Dream Family: Storytelling and Drawing

Issues: Lack of Empowerment or sense of control.

Purpose: To help children affirm their right to make choices and have dreams.

Materials: Crayons or paint and paper.

Procedure:  Explain what a foster or adoptive family is. Then tell a story of a child, Henry, from a land far away who traveled to a new city because his parents had died in an accident. Henry had been told he would live with the Cassidy family on Oak Street. But when he got to the house on Oak Street, no one named Cassidy lived there. So, the grown-ups in the city offered Henry the chance to choose the family of his dreams. Although Henry never forgot his first family, he found ways to be happy with his new family.

After the story, ask the children to consider what they would have selected if they had been Henry. Have them draw a picture of that dream family. Assure the children the meaning of their picture will remain personal and private to them.

Source: Making it Better: Activities for Children living in a Stressful World, Barbara Oehlberg, Redleaf Press, 1996

Caring Coupons

Color Out All of the Anger and Sadness

Purpose: To teach children they have the ability to change their feelings and to comfort themselves.

Materials: Crayons and unlined paper.

Procedure: Suggest that children, when they need to, take a red-orange crayon and color out all the anger within them. Ask if they can feel the anger moving through their arms and hands as it leaves their body and becomes color on the page.

Suggest that children, when they need to, take a blue crayon and do the same to color out all the sadness or loneliness within them.

Ask the children what they can do, if they want to, to change their feelings. Ask what color they would color themselves when they choose to get angry when another person is angry. Then ask them what color they would color themselves not to get angry when another person is angry.

Source: Making it Better: Activities for Children living in a Stressful  World, Barbara Oehlberg, Redleaf Press, 1996

Wearing My Heart on My Sleeve: Healing Play

Issues: Unexpressed Feelings

Purpose: To help children identify, respect, and communicate feelings.

Materials: Variety of colored paper hearts (laminated hearts are an option) and double stick tape or regular masking tape.

Procedure: Post colored hearts on a wall along with a list of suggested meaning for colors. You may use the list here or encourage children to select their own meanings for the colors.

Blue: Sad

Blue Green: Worried

Brown: Frustrated

Dark Green: Comforted

Gold: Strong

Green: Cooperative

Navy Blue: Scared

Orange: Angry

Pink: Jolly or silly

Purple: Betrayed

Red: Happy

Silver: Lonely, brittle, cold inside

Yellow: Hopeful

Encourage the children to wear hearts, when they want, to communicate how they are feeling. You and other adults should participate. The hearts could be reusable and stored in a special place.

Source: Making it Better: Activities for Children living in a Stressful  World, Barbara Oehlberg, Redleaf Press, 1996

Magical Glasses: Activities Using Healing Play

Issues: Distrust of environments and adults.

Purpose: To provide opportunities to build security and trust.

Materials: Children’s plastic sunglasses and several pieces of different colored cellophane.

Procedure: Give a child different colored cellophane and encourage them to look through different colors. Discuss how items in the room, such as classmates, look through different colors but stay the same without the colored cellophane. Introduce and explain the statement “looking at the world through rose-colored glasses” means everything looks bright and hopeful. Consider these questions for discussion: How might someone use their imagination to change the way a place looked and how they felt about it? Looking through what colors might make a place look safe? Comforting? Peaceful? Relaxing?

Encourage the child to wear their sunglasses if they need or want to change their view of the room so it is more comfortable for them.

Source: Making it Better: Activities for Children living in a Stressful  World, Barbara Oehlberg, Redleaf Press, 1996

Self-Esteem Tree

You will be drawing a tree. Your own kind of tree. Leave enough space for the branches and the roots too.

Don't write words, letters or numbers on your drawing. Only draw pictures, squiggles or shapes. You can use as much color as you like. The reason for avoiding words, letters and numbers is to help you use your 'right brain' while you do this exercise.

**This website is the link to the rest of the directions for the tree**

http://www.doorway-to-self-esteem.com/self-esteem-exercises.html

Self-Esteem Tips for Teens

A list of self-esteem improving steps that teens can use to feel empowered.

Try to stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself. If you're used to focusing on your shortcomings, start thinking about positive aspects of yourself that outweigh them. When you catch yourself being too critical, counter it by saying something positive about yourself. Each day, write down three things about yourself that make you happy.

Self-Esteem Activities for Kids

This is a list of some simple activities that kids can use to help them improve their self-esteem.

• Make a list of the stuff you're good at. It can be anything from drawing or singing to playing a sport or telling a good joke. If you're having trouble with your list, ask your mom or dad to help you with it. Then add a few things to the list that you'd like to be good at. A parent, guardian, or trusted adult can help you plan a way to work on those skills or talents.

Self-Esteem Boosting Worksheets

"Toot Your Own Horn"
http://www.self-esteem-experts.com/support-files/tootyourhornworksheet.pdf
*worksheet that encourages kids to identify their own strengths

"Create a Pleasure List"
http://www.self-esteem-experts.com/support-files/createapleasurelistworksheet.pdf
*Change your energy-focus on something you like

"Confidence Booster"
http://www.self-esteem-experts.com/support-files/selfconfidenceworksheet.pdf
*This self esteem activity gives you the tools to transform uncomfortable and painful situations allowing you to feel powerful and confident.

Letters from the Heart

Ages 6-12

Issues: Powerlessness, physical and emotional insecuirty, low self-esteem
Purpose: To help children devlop hope, a sense of security, and trust

Power List

Ages 6-14

Issues: Loss, stress, loneliness, fear, powerlessness

Purpose: To help children affirm their choices and recognize their personal power

Hide and Find

Ages 6-7

Issues: Seperation, loss, emotional insecurity

Purpose: To create opportunities for children to experience the joy of reuniting

Great Anti-Bullying Website

http://www.stopbullying.gov/

A fantastic website that children, teens, and anyone else can use to help prevent or stop bullying.