Activity: A Hero is a Hero!
Build self-esteem in your child by providing opportunities to explore and discover what true heroes are through self-expression, books, and simple experiences at home and in your community.
Materials:
Various resources suggested below for exploring and discovering more about "heroes" (below)
Directions:
Share with your child that a hero is someone that has courage and compassion for others. We usually think of a hero as being someone famous that we learn about at school or see on television or on the movie screen. Truth is... anyone can be a hero...even a pet!
Use these ideas to help your child form his/her own opinion of what a real hero is:
- Take a journey through a family album to share stories about people in your own family valued as "heroes."
- Arrange for your child to learn more about a past or present local "hero."
- Become aware of "heroes" in your neighborhood that might be willing share their experiences.
- The library and books stores are full of great age-appropriate biographies and autobiographies about people, famous for many different reasons. Explore and discover these along with your child.
- Introduce your child to famous historical figures (and heroes) by looking at the famous and patriotic faces on our U. S. coins and paper money.
- Visit museums and galleries to view statues and pictures of famous or historic figures.
- Search the books and Internet (supervised, of course!) for famous pets; an amazing category of interest in itself.
Help children identify a hero in their own lives. Have each child draw picture of their hero on a paper plate. Assist them in writing a short message stating why that person is their hero. Trim plates with rickrack and buttons. Invite children to share their hero with classmates. Combine plates to create a gallery of heroes.
Talk about It: Have your child name familiar heroes. Ask for reasons why your child thinks of this person as a hero. Then encourage your child to think about him/herself and answer the question: Am I a hero?
Take it Further: There are many heroes in your local community. Invite your child to draw pictures of local heroes like firefighters, doctors, nurses, paramedics, and veterinarians that come to the rescue of people and animals during an emergency. Talk about each person's job, the equipment they use, and where they work. Then go over your own family's emergency routine so your child will know what to do, who to call, and what to say in an unexpected emergency.
With a Group: Help your group share ideas about how they can be a hero and make a difference in someone else's life. Then use these different possible scenarios and invite children share solutions about what they would do to help out:
- Clifford tossed his toy duck out of the bathtub and there's water everywhere. Clifford's going to be in big trouble! What can you do to help?
- Emily Elizabeth forgot to close the back door and all the fall leaves blew right into the kitchen. What can you to do help?
- Clifford and T-bone took painted the fence, but they left the paint bucket in the yard. What can you do to help?
- Emily Elizabeth is trying to take a nap, but Clifford is outside her open window barking at a cat. What can you do to help?
Don't stop here; these children are heroes-in-training! Keep making up scenarios and inviting the group to come up with helpful solutions. Then let the children take turns coming up with their own Clifford scenarios and solutions!
