This is Cindy, from Kinderkay Love Those Kinders. I thought that I would share with you a few ideas for teaching peace and kindness to our kiddos. I always find that reviewing positive character traits in the middle of the school year is helpful for beginning the last semester...
I have found nothing better than this "crumpled" heart activity. I cannot remember when I first saw a presenter show this to a group of us, but the impact of it has stayed with me for many years. This simple visual of showing kids how unkind words cause hearts to crumple is powerful. After we discuss how words can be just as cruel as fists, my kids create 2 paper hearts. I tell them to choose one heart and crumple it up. It is always a shock to my kiddos when I tell them to do this! They glue the hearts to a 12" x 18" piece of construction paper. They decorate the crumpled heart with a sad face and the uncrumpled one with a happy face. They then glue the kind and unkind words around the appropriate heart. If you would like the words for this activity, click the image below.
This is a wonderful story about a little girl who notices all the beautiful colors of skin in her neighborhood. After reading the book, we compare the lovely shades of our skin and create a class book about "the color of us."
You can find this resource in my TPT store...
Using character traits to teach kids to settle their differences peacefully as well as learn to co-exist in peacefulness is a great way to instill these traits within our students. Basing character traits on picture books is also a great way to make an abstract concept visual.
I like to use "Ruthie and the (Not so) Teeney, Tiny Lie" by Laura Rankin for teaching honesty. In this story, Ruthie finds a teeny, tiny camera on the playground. She loves teeny, tiny things and decides to keep it. The problem is that it doesn't belong to her. She tells a lie and soon finds out that feeling guilty is not a good way to feel...... This story is so awesome for teaching honesty!When we are finished with our discussion, the kids create Ruthie and write a few sentences about how they can be honest in their own lives. If you would like a FREE copy of the Ruthie resource, click the image below for a Google doc.
(Please note that if you get an error message asking us to share this document with you, it is probably because you are trying to download it at your school. Many schools block downloads from outside their network. Try downloading at home.)
If you would like the words for this project, click the image below.
So, that's it for now, my friends!
Until next time,
Blessings,
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