My Promise

Activity Overview

Grown-ups model the quality of trustworthiness every day for young children by being accountable figures who do what they say and say what they mean. We develop our sense of trust of others by interacting with both adults and children and seeing how what they say matches how they act. Just as important is becoming trustworthy ourselves, and taking responsibility for what we say and do and following through with what we promise. In this activity, students will practice being accountable to their actions through a visual reminder or “contract” of a promise being made and the If/Then strategy to illustrate that every action also has a related reaction.

What You Need

• Paper and drawing materials

• Trust on Epic

Steps

1. Read the story Trust on Epic to open the discussion around promises and responsibility. Brainstorm with the student a promise they would like to make to someone or something in the household - perhaps it’s a specific chore, skill or relationship they are working to improve. Brainstorming should be discussion-based and paired with drawing to help build visual connections with the student.

2. After deciding on a promise for the week, fold a piece of drawing paper in half. In the top left-hand corner, write the word “If.” In the top right-hand corner, write the word “Then.”

3. Model for and help the student draw a picture of their promise on the “If” side. On the “Then” side, draw a picture of what effect the promise-keeping will have on the household. For example: If I share my toys with my brother, then he will want to play with me more.

4. Display the promise prominently so that you and your student can refer to it when needed.

Guiding Questions

• How do you feel when I keep a promise I make with you? How do you feel when I break a promise?

• How does [family member] feel when you keep your promises? How do they feel when you break them?