Six Ways to Boost Student Self-Esteem with Margot Denommé
Updated: Nov 11, 2022
How to help students build self-esteem and spread kindness with Criminal Attorney and author, Margot Denommé's book PLUS printable weekly planner of kindness activities!
Margot Denommé has worked as a Criminal Justice Lawyer for over 20 years and has seen the devastating effects of poor choices made by children with low self-esteem and damaged self-confidence every day.
Given the clear link between damaged self-worth, bullying, mental health issues and a troubled future, Margot committed herself to writing children’s stories with a clear counter-message—beauty comes from with- in, and from the depths of one’s heart.
The books Mommy, am I Pretty? and Awesome Inside + Out! are designed to facilitate a dialogue that will help children develop their inner strength, and to empower them with their own definition of beauty.
As a mother of two young daughters, Margot was struck by the unrealistic and distorted images of “beauty” perpetuated by the mainstream and social media. A generation of children is actively comparing themselves to digitally-altered images of people that don’t actually exist.
Meet Featured Kikori Creator, Margot Denommé!
We interviewed Margot about why she believes helping youth Celebrate Themselves Inside + Out is so important.
How does growing up in a culture obsessed with outward beauty affect the way children feel about themselves?
This was my question as I considered my young daughters. As a criminal lawyer, I see the devastating effects of low self-esteem on youth and a disturbing rise in bullying.
Why is the obsession with beauty such a problem?
Children are bombarded with images that suggest that what they see when they look in the mirror is not good enough. Distorted perceptions of beauty burst from the screens in their hands, their homes and at the malls.
How have you spread this movement?
Since first publication in 2013, Mommy, am I pretty? has moved into classrooms and communities, promoting a movement – one that sees young girls looking in, instead of out, when thinking about themselves and others. The Celebrate You! tour takes my message on the road, promoting the power of developing confidence by being kind, strong, inclusive and unique.
What does Mommy, am I pretty teach our youth?
While walking home from school one day Molly asks her mom what it means to be “pretty”. Molly’s mother responds by reviewing Molly’s average day; at home, at school, and in her community, uncovering Molly’s moments of kindness, generosity, and confidence. Molly discovers that small gestures of compassion and friendship feel good, and that trying our best at whatever we do makes us feel strong and beautiful on the inside. With this discovery, Molly determines that being pretty on the inside is what matters most.
Learn more about Margot and her work at https://www.celebrateyouinsideout.com/!
Would you love to invite Margot to your school?
She would love that as well!
Reach out to Margot today at margot.denomme@yahoo.com
for more information and Celebrate You! packages
How can you bring Celebrate You! activities into your classroom?
Download the printable Celebrate You! Planner Click below for a clickable pdf where you can access each activity and feel free to print for a weekly checklist.
Prepare your materials. Some of the activities have pdf's available. Print these out ahead of time or pull up on your Smart Board.
Listen actively and practice empathy. An instructor's role in community-building activities is to offer support, guidance encouragement where needed. Also hav
Get personal and have fun! It means the world to your students when you share about your OWN experiences. Never forget the importance of joy and fun with our youth. After we work through difficult feelings, it is important to remember the good and celebrate each other.
Check out these five Celebrate You! activities from Margot Denommé that help students celebrate each other and themselves by seeing their inner beauty, now on the Kikori App!
Each of the activities in the Celebrate You! Planner printable below are available within the Kikori App along with 500+ more experiential activities aligned with CASEL Social Emotional Learning standards!
Wondering how to find the activities in the app? If you're a premium member, you can find them all together in a super duper easy-to-use playlist here! Otherwise, you can find the activities under Margot Denommé's profile OR click on each activity on the downloadable PDF to be brought directly to it in the WebApp.
Get Margot's books today!
Mommy, am I pretty? Once there was a girl named Molly who wondered what it meant to be pretty. So she asked her mother, "Mommy, am I pretty?" Molly learns that being pretty means so much more than how you look on the outside. Beauty comes from within each of our hearts.This is the core message in Mommy, am I pretty? and one that offers children balance in a world where they are inundated with messages that their value is defined by physical beauty. In 'Mommy, am I pretty?' Molly learns that the image of true beauty comes from being confident, kind and her best-self.
Twins Sam, who wants to be a performer and make people laugh, and Sofia, who loves science and wants to be an astronaut, ask their mother if they are, respectively, strong and pretty. While enjoying ice cream, their mother imparts important lessons about what makes a child 'awesome'. They learn that being awesome emanates from their own hearts and minds regardless of who they are, what they look like, or their gender.
