Helping Hands

Hands are not for hitting! Hands are for helping!!

This is a must have lesson for Kindergarden (although I remember working in a high school thinking they needed this lesson too- you know the saying everything I need to know I learned in Kindergarden!)

Here is how I approached the lesson this year:

A counseling must have book.

• I use the "Magic Coloring Book of Feelings" every year in K to introduce myself and my job. The kids sometimes see me in the hall and say "hi magic book lady." So I start my lesson with this book and it's an instant attention grabber, because they are always begging for it even if I bring it every time.

• We then review our previous lesson on feelings by drawing what it looks like when we have these different feelings on the smart board. We end with the feelings : mad, anger, and frustation. (For older grades I think it would interesting to incorporate how we look when we are mad, but also how animals look when they are mad.)

• Next we talk about what we do when we are mad and then I introduce the book "Hands Are Not For Hitting."

This year I couldn't find my copy of the book so my awesome music/tech teacher found it online:

• At the  end of the book we chart what hands are for, what we NEVER do with our hands, and what we should do when we are mad. This is also when I discuss that this goes for people, belongings (throwing, ripping, etc.) and animals! I think it's really important that we include animals in this. *

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*Speaking of helping hands and animals. This holiday weekend 65 wonderful, but terrified dogs were rescued from a county nearby.  These poor babies were in deplorable conditions because they were being fought and many had their teeth pulled so they could be bait dogs. I encourage you to extend your discussion to animals. Although I did not discuss this case with my class, we always discuss how to treat others and that we should treat animals the same way. It's a conversation I don't think is happening enough. 

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• After the discussion I have the students create their own hands and write two things they should use their hands for. 

• To end, if there is time, we review the lesson and then read a book. This year I read "You'll Be Sorry." Which I actually found at Hastings for $1.50!  

*Please consider donating items or money for Operation Broken Chain and the 65 dogs that were rescued by visiting: http://animalrescuecorps.org/ or liking ARC  or Nashville Pittie on Facebook