Monthly Archives: August 2019

Kindness & Self Compassion

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Kindness is doing and saying things to make others feel happy.

Self-compassion is about being kind to ourselves and we can do this by using positive self-talk and mindfulness.

Students could draw themselves with thought bubbles including ideas of things they can do or say to themselves to show self-compassion.

Prudence

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People who are prudent think carefully and make smart choices.

Sometimes this can mean taking on the position of a leader by being a positive bystander. It can also mean applying strategies that can be used in situations one may feel uncomfortable.

The Kids helpline website has a series of social stories or scenarios which can help children when faced with uncomfortable situations. There are also ideas of where to seek help when other avenues such as family/teachers/friends etc have been explored.

https://kidshelpline.com.au/kids/issues

 

 

Humour

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There is a saying that laughter is the best medicine and studies have shown that sharing a laugh can reenergise the body, alleviate stress, help with sleep and make everyone feel brighter.

You could try…..

  • Two words – tickle fight!
  • Sing a nursery rhyme, and mess up the words or change the story to include funny words.
  • Play ‘Red light/Green light’, but substitute red light for a funny word.
  • See who can make the best funny face.
  • Tell jokes.
  • Pretend you are sleeping (cue exaggerated snores) then wake up startled and give them a fright.
  • Insist that under no circumstances can your child laugh or smile (reverse psychology can work a treat!)

www.bellamysorganic.com.au/blog/the-health-benefits-of-laughter-for-children/

The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors read and written by Drew Daywalt

Babies laughing at dogs

 

Forgiveness

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“I forgive people who hurt me and give people a second chance. I put my sadness behind me and move forward”.

Forgiveness means letting go of hard feelings like anger, sadness, or frustration that happen when you or someone else makes a mistake. It’s saying “Thank you” or “That’s okay” when someone apologises and not staying upset about what they did. It’s having patience with yourself and others, and recognising that no one is perfect—everyone makes mistakes.  It’s letting go of hurt feelings, and moving ahead, ready to do things. It doesn’t mean that all of a sudden what someone did doesn’t hurt or isn’t wrong. It means that you find it in your heart to give the person another chance.

In many ways Forgiveness is about taking power back by “flipping” the mood/situation. I use the analogy of the sparkle jars. Harbouring hurt or anger as a result of someone hurting your feelings can feel like a whirlwind in your tummy but as soon as you forgive it can lead to a sense of calm like when the sparkles fall to the bottom of the jar.

Little Life Message: The best revenge is to move on and find your happy.

Forgiveness Activities:

  • Take 20 minutes and write about the personal benefits that resulted from a negative incident.
  • Think of someone who wronged you recently. Put yourself in their shoes and try to understand their perspective.
  • Write a forgiveness letter. You don’t have to send it, but read it to yourself each day for a week.
  • If someone hurts or upsets you, try to understand things from their perspective, then think about whether your reaction is hurting them or you.