Need Help with Activities for children. Topics: Caring, Sharing, Understanding Others. Please Help.?

Question

So basically, I need help with activites for children that focus on caring, sharing, and understanding others. I'm having a hard time thinking of any and have yet to find any online. They can be seperate activties, or one inetegrated one. I'd apprectiate it if I could get quick answers, and I'd be very very grateful. The children participating in this activity range 5 to 7. Please help. :D Thank you. :)

Answer 1

Caring- I would have each child make a greeting card for an elderly person in a nursing home. Talk about how they have mommies and daddies to love them and take care of them, but some people don't have many visitors at the nursing home.Then you can deliver them there. The residents will be very happy! Another idea is to have the children collect canned foods to be donated to a local soup kitchen. They can help sort the items. Sharing- have each child bring something in that they really like from home and then have them share the item with the class. Let the others hold it, etc.. Understanding others- talk about all different kinds of people- different races, religions, abilities. If possible, get photos of different people so they can see the differences. And then talk about what makes them different, and what makes them the same! Another idea for that topic is focusing on a specific country and discuss their food, culture, etc... and how it may be very different from ours but that we also have things in common. You could read stories about that country, have the kids make a craft(google to see whats available) and even cook something from that country.

Answer 2

okay  one day dress up like a fairy or have some one u know that they dont  and tell them its the  caring and sharing fairy bring toys and books and stuff and sit them all down and put the presents in front of them and put a  hat with numbers in them give each kid  a number but make sure u have 2 of that number one in the hat and one in the kid and  tell them to share

bring a teddy bear  send it to one kid that shared

Answer 3

To help children develop cooperation

Provide time, materials, and support for children to engage in many kinds of play—including block play, dramatic play, simple games, and rough and tumble play.

Take a role in children’s play as needed without becoming intrusive or taking over. Observe, provide props or a theme, and play with children who need extra help becoming successful players. Become a patient in the doctor’s office or a customer in the store. Withdraw from the play as soon as possible so it becomes the children’s own.

Model the language of cooperation for children—"I would like to have a turn" or "May I play in your car?"

Coach individual children who need help playing cooperatively with others. Give the child specific words to say or strategies for entering a play situation, demonstrating how to share a toy or how to take on a role.

Engage children in group discussions and role play how to resolve conflicts or negotiate social problems before they arise.

Read books that include conflicts or problems requiring cooperation. Ask children to predict what will happen in advance, or after reading, ask them to provide alternative solutions.

Play turn-taking games in small groups, modeling and encouraging cooperation with others.

Plan projects or play experiences where two or more children must collaborate together. Occasionally pair children who are less socially skilled with more popular peers.

Select toys that encourage social interaction, such as puppets, wagons, or simple board games.

Encourage partners or teamwork: "Look what Laura and Cesar built together." "All four of you worked on this beautiful mural."

To help children develop positive social relationships

Build relationships with parents so that children feel safe, secure, and comfortable with their teachers.

Build a caring community within the program so that children come to know and feel comfortable with administrators, other teachers, staff, and parents.

Provide opportunities for children to work and play together. Successful relationships need both time and content—something to do or think about together.

Draw children’s attention to the feelings or experiences of others by saying, "Look at her face. Can you tell how she feels?". Help them to develop empathy by reminding them of their own similar feelings or experiences: "You know what it feels like when someone says you can’t play."

Model caring, positive regard for others. When a child is absent, remind the others of the friend who is missed. If absences are prolonged, have children make cards or gifts to convey feelings of regard.

Help children who are having difficulty making friendships with others by planning cooperative activities like buddy painting or collages. Teach these children how to initiate and sustain peer interactions.

Intervene when children are repeatedly rejected by others. Coach these children with specific strategies for entering play. Asking, "Can I play?" is not as effective as watching, getting close, and playing with the same thing or bringing a toy over to a peer. Help children identify common ground or shared preferences with others as ways to begin relationships. "Your mom said you have a new book about fish. Why don’t you bring it to school? I know the other children would like to see it!"

Teach alternatives to tattling, teasing, and other socially unacceptable behavior.

Answer 4

Let them watch Seseme Street and then interact with them the children should play "store" or "trade it" (do you know what "trade it" is?) Doctor, Just talk with them or watch a movie

Store~ let them pick out foods they want to "buy" and then have them "cook" or make a meal with what they "brought"

Trade it~ Trade it is a game that teaches sharing and caring bring lots of medium sized toys, and other fun things kids like (go to the dollar store or Wal-mart don't get too expensive because you will give the kids the toys but don't tell them they can have them yet) and let them pick out 2-4 thing they like let them go 1 by 1 so it doesn't get rough then after all the kids have somthing let everyone see what they have ask the kids if the want somthing another kid has if so let them ask "may I have that toy" tell the kids to say "yes you may" and give it to them or "no you may not, but you may have this toy" and hand them the other toy the kid picked. After everyone has the toy they want tell them what a good job they have done, then tell them they can keep the toys.

Kids I babysit love it, and kids I see at the YMCA love it too (only they cant keep them unless I bring toys for them).

Answer 5

.....COMMUNITY SEVICE ACTIVITIES are great in promoting caring and sharing. Talk with the children to see what interests them. Consider:

Collecting items for a homeless shelter, animal shelter, children’s hospital, picking up litter, etc.

For some good ideas see http://after-school-care.com/Replies.asp...

.....TAPESTRY/SPIDER WEB/WEB OF FRIENDSHIP Need: A multi-colored ball of yarn (to call it "Tapestry--- or any color if you call it a "Web")

Have youth sit in large circle. You start by selecting a person to roll the yarn to. The person who receives it -- holds on to a corner of it--- before passing it on . When you choose a person, say something nice about that person. This can also be played with the person holding the yarn  telling something about themselves--- OR whatever topic the teacher/caregiver decides upon.

At the end, it looks like a large web of diversity spun into a tapestry...or a "web".

.....To teach life and kindness lessons---Read and then discuss “MESSAGE BOOKS” with the children…

See posts # 19 and #44 for Book list suggestions. http://after-school-care.com/Replies.asp...

.....Trace each child's hand on a piece of paper. Ask children to think of different ways people can be kind to others. Write their ideas on each finger of the hand drawing...It can be completed as described or cut out, mounted and decorated.

.....Ask each child to create a commercial about "what is nice about their friend.” For a novel way to present it--get an appliance box/large box; cut an oblong hole in it to represent the screen.! The kids stand behind the "screen" and present on T.V.!

.....Have a Say Something Nice Day! On “Say Something Nice Day’--- notice something you like about a person and tell them. Each participant promises to approach one person that day and finish the sentence:

“One of the things I like about you is ________.”

At the end of the day, share experiences.

.....A GIANT PAPER DOLL CHAIN

You Need: Paper and paint or markers...

Cut out life-size cutouts of the children. Have them paint them. Put them together in a large paper doll chain with the heading  "We are all Friends"...

.....FRIENSHIP SNACKS

#1.....Have each child bring in a half cup of their favorite snack (You can offer parents suggestion at this point: cereal, raisins, crackers, etc) When you get all of the snacks--- mix them all in a huge bowl and serve them for snack.

Talk about how DIFFERENT THINGS GO TOGETHER to make something very good. This helps get the ideas of diversity, sharing, cooperation, and trying new things across.

#2....Do the same as above, however, USE FRUIT instead of snack mixes. Have each child bring in one can... or piece of fresh fruit...(Donate any left-over cans to a shelter)

.....FOR MANY DIVERSITY activities visit http://after-school-care.com/Replies.asp...

Some there areTHE CRAYON BOX  and ways to

help children see that each of us is unique.

One idea is...Use an inkpad to have each child make a thumbprint in the center of a piece of construction paper. Then, use a magnifying glass to examine the thumbprints. How are they alike? How are they different?

Next, have everyone use markers to add to and draw around the thumbprints to create unique thumbprint animals.

Discuss: Even though we’re all people, (or part of the same family) our fingerprints are different. And, each of us probably thought of and drew a different thumbprint imaginary animal. We don’t look alike or think alike. Others ideas are also there...

Hope this is what you're after...:-)