Favorite Little Things is a participatory activity that invites people to share the small, everyday things that bring them joy, comfort, or curiosity. It creates a warm and open environment, encourages appreciation of ordinary moments, and fosters human connection through emotional reflection and storytelling. The activity can be adapted to in-person or virtual settings, and used in education, wellbeing, or community-building spaces.
Preparation
- Define the purpose:
- Foster emotional presence and connection among participants.
- Encourage mindfulness and gratitude for the small things in life.
- Reveal personal values and joys through storytelling.
- Gather materials:
- Paper, cards, or sticky notes
- Markers or pens
- Board, poster, or digital space for displaying responses
- Set the tone:
- Let people know there are no wrong answers—any small detail is welcome.
- Invite honesty, creativity, or humor, depending on the group tone.
Step-by-step instructions
- Introduction
- Ask participants to think of a small, specific thing that brings them joy, calm, or comfort.
- Give a few fun or poetic examples, such as “The smell of books,” “The sound of rain on the window,” or “The first sip of coffee.”
- Individual sharing
- Each person writes one or more “favorite little things.”
- Optional: include why it matters or how it makes them feel.
- Group collection
- Display all contributions on a board or screen.
- Group similar themes and notice shared joys.
- Optional expansion
- Create a visual wall, mural, or digital board with the shared “little things.”
- Use the responses as creative prompts (for poems, collages, drawings, etc.).
- Closing
- Invite each person to share something someone else said that made them smile.
- Optionally, take a photo or save a record of the shared board.
Examples of favorite little things
- The first sip of coffee in the morning.
- The smell of wet earth after the rain.
- Hearing your favorite song unexpectedly on the radio.
- A short but refreshing nap.
- When a pet comes to snuggle with you.
- Receiving an unexpected message from someone you love.
- Finding forgotten money in a pocket.
- Watching foam form in a cup of tea.
- The sound of dry leaves crunching underfoot in autumn.
- A long and sincere hug.
- Waking up and realizing you still have time to sleep.
- Watching an ice cube melt in a drink.
- The comfortable silence shared with someone you trust.
- Finishing a book you loved.
- Putting on clean and soft clothes.
- The exact moment bathwater reaches the perfect temperature.
- Someone’s contagious laughter.
- Crossing paths with a butterfly or hummingbird.
- Finding an empty bench in the shade.
- The smell of freshly baked bread.
- When someone saves you a seat without being asked.
- Hearing the ocean from afar.
- Seeing a plant bloom.
- The texture of a soft blanket in winter.
- Hearing thunder while feeling safe at home.
- Receiving a sincere compliment.
- Watching the sky change colors at sunset.
- Singing alone while cooking or driving.
- Taking a breath of fresh air after being indoors for hours.
- When someone laughs at your bad joke and tops it with a worse one.
Creative variations for Favorite Little Things
- Today’s little thing: Invite participants to share something that brought them joy that same day, cultivating mindfulness and daily gratitude.
- In pairs: In duos, guess each other’s favorite little thing based on clues or gestures.
- Sound version: Ask participants to represent their favorite thing with a sound, song, or audio effect.
- Illustrated version: Instead of writing it, draw it on a card or digital board.
- Collective collage: Create a visual group piece using cut-outs, textures, and words that represent the shared little things.
- Secret little thing: Write it anonymously and let the group guess who it belongs to.
- Sensory favorites: Sort by category: favorite sounds, smells, textures, tastes.
- Collective poem: Use the responses to create a group poem or a series of haikus.
- Gratitude chain: Share a small thing that someone else in the group made happen (e.g., “When you greet us cheerfully in the morning”).
- Future little things: “A small thing I’d love to experience soon.”
- Daily photo: Invite people to capture a photo of their favorite little thing in real life over the next few days.
- Emoji-only version: Share using only one or several emojis, then explain their meaning.
- Emotional frame: Link the favorite little thing to a specific emotion (calm, laughter, tenderness, energy, etc.).
- Forgotten little things: Share something small you no longer experience but remember fondly.
- Weekly challenge: Keep a weekly log where a different favorite little thing is noted each day.
