Activity: Responsible "Being"
Help your child recognize and practice being a compassionate and responsible human being by engaging in actions listed on a fun age-appropriate checklist.
Materials: Compassionate and responsible actions checklist (listed below)
Directions:
Go over the following list with your child. Begin by sharing personal ideas about each suggested action for being a more compassionate and responsible human being:
| ___ |
Give someone a compliment (share what you like about them) |
| ___ |
Hug a family member AND a friend |
| ___ |
Say something positive and encouraging |
| ___ |
Call a family member AND a friend and tell them they are special |
| ___ |
Help someone |
| ___ |
Set a goal to do something for someone else |
| ___ |
Share something special with someone else |
| ___ |
Share your honest feelings |
| ___ |
Show patience with a person or animal |
| ___ |
Be fair (or take turns) during playtime |
| ___ |
Laugh |
| ___ |
Look at and enjoy nature |
| ___ |
Be kind to an animal |
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Talk about It: Name other thoughtful ways that people can show compassion and become more responsible human beings. Expand you child's thinking by starting with compassionate and responsible actions at home, in the neighborhood and community, the world and even outer space.
Take it Further: Use these ideas to help your child continue understanding and practicing being a compassionate and responsible human being:
- Learn about famous compassionate figures like Clara Barton (Nurse and founder of the American Red Cross), and Mother Teresa (Nobel Peace Prize winner; beloved humanitarian nun known as "Angel of Mercy").
- Involve your child in charitable acts of kindness on a regular basis.
- Encourage your child to become more aware of others in need and less fortunate and to be creative in thinking of ways that your family can help others in a meaningful way.
- Reward your child for compassionate, responsible acts toward others.
With a Group: Celebrate living in a world with compassionate and responsible friends by making a "global" light catcher or necklace! To create a transparent globe, use canning jar lids (the kind that have a separate top that comes apart from the rim.) Lightly spray inside of jar lids with non-stick cooking spray. In two separate bowls, mix a batch of liquid school glue with blue food coloring for the ocean and a batch of glue with green food coloring (yellow and blue) for the land. Looking at a globe or world map, fill spread the colored glues to look like earth. Allow a few days for the glue to dry. Pull glue from lid top. Place "globe" in window or use a strong glue to attach a paperclip and string for hanging.
