February 2023 - Compassion
Art Smith students had fun learning about self-care and how we can address stress and maintain a positive mindset. We had several families submit their Self-Care Bingo pictures for a chance to win our self-care family basket. Congratulations to the Singleton family!!!
This month we are focusing on compassion. As Compassionit.com describes it, “Compassion kicks empathy and sympathy up a notch. When you are compassionate, you feel the pain of another (i.e., empathy) or you recognize that the person is in pain (i.e., sympathy), and then you do what you can to alleviate the person’s suffering.” Too often are we needlessly hard on ourselves or others, when being compassionate is the healthier choice.
This month’s feature book is “I Am Love: A Book of Compassion” by Susan Verde. Classrooms will be reading this book together and completing activities and discussions around how do we show compassion in our homes, schools and communities. This is one book of many fantastic reads by Susan Verde with themes of mindfulness, self-care, kindness, etc.
I Am LOVE A Book of Compassion Read Aloud For KIDS!
Several classrooms will also be baking cookies to be delivered to local first responders as a way to thank them for their service. You can also do some baking at home and deliver to people you feel deserve recognition for their tireless work.
A great way to teach compassion at home is to spend some time with your family perusing the heartfelt stories of the many children who are taking part in the Make-A-Wish project: https://makeawish.ca/wishes
Another way to enhance compassion in your children is to name your own emotions at home as well as identifying the emotions you see your children experiencing. This helps to provide your children with a better understanding of emotions and the different situations in which they may occur.
Family Role play:
Here is a quick video to practice emotional literacy using our sense of hearing:
Guess the Emotions: Feelings and Emotions - Guess the sounds! Fun quiz for kids.
For more resources, check out the Compassion page of the NLPS website.
If you would like me to connect with your child or your family, you can contact me at the school at 780-594-1404.