum has produced outcomes, including:
- 63% reduction in substance abuse
- 28% reduction in absenteeism
- 27% improvement in self-control
- 22% improvement in self-concept
- 21% improvement in physical health
- 23% improvement in total development
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Success Stories
Learn how students, teachers, families, and communities all over the country are achieving their educational goals with Positive Action.
“One of the children was bursting with excitement and began to pull Positive Action activity sheets out of his backpack. He explained to his mother what positive actions were, like eating right, getting enough rest, and treating others with respect, and how he could choose positive actions in his life.” -Kim Loop, in-home care supervisor for the Lake County Trial Court
“We also use the program as an introduction to American culture as part of our social studies program. We work on things like washing your hands before meals, table manners, and how to use money.” -Marilyn Rahming, principal of Pineview Elementary School
“Positive Action curriculum has been a great addition. Staff say members have enjoyed the activities and look forward to programming.” -Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Missouri
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Program Comparison
Compared to other life skills programs, Positive Action provides the most content with more than 1800 lessons, meets the most standards, and provides the most training and support resources. Overall, Positive Action has earned a reputation for being the most effective program for the price. In fact, the Washington State IPP Analysis estimates that Positive Action’s benefits minus costs total over $30,000.
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FAQs
Why Should Life Skills Be Included in My School/District?
No matter what career a student eventually chooses or whether the student is in middle school or high school, he or she will need to know the skills life will demand of them: how to manage themselves, make good decisions, and get along with others. Far too many schools leave these foundational skills out of their curricula. Still, such skills are essential in preparing a child for life beyond the classroom in the greater community.
Further reading: Why Should We Be Teaching Life Skills in Schools?
What Are Some Examples of Life Skills Taught In School?
In Positive Action, each unit covers a set of useful skills needed to thrive in life. Some of them are concrete, like money management and eating nutritiously, while others are more abstract such as empathy, resilience, and courage to try new things.
Is Positive Action Curriculum Suitable for Special Education?
Yes! Positive Action works for students with special needs such as ADHD, autism, emotional disturbance, physical & intellectual disabilities, etc. Our program helps them to develop the right learning skills while developing intrinsic motivation. You can read more about our special education curriculum here.
Ready to take the next steps?
If you want to see how Positive Action can help your students learn life skills and increase educational success, let us know when you're available for a webinar, and we’ll help you get started. You may contact us via phone, chat, or email.
