Write a letter or draw a picture for a loved one

Thinking about positive social connections gives us reason to reflect and feel joy. Even when children are just at home, they can think about the important people in their lives by writing letters or drawing pictures for others. This practice can help build children’s relationship skills and social awareness, even if they are working alone. Try encouraging your child with extra guidance:

• Who is someone that makes you feel grateful? Someone that you are really glad to have in your life?

• Who is someone that you think would love to hear from you? Someone whose days you could brighten?

• Would you like to write them a letter or draw them a picture? Why don’t you tell me what you’d like to say in the letter and I will write it down (for children who are not yet writing independently).

• What are some things you’d like to tell them / show them? Are there any questions you would like to ask them?

Conflict Resolution Read-Along

Helping children resolve conflicts teaches them skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. And, thanks to the timeless lessons they teach, fairy tale read-alongs can help your class get a discussion on conflict resolution skills going.

Choose a beloved fairy tale to read as a class, like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As you read the story to your students, ask them the following questions:

• What is this story’s main conflict?

• What do the main characters want to happen?

• How can the characters work together to make everyone happy?

Then, turn the discussion to recent conflicts students have had in their life. Have your children share about times when, like the fairy tale characters, they felt conflict with another person. Ask them how they worked with that person to make the situation better, as well as any advice they have to share with the class.