How to Celebrate the International Day of Happiness with Your Students
Celebrate the International Day of Happiness with your students using free classroom activities that build well-being, emotional awareness and positive connections.
On March 20, millions of people around the world will celebrate the International Day of Happiness, a global moment to reflect on well-being and human flourishing.
For Proof Positive Autism Wellbeing Alliance, happiness is a skill that can be practiced and strengthened, just like reading, math and communication.
That’s why the International Day of Happiness is a perfect opportunity to bring conversations about well-being into the classroom.
Why Teach About Happiness?
Academics are central to education, but well-being plays an important role in helping students learn and thrive.
Research from the field of positive psychology shows that positive emotions can support well-being and build resilience by broadening thinking, strengthening problem-solving abilities and lowering stress in challenging moments.
By incorporating simple, evidence-informed activities into the classroom, educators can help students:
- Develop emotional awareness and vocabulary.
- Strengthen peer relationships.
- Build resilience and coping skills.
- Create a more positive classroom environment.
Even small moments of reflection can help students better understand what happiness looks like for them.
A Simple Classroom Activity: ‘What Kind of Happy Are You?’
To support classrooms celebrating the International Day of Happiness, Proof Positive created a free activity called What Kind of Happy Are You?
This activity helps students explore the many ways happiness appears in everyday life. Instead of thinking about happiness as one single feeling, students learn that it can take many forms, including awe, inspiration, pride, interest, serenity, love, gratitude, hope, joy and amusement.
The resource includes:
- A printable classroom poster
- A guided reflection worksheet
- Easy instructions for educators
It works well for morning meetings, social and emotional learning lessons, advisory periods or small group discussions, and can be adapted for diverse learners.
The Everyone Deserves Happiness Summit
Educators and families can also participate in the Everyone Deserves Happiness Summit, a free virtual event hosted by Proof Positive on March 20.
The summit brings together leaders in positive psychology, autism and neurodiversity, education and mental health to share practical, science-backed ideas for supporting well-being in everyday environments, including classrooms.
Building Happiness Beyond One Day
Celebrating the International Day of Happiness can help students develop awareness and habits that support lifelong well-being. By creating space for conversations about positive emotions, educators help students recognize what brings them joy, connection and meaning—because everyone deserves happiness.
Practical Strategies to Support Educator Wellness and Student Well-Being
In this interactive webinar, Katie Curran from Proof Positive, shares practical, easy-to-use strategies to support educator wellness and student wellbeing.
Social Emotional Learning for Middle and High School Students
Our comprehensive collection of SEL resources is designed to empower educators, parents, and guardians with the tools needed to support middle and high school students' emotional and social development during these critical years.
Proof Positive is a national nonprofit dedicated to improving the wellbeing of autistic people, and their families, providers and communities. We provide web-based teaching resources to advance the social and emotional wellbeing for the autism community, at no cost. The platform offers ready-to-use... See More
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