Where, When, and How? Integrating Positive Psychology into Education

Kristijan Musek Lešnik
Nov 19, 2025
3 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Education systems often measure what’s easy—tests—while sidelining what’s essential: wellbeing. Yet the evidence is simple: students learn better when they feel better, and so do teachers.

When and where should we begin integrating positive psychology into education to achieve the greatest benefit?

The answer is simple: start now, start here, with the people you already have and the routines you already run. Because it’s not rocket science — and, importantly, it’s not something you aren’t already doing. Often, what’s needed is simply a more intentional and systematic approach.

When and Where to Begin

Caring for the mental and emotional well-being of children and young people is one of the most important goals of education. So important, in fact, that many education systems around the world include it in their official mission statements and strategic plans.

And yet — when it comes to how school quality is actually measured — the focus often lies elsewhere. Standardized test scores and international rankings still dominate, while data on children’s health and well-being quietly slip to the margins. This is slowly changing, however, as well-being indicators are becoming increasingly recognized as essential measures of educational success.

The evidence is clear: students learn better when they feel better.

So when we ask whether we should integrate positive psychology into schools and preschools, there’s really only one answer: Yes — fully, intentionally, and as soon as possible.

Even for those who care mainly about academic results, this is the most reliable path toward genuine success.

Not If, but When and Where

The real question is not if we should care for well-being in schools, but when and where we begin to do it more systematically. The answer is simple:

When? → Now.
Where? → Right where you are. In your preschool. In your school. In your classroom.

It's not Just About the Children and Students

The path to nurturing healthy young people in healthy schools begins with the adults who guide them. Supporting the well-being of children/students must start with supporting the well-being of teachers and school staff — the people who hold these communities together every day..

How to Begin

The encouraging truth is that we don’t need to start from scratch. Every day, in preschools and schools, countless activities already reflect the spirit of positive psychology. Friendships are formed. Relationships deepen. Children, young people, and adults experience joy, pride, gratitude, and connection.

Teachers, principals, caretakers, and cooks inspire students to face challenges with courage and persistence — and to feel genuine satisfaction when they succeed. Not everyone does it, and not all the time. But because it happens, we know it’s possible.

So there's no need for official guidelines or policies to tell you when and where to begin. The best time is now. The best place is here. The best person to do it is me (well, actually, you).

Many Paths Forward

Some approaches to integrating positive psychology are formal and structured, part of well-designed programs or projects. Others arise organically — from a teacher’s intuition, a colleague’s idea, or a moment of inspiration.

There are many ways to strengthen life satisfaction, optimism, gratitude, motivation, and resilience in schools and preschools. Some initiatives include whole schools; others begin with just one teacher. The thing is, every effort, big or small, helps nurture a culture of well-being.