With the holiday season upon us, it seems fitting to focus on the importance of relationships with others. Building healthy relationships is one of several positive characteristics focused on in the book What Do You Stand For?
by Barbara A. Lewis.
It’s the seventh in a series of ten characteristics that can be developed in people of all ages. Forming good relationships with family and friends will help anyone be a more happy, peaceful person. Relationships work two ways, so if you are happier, your friends and family will be too. You will find that the more positive time and energy you give to any relationship, the better it will be.
There are so many ways to do this, especially during the holidays. A fun list is included, but I’m sure you will be able to add many more ideas to it. Feel free to be creative and try new things and most of all have fun. As you spend time with others, keep in mind that you are learning and building personal skills that will last a lifetime.
If you run into problems in one of your relationships, the best thing to do is to take the time needed to talk it over with the other person. If you need help, invite a parent or other trusted adult to mediate and problem solve with you. Remember to listen, share your feelings and work together to fix what is wrong.
If you let even a small thing go, it often grows and turns into a much bigger conflict that is much more difficult to fix.
Here are a list of holiday activities that you might want to do with your family and friends.
1 Play games together…board games, card games, charades or make up your own new game. Feel free to also change the rules with a game to focus on including more people and making them more cooperative. Don’t forget outside games too! It’s fun to get bundled up and play outside even on those chilly days.
2 Make a snow village outside using plastic containers from the kitchen for your forms or build a future village inside with cardboard and other materials that you can find around the house or in the garage or basement.
3 With your siblings or neighbor friends, make holiday gifts for other friends and family. Make cookies, candy, or bread. Visit the library and check out some new cookbooks to find some fun recipes to make and give.
4 Tell stories. Ask your grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles to tell what it was like when they were young. Write them down and draw pictures to go with them. Keep them in a special memory box and add to them every holiday season. These stories and pictures will be priceless to you someday and the older folks in your family will be so thrilled to share them.
Kelly Dupre of Grand Marais is an artist,
children’s author, and educator with over
20 years teaching experience with all age
groups in a variety of settings. The activities
in this once-a-month column are spin-offs
and combinations of ideas she has used and
learned from teachers, parents, kids, books, and
workshops. Only some of the activities has she
actually thought of herself!
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