Educator and Parent Guides

This activity is an opportunity to teach self-love. Every child should know that they are, and always will be, ‘Good Enough’.

Activity 1- What I like about myself!

Step 1- Ask the children to draw or write down on a piece of paper things they like about themselves.

Step 2 - Everyone folds up their piece of paper and they are collected into a bowl. The teacher then shares with the class all the wonderful and different things we like about ourselves. It helps to keep a list on a large piece of paper that can be hung up in the classroom.

Activity 2 - I love me!

Ask the children to draw a big heart with a picture of themselves inside. A self-portrait. This is an opportunity to impart the message that we must love ourselves. The ‘I Love Me’ pictures can be put up around the classroom to impart the message and normalize that we all must truly love ourselves first.

Teasing can be one of the first forms of verbal bullying a child will experience. Introducing the idea of Grumpypoos will help to prepare children to stand up for themselves right from the start. 

Activity 1 – Standing up for myself

This is a group activity that will teach children the skills they need to stand up for themselves when faced with negative people. 

Start by putting the children into pairs. One will play a grumpy poo and use lines from the book. For example, “I am better than you because I ran faster!” The other child will play Little Rabbit and practice using their voice to stand up for themselves. 

Come up with phrases the children can use while playing “Little Rabbit” . Some examples may be - “I don’t like that”, “that is not ok”, “please stop” and other appropriate statements.

The children will take turns playing the different characters and practicing standing up for themselves. 

Activity 2 – Cultivating empathy - Understanding bad days.

Empathy is a crucial skill for children to develop. This activity introduces children to what it means to understand and respond to another’s feelings. Empathy however does not mean excusing bad behaviour towards ourselves or others.

Begin by selecting a series of images depicting emotional scenarios. Such as missing a bus, a pet dog running off, or dropping ice cream on the ground. Prompt the children to imagine themselves in the person's situation and discuss how they would feel. Encourage them to label the emotions and elaborate on their feelings.

Connect this activity with the one of the 'Grumpypoos,' illustrating that everyone experiences bad days and moments of grumpiness. This reinforces the idea that empathy is key to supporting one another during difficult times.

Ensure the children in your class understand the importance of sharing their feelings with others. As their teacher, they should
know you will always be there to listen to how they feel and help them through difficult times. 

Activity 1 – All my faces

In this activity, children will learn to label their emotions accurately. Give each child a page with up to 15 circles. This depends on the age of the group.

Have the children fill in a drawing of a face expressing an emotion. See how many they can each fill out. Let them work with their friends and help each other. Come together as a class at the end and share the many different emotions they have illustrated.

This is an opportunity to also put these emotions up in the class as a display for children to view daily.

Examples of 15 emotions are: Anger, Fear, Anxiety, Sadness, Disgust, Love, Happiness, Disappointment, Shame, Pride, Surprise, Excitement, Amusement, Annoyance, and Envy.

Have a class discussion on the differences between certain emotions and why it is important to understand what we are feeling.

Activity 2 - Circle of Trust

** Note to Teacher - send a note home in advance asking for pictures of family members.  Printed copies are just fine.

Start by gathering the children and explaining the concept of trust.

"Today, we're going to talk about the special people in our life who we can count on, talk to, and trust. These are the
people who love us, help us, and keep us safe."

Step 1 - Draw a large circle on a piece of paper or poster board which will represent the child’s circle of trust.

Step 2 - Ask the children to name people they trust. Encourage them to think about their family members, friends, teachers, doctors, and other caregivers. Write down the names of these individuals inside the circle.

Step 3 - Let the children decorate the circle with drawings, stickers, and words that they think belong in the category of trust.
They can use pictures brought in from home.

Step 4 - As the children decorate, facilitate a discussion about what makes someone trustworthy. Talk about qualities like
honesty, kindness, reliability, and care. Encourage the children to share examples of times when they felt safe or supported by the people in their circle.

Hang up the circles of trust throughout the classroom so the children can continue to reflect and share.

Activity 1 – What is optimism?

In this activity, children will be introduced to the term optimism. Having a positive attitude and finding joy even in challenging situations. By creating their own "Sunshine Jars”, children can explore this concept further. For younger children, this can be done as a group activity.

To begin, provide each child with a clear jar or container and yellow paper or cardstock to create sun shapes. They can decorate these suns with markers, crayons, or stickers to make them cheerful and attach them to the outside of the jar.

Next, give the children small pieces of paper or sticky notes and ask them to write or draw something that makes them happy or grateful. These could be simple things like family, friends, or favourite activities.

Have the children fold up the pieces of paper and place them inside the jar. Explain to the children that their "Sunshine
Jar," holds all their happy thoughts and reminders to stay positive.

Encourage them to start each day by opening the jar and reading one of the optimistic thoughts inside, serving as a daily reminder to maintain a positive outlook.

Activity 2 – Feeling Stones

** Note to teacher – requires stones for painting

In this activity, children will engage in creating "Feeling Stones" as a way of exploring and releasing their emotions.
Encouraging children to identify and express their emotions in a healthy manner, promotes emotional awareness and self-regulation.

Holding their feeling stones, they will focus on their chosen emotion and imagine releasing it as they gently rub the stone.

Have a class discussion about this experience, allowing the children to share how it felt to release their emotions using the feeling stones.