Every day, our attention is pulled in many directions: schoolwork, responsibilities, relationships, and plans for the future. In the midst of all of this, we rarely stop to ask ourselves what truly matters to us or how we want to live and make our decisions with intention. If we don’t pause to ask and reflect upon what we care about most, our days can fill up simply with tasks and demands of life, and we tend to lose touch with the people and moments that bring us meaning. When we make even a little space for what truly matters, life often feels more purposeful, joyful, and connected. In this lesson, students will respond to the prompt “The Most Important Thing to me is…” to reflect on their values and consider how they can intentionally give more attention to what truly matters.
When we take time to notice the things we value and prioritise what is truly important, the people, responsibilities, traditions, and moments that give our lives meaning, purpose, and joy, we often feel more connected to the people we care about and to ourselves. Through creative art and writing, students will express what they are grateful for and what holds meaning in their lives. They will learn how to carry that awareness into everyday moments, and to plan their days with intention.
Note: If coloured pencils or markers are unavailable, the activity works equally well with any writing utensil. Students can use hatching, shading, or patterns to create texture and distinction in their drawings.
Prior to teaching this lesson, watch the expert and guest artist videos and create your own write-up and/or drawing that you will share with your students.
Teacher Note: When modelling this activity, you may choose to share something that feels meaningful in your life, such as a relationship, responsibility, tradition, or personal interest. This helps students see that “important things” can include both joy and duty, and that meaning can take many forms.
Featured videos
Slam Out Loud Featured Video: Animated Video for Diksha
Slide 1: Launch of the lesson
Example of What You Could Say:
“Today, we’re going to pause our usual routines to do something a little different. By a show of hands, who feels like there are so many things to do each day, whether it’s helping at home, studying, attending school, or taking on responsibilities like looking after younger siblings or helping bring in additional income for the family? There’s a lot we juggle every day, and life can go by very quickly. Sometimes it might feel like we’re just moving from one task to the next, and before we realise it, weeks, months, or even years have flown by.
Too often, we get caught up in our daily tasks and forget to pause and focus on what truly matters: time with the people we care about, the responsibilities that give us pride, and the moments that remind us why we do what we do. Today, we are going to slow down, reflect on ourselves, and ask a simple but powerful question: What matters most to me?
It might seem like a big question, but it’s actually pretty simple. Thinking about what we value helps us pay attention to what is truly important in our lives and make better choices about how we spend our time on things that really matter.
It’s important to remember that our responsibilities, like homework, helping at home, supporting our family, and showing up for the people who need us, matter as much as anything else we value. In fact, for many of us, these responsibilities are a direct expression of what we care about most. Even when our days are full, and we often don’t have much choice in how we spend our time, we can look for small moments to be present with what matters most to us. We can also work toward balance by making space for family, friends, hobbies, and the values we care about.
Even one small, meaningful action each week, like spending more time with a family member, helping a friend, sitting with a grandparent, helping a neighbour, spending a quiet moment with a sibling, revisiting a tradition your family keeps, or doing something that reminds you of who you are, can help you reconnect with what truly matters to you.
Something else I have noticed is that even when I am spending time on something I care about or with someone I love, I can be distracted and even forget that this is an important moment. When we remember that this moment includes our ‘most important thing,’ it helps us really show up and appreciate it. Reflecting on what we value in our lives can allow us to feel gratitude, a practice that will contribute to greater “santosh” (contentment), “khushi” (happiness), and “shanti” (peace and calm) [alternate words in different regional languages can be used instead of the Hindi examples here. This is just a placeholder for Indian terminology.] So, this process of getting to know ourselves, understanding what we want to prioritise, and learning what we hold dear often leaves us feeling more grateful for what we already have.
I’ve noticed that discovering what matters most to us takes time and reflection. So we’re going to explore this in a fun, creative way through a writing and art activity we’ll do together.”
Introducing the Creative Activity
“Would anyone like to share some things that they enjoy or that are important to them? First, I wanted to share my creative activity with you all. I completed a write-up to finish this sentence: ‘The Most Important Thing to Me Is…’ I want to read this to you now. I also want to share my drawing with you. (Read your writing and share your drawing with your students.)
When life is busy, I sometimes forget to prioritise spending time on… (share an example from your life). My hope is that this writing and drawing activity will help me remember to make time for what I care most about.
Note: If you are sharing a personal example, consider sharing something that students can relate to, rather than an example that is more personal or individual level llike a time you were too busy to call your mother, unable to visit your hometown more often due to professional or personal responsibilities, or missed a festival because of work, as these examples will feel immediately familiar to students and signal that the lesson understands their world.
Now, we are going to do this activity together. Let’s take a moment to reflect in a short writing exercise and use the questions on the handout to help guide you.
Now, with this in mind, use the prompt “The most important thing to me is…” to begin a free-write or stream-of-consciousness journal entry. Let your pen/pencil move quickly without stopping to edit or revise. If you get stuck, simply return to the phrase “The most important thing…” and continue writing. It does not have to be grammatically correct or long in length, and you can also feel free to just write words or phrases for things that are most important to you as well. After writing, we are also going to create a drawing that reflects your writing.”
Create an image that represents what matters most to you. Don’t worry about trying to make the image look perfect. It is also ok to just use colour and shapes to show what you care about the most.
Your drawing can be realistic or abstract, using colour, shapes, symbols, and design to express your ideas and feelings.”
Using the hand-out, students complete their “Most Important Thing” drawing and free-write prompt. Please plan to offer at least 20 minutes for this creative activity. If students remain engaged and time allows, encourage them to continue writing and drawing for an additional five to ten minutes.
Note: While students work, move around the room quietly. If you notice a student who appears distressed or who is struggling to think of anything to write, gently suggest they think of someone they love or a moment from a festival, celebration, or everyday life that made them feel happy. This can help them begin reflecting.
Example of What You Could Say:
“I want to invite you to share your writing and drawing now. It’s okay if you aren’t finished, and you can always finish this activity at home. And sharing is completely optional. You can share everything, just one line, or just hold up your drawing, whatever feels right. Would anyone like to either read what they wrote, share part of what they wrote, or share their drawing?
Invite a few students to share their writing and drawing.
If students share answers that are entirely duty-based, like ‘the most important thing to me is studying hard for my parents’ or ‘taking care of my little sister,’ affirm these with the same warmth as joy-based answers. Do not redirect them toward personal pleasure or individual goals. These are complete and meaningful answers too for students who associate importance with these activities in their lives.
I was inspired by your writing and drawing today. I hope this activity helped you reflect on what you value most in your life. It certainly shifted the way I see my own life and gave me a new lens of appreciation. I hope sometime soon, even for a small moment, you find yourself with the person or doing the thing you wrote about today, and that you notice it when it happens. That’s the gift of this lesson: leaving with the awareness that you can focus your time and attention on the things that truly hold meaning for you and bring you joy.”