If you've ever heard a student mutter, "I'm so bad at this," or "I can't do it," then you've seen the power of self-talk at work—just not the kind we want to encourage. Helping our upper elementary students practice positive self-talk can make a big difference in how they approach challenges, build confidence, and stay motivated even when things get tough.

In this post, you’ll find positive self-talk examples, activities, and reflection ideas you can use right away to help students develop intrinsic motivation in the classroom—and enjoy the learning process more as a result. For more ideas on how to build intrinsic motivation in the classroom, click here.

Positive Self-Talk Activities for Building Motivation In The Classroom

WHAT IS POSITIVE SELF-TALK?

Positive self-talk is the inner dialogue that encourages, reassures, and supports us when we’re facing challenges. It’s the little voice that says, “You’ve got this,” or “Just try one more time,” when a student is stuck on a math problem or nervous before a presentation.

Just like negative self-talk can increase anxiety or avoidance, positive self-talk helps students stay calm, focused, and engaged—which leads to better performance and a greater sense of intrinsic motivation.

Why Positive Self-Talk Matters for Motivation in the Classroom

Research shows that intrinsic motivation—the drive to do something because it’s personally rewarding—plays a huge role in student learning. When students feel confident and capable, they’re more likely to take ownership of their work, persist through setbacks, and find joy in the learning process.

Teaching students to recognize and replace negative thoughts with positive self-talk statements is a powerful way to support this mindset.

Positive Self-Talk Examples for Students

Here are a few simple phrases you can introduce to your class:

"I can try again."
"I learn from my mistakes."
"I don’t know this yet, but I will."
"I’ve done hard things before—I can do this too."
"One step at a time."

These phrases might sound small, but they can have a huge impact when students are facing a challenge or feeling stuck.

3 Ready-to-Use Positive Self-Talk Activities

These activities are part of my Intrinsic Motivation SEL Unit for upper elementary teachers. They’re designed to help students explore their inner dialogue and understand how it affects their behavior and mindset.

1) INTODUCING SELF-TALK

Start with a read-aloud of I Can Be Anything! Don’t Tell Me I Can’t! by Diane Dillon. After the story, lead a discussion using questions like:

Who is the voice that keeps saying negative things?
Is the character intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?
How does the character stay motivated and keep going?

Read aloud that introduces the concept of positive self-talk to students

Then, guide students through a think-pair-share to answer: What is self-talk? Define it together and explain how positive self-talk can help us feel more confident and stay focused, even during hard moments.

Have students practice positive self-talk and connect it to their real-life experiences by asking them to reflect on their week and identify a moment when they used either positive or negative self-talk. Ask:

What did you tell yourself in that moment?
How did it affect your motivation or actions?
If you used negative self-talk, what positive self-talk phrases could you have replaced it with to be more beneficial?

See all my Intrinsic Motivation Resources and Activities on TPT

2) THE POWER OF POSITIVE SELF-TALK

In a follow-up lesson, show students the video Is It Normal To Talk To Yourself? and have a discussion about how self-talk affects motivation and performance. (I’ve included more motivation-focused videos for you in the full Intrinsic Motivation SEL Unit.)

Then, give students time to brainstorm positive self-talk statements. Encourage them to share their favorite statement with the class and keep it in mind throughout the day—especially during moments when they feel frustrated or discouraged.

This activity reinforces the idea that students have control over their thoughts—and that choosing helpful, supportive words makes a difference.

positive self-talk worksheet that challenges students to brainstorm positive self-talk statements

3) RESPONDING TO SITUATIONS THAT TEST OUR MOTIVATION

This positive self-talk activity challenges students to analyze everyday moments when motivation may be tested. Start by walking through one scenario together using guiding questions:

What’s a negative thought that might make this harder?
What’s a positive self-talk phrase that could help?
How might extrinsic motivation work here? What about intrinsic motivation?
What happens if the person gives up? How do they feel?

Then, have students choose a new scenario to work through individually or in small groups and reflect on how to respond with drive and motivation.

This activity brings self-talk into real-world application and helps students consider how motivation plays out in their daily experiences.

EMPOWERING STUDENTS FROM THE INSIDE OUT

When students learn to speak to themselves with kindness and encouragement, they’re better equipped to take risks, stay focused, and persevere through challenges. Helping them recognize the power of their inner voice is a meaningful first step—but it doesn’t stop there.

These positive self-talk activities are just one part of my Intrinsic Motivation SEL Unit—a resource designed to guide upper elementary students toward deeper self-awareness, stronger effort, and lasting motivation. From identifying personal motivators and demotivators, to sorting intrinsic vs. extrinsic drivers, recognizing signs of apathy, and creating tools like a motivation playlist and symbol, the unit gives students the language and strategies to keep growing—even when things get tough.

If you're looking for ready-to-use activities, reflection prompts, and student-centered lessons that support motivation from the inside out, this unit has everything you need to get started.

See all my Intrinsic Motivation Resources and Activities on TPT

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL TOPICS TO GUIDE YOUR MORNING MEETINGS ALL YEAR

If you’re looking to increase your social-emotional learning focus, you’ve come to the right place my friend! This Intrinsic Motivation themed SEL unit is also included in the SEL Morning Meeting MEGA Bundle that contains 16 social- emotional learning themes. With units focused on gratitude, empathy and compassion, growth mindset, conflict resolution and compromise, grit and perseverance, responsibility, understanding and managing emotions, and so much more, your engaging SEL or morning meeting plans are done for you and your students will love them!

If you purchase the bundle from my personal website store, you can save 20% on the SEL Mega Bundle of all 16 topics with the code SEL20.