Unlock Resilience with a Resilience Poem

Teaching resilience is more important than ever in today’s dynamic and unpredictable environment. As students navigate the ups and downs of academics and personal growth, fostering resilience equips them with the mental and emotional strength to face challenges head-on. 

This resilience worksheet has been created by our experienced teacher team to guide your students through the process of writing their very own poem about resilience and what this concept means to them. The activity encourages students to reflect on their experiences and express their thoughts through a resilience acrostic poem. The acrostic format not only encourages creativity but also prompts thoughtful consideration of the various aspects of resilience. From personal experiences to role models, each line of the poem serves as a canvas for students to explore their understanding of resilience in a meaningful way.

This three-page worksheet includes the following:

• An explanation of what acrostic poems are
• An example acrostic poem using the word ‘Kind’
• A brainstorming page about the concept of resilience
• A lined page for writing their resilience poem

This resilience poem worksheet downloads as a black-and-white PDF or an editable Google Slide, should you wish your students to type their resilience poem instead of writing it by hand.

By engaging in this activity, students will not only develop their writing skills but also gain a deeper understanding of their own resilience. 

How to Use This Resilience Worksheet in Your Classroom

If you’re unsure of the best way to approach the topic of resilience with your students, you may like to try this suggested method of implementing this resilience worksheet in your classroom:

1. Start a Discussion – Begin with a class discussion on the concept of resilience. Explore personal and more famous examples of people exhibiting great strength of the human spirit.
2. Introduce the Worksheet – Hand out the resilience poem worksheet and explain the acrostic poem format. Provide examples to inspire students and illustrate the creative possibilities.
3. Personal Reflection – Allocate time for students to reflect on their own experiences with resilience. Encourage them to dig deep and consider the lessons they’ve learned from overcoming challenges.
4. Sharing and Feedback – Foster a supportive classroom environment where students can share their poems with peers. This not only builds a sense of community but also allows for constructive feedback and discussion.
5. Integration into Curriculum – Integrate resilience poems into your curriculum by tying them to literature, psychology or character education lessons. Explore other poems about resilience and connect them to the students’ creations.

Download This Resilience Poem Worksheet

As mentioned above, this resilience poem worksheet downloads as either an easy-print PDF or an editable Google Slides version. Use the Download button to access your preferred file format. (Note: You will be prompted to make a copy of the Google Slides template on your personal drive before accessing it.)

You may wish to consider printing the final page on different coloured paper so that you can display the students’ work on your classroom wall, creating a colourful rainbow of resilience poems!

Dig Deeper Into Perseverance and Resilience

Looking for more teacher-created resources to facilitate your teaching of perseverance and resilience? Teach Starter has many great options for you to explore!

teaching resource

Resilience Posters

Teach students the meaning of resilience with these beautifully designed resilience posters for your primary school classroom.

teaching resource

The Pillars of Perseverance – Bulletin Board Display

Teach students the definition of perseverance with this beautifully designed classroom display based on a rock climbing theme.

teaching resource

Perseverance Strategies Mini-Book

Teach your students perseverance strategies with this printable mini-book perfect for primary students!