Understanding and accepting yourself is key to developing self-esteem, as is the ability to reflect.

Writing letters to themselves can help children build these essential skills.

• Letter to your future self– children should write a letter to their future self about what they would like to do and accomplish by the end of the school year. At the end of the year, return the letters to students so they can reflect on how far they’ve come. If they didn’t fully reach their goals, celebrate their progress and talk about the lessons they’ve learned that will help them in the future.
• Letter to your past self– have your students write about the achievements they’re proud of, the mistakes they’ve learned from, and what they can do differently going forward. If this letter brings up any negative feelings for your students, remind them it’s not too late to make changes. Help them brainstorm steps they can take to create the positive changes they’d like to see.
• Thank you letter to yourself– in this letter, they write a thank you letter to themselves about the qualities they’re happy to have, the achievements they’re proud of, and so on.

source:biglifejournal