CARING
Showing Concern for Others
Family Notes- Younger
*Writing
*Sharing Information
Tell your child that each day for three days, you
will send each other notes. You need pen or pencil
and note paper.
Each note will be a special message that will say
something nice. The "something nice" will
be something true that one of you has noticed about
the other. It might be, "You have a nice smile"
or "Your dinner last night was very good"
or "I like the way you cooked the chicken."
Let children who do not yet write dictate their message
to you. Children enjoy figuring out nice things to
say. Not-nice things might come to mind first. After
a few laughs, the kids settle down.
Decide on a place to exchange daily notes. You can
put them on the refrigerator, stick them in lunch
bags, or pass them out at the dinner table.
As a special touch, ask a surprise "mystery
guest" to send your child a note. It might be
a message from a best friend, from grandparents, or
from a neighbor.
About Ourselves - Older
*Thinking
*Building Self-knowledge and Concern for Others
This activity helps children learn more about others
and share more about themselves. This is a personal
activity, so you may want to save it until you have
warmed up with a few of the other, more impersonal
activities. You need pencil and paper.
Finish these sentences separately and compare answers.
I am happy when _____________________.
I am afraid of _____________________.
I am sad when _______________________.
It's funny when ______________________.
My favorite things include ______________.
When I am alone, I ___________________.
I really care about ___________________.
Talk about your responses. Share a few examples of
happy and sad times. There may be some tears and more
than a few laughs. It can be a very special moment.