Explain that we are all different - sometimes we like the same things as each other and sometimes different things. This makes us special.
Note to parents/carers: take care to frame ideas in positive language. For example, if a child says ‘Don’t be mean to your friends,’ acknowledge and praise this response and re-word it into something like ‘… be kind to your friends.’
What are the ‘ingredients’ that make a good friendship? Discuss with your child what is important in a friendship. Write your ideas down - recipe style!
Sometimes we can fall out with friends so you could think of another recipe – a recipe for making up.
Write and draw about your friends on Harold the giraffe's special activity sheet (See resources below)
How would you feel if:
Look at photos in a book or magazine and see if you can work out how people are feeling. How can you tell?
Summarise by saying that we can show our feelings even without speaking and that others can tell how someone is feeling by looking at their face or body.
Explain that this is sometimes called body language. Being able to ‘read’ a person’s body language is a useful skill as it helps us to understand how they are feeling and respond to them in a suitable way.
Use magazine cuttings or photos and stick them to a piece of paper. Use as many words as you can to describe how the people of the photos are feeling, e.g. happy, overjoyed, elated, smiley, fantastic…
Or you could make this feelings mask
Families come in many different forms. Families are made up of people who are special to us.
Draw a picture of a large balloon on a piece of paper. Make the balloon big enough to fill the paper. Then draw and/or write your special people in it.
Begin with some questions that focus on things that are important to your child:
Tell us about your special object:
Why is it important to you? You could share your favourite item with your child. Maybe something you’ve had since a child. Talk about why it is important to you.
You could make a treasure box to keep your favourite things.
Look in a mirror together and notice eye colour, hair colour, and other features. Smile, make faces and play. Perhaps your child would like to draw a self-portrait in the mirror below, with (or without) your help - let the child choose. Or you may decide to stick a favourite photo in the mirror space. Learn the rhyme together.
look in the mirror and who do I see? Me, me, me! I see me! (Write the name of your child on the dotted lines. Other family members can take a turn to say the rhyme using their own names) My name is ............................................ I am ............................. And ................................................ is who I see.
Children draw around their hand which should be pressed palm down onto a piece of paper, fingers and thumb spread out.
In or around the five digits, draw the faces of 5 people they can turn to for help at home or at school.
With adult help, children can draw or write more information, as appropriate.