Look back at Happiness Week at School 2025

At Lab School Paris, Happiness Week was an opportunity for the entire educational community to reflect on the role of well-being in learning. The initiative provided an opportunity to experiment with different approaches to fostering a positive, constructive atmosphere in everyday life.

A collective and inspiring approach

“What greater joy for a teacher than to see a child awakening to knowledge, rejoicing at having understood a notion, helped a classmate or overcome a difficulty?” wrote F. Alexandre-Bailly (President of ONISEP) in the preface to the booklet. These words resonated throughout the week, guiding our activities and reinforcing our conviction that happiness at school is built together. It was in this spirit of sharing and fulfillment that we structured our week around rich, complementary themes.

The week's themes

• Monday - Self-awareness: Students began the week by creating a “Happiness Tree” on which each student and teacher could write a word about what makes them happy throughout the week. After lunch, a digestive meditation calmed the mind, followed by a yoga session in the park to reconnect with the body and the breath. In Spanish class, the 4th graders explored “Las cosas que me hacen feliz”, expressing their personal joys on a sheet of paper. For a festive touch, on the occasion of St. Patrick's Day, the students made green cakes to raise funds for their green class, combining tradition and generosity.

  
  

• Tuesday - Emotional awareness: This day was all about listening and discovering emotions. In primary school, each pupil chose an emotion and expressed it through colors, bodily sensations and their own definition, giving rise to a collective garland symbolizing their inner journey. Meanwhile, in the 7th/8th grade, the theme of happiness was interwoven with their “Saying Love” sequence: students reflected on the different ways of expressing love across different cultures and countries, establishing a link between love and well-being.

  
  

• Wednesday - Regulating emotions: Primary school students explored this theme by writing down what they love, an approach that helped them refocus on the essential and the positive. During sports lessons, games encouraged sharing and listening, integrating happiness into physical activity. Preparations for the musical performance, which began at the start of the week, continued in the run-up to Friday's show.

  
  

• Thursday - Gratitude: A highlight of the week, dedicated to recognizing the little and big joys of everyday life. Students shared what they're grateful for, learning to cultivate a positive, open attitude towards the world around them. The students continued the “Saying Love” sequence by creating illustrations highlighting the diversity of expressions of love around the world, enriching their reflection on this universal sentiment.

  
  

• Friday - Growth mindset: The day opened with a collective singing session, creating a convivial atmosphere from the very start. The collective reading of the positive word tree, enriched by the contributions collected throughout the week, brought the event to a close on a genuine note of sharing and reflection.

A moment of singing and creativity

Throughout the week, two songs - one in French and the other in English - punctuated our activities. These melodies, learned and sung together, reinforced the sense of belonging and cohesion of our group. They also served to celebrate the richness of language and culture, uniting the students in a shared moment.

Conclusion

Happiness Week is not just a one-off event, but an invitation to rethink everyday life at school. It encourages us to explore ways of making school life more fulfilling for students and teachers alike. By experimenting with different approaches, we seek to transform school into a place of pleasure, where well-being and learning reinforce each other to build a harmonious and sustainable environment.

Thanks to the entire educational team who helped create this great week, the booklet is still available on the Resources page of our website.