Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - Christmas Tree Activity

I found this activity by Counselor Keri on TeachersPayTeachers & use it for an activity during classroom guidance every December! The packet is SO easy to follow & walks you through everything, even down to how to explain it all to students. I’m not going to share all of the material, since it does cost money (just $1.50, so not a ton), but I want to honor the work that she put into this activity.

a little background...

Abraham Maslow was a psychologist from the 1900s that came up with a theory on psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority. This activity allows you to talk about those needs with students, separating each level on a Christmas tree!

I took pictures of one of my student’s finished tree (with her permission, of course) & want to share it now!

first layer: physiological needs

second layer: personal safety needs

third layer: love & belonging needs

fourth layer: self-esteem needs

fifth (& final) layer: actualization needs

The final product is darling & it’s a great way to help kids think through what their basic needs are & how we can expand on them once the basic ones are met.

Disclaimer — I did not write this lesson. All credit goes to CounselorKeri on TeachersPayTeachers.