I love the month of February. Not only is it Heart Health Month (you can check out my TpT product that pays tribute to “heart health awareness“), but it’s also the perfect opportunity to remember the importance of letting those around us know that they are loved, appreciated and valued. (Of course we should always treat others with kindness and respect, not just during the month of hearts!!)
So while perusing through some ideas on various Pinterest boards, I came across one very simple and thoughtful gesture that can be used at home with family members. (Although I bet this could be adapted for use in your school with fellow teachers, the principal, and students.) Each day, during the month of February, write a few words of kindness on a red paper heart. Place a new heart on the door of your family member(s) so that in the morning there is a new message awaiting them.
Shhhhhhhh…..I created this door of hearts for my son. I hung up the hearts while he was at basketball practice to give you all an idea of what the project will look like—(and I took it down before he got home.) I wrote things like, “You are hardworking,” “You are smart,” “You are kind,” “You rock at basketball,” “You are loved.” I can’t wait to start hanging up his hearts on his bedroom door on February 1st! What a great way to start each morning before heading off to school! (And I may just make a heart door for my other Valentine, my hubby. It might be just the trick I need in order to get some chores done around the house!)
The heart door with all the positive describing words inspired me to create a similar idea that could be used with my students. After all, they are my “kids” too and it’s amazing how a few words of praise and kindness makes all the difference in getting them motivated to work harder in the speech room! You can find this activity for absolutely FREE in my TpT store…..and remember a few words or actions of kindness (like leaving some nice feedback or following my store) is always so appreciated!!!
Use this activity to share a positive message with your student about the qualities that make them special and unique. This activity also serves as a great way to address perspective taking—viewing how we see others (pg 3) as well as ourselves (pg 4) through the descriptions and word choices we make.
Fill in the blank hearts with words to describe positive traits about your student, physical descriptions, how he/she is performing in your class, or goals/concepts that they are working on. Then read the description aloud and see if your students can guess who you are describing. As another option, let students fill in the hearts description sheet with words that describe another classmate and share their responses. This is a great exercise in kindness and thoughtful verbal expression!
Students can identify and add their own descriptions that best reflect what they think of themselves.
Remind them to reflect on their positive traits (personality, physical traits, strengths/skills).
“Words from My Heart” sheet can be used to fill in and give to a parent, sibling, friend, teacher or anyone the student would like to write a description about. Fill in the words and color/decorate the heart.
Use this page to brainstorm a list of words to be used with any/all of the above pages. The page is divided into three categories to help your students generate a list of words more easily.
It feels good to express kindness through our words and it’s also nice to receive words of praise and thoughtfulness from others. I hope you enjoy this heartfelt activity with the children you teach and your family members during the month of February.
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