This Week in Guidance

Last week we read the story Try and Stick With It by Cheri J. Meiners and discussed the importance of not giving up, especially when we are learning something new. We talked about the fact that when students go to kindergarten next school year, things may seem difficult at first. However, if they stick with it and don't give up they will continue to learn new things just as they did in Pre-K. This Week students will be learning about Stranger Danger. The concept of "stranger" is a difficult one for young children. What I have found helpful is to define a stranger as a person that the child does not know--they do not come over to the child's house and visit with their parents; the child does not know their name, etc. Most young children believe that strangers are only people who are "bad" or who look scary or mean. As I review this concept I let children know that there are "good" and "bad" strangers and we cannot tell by looking at the person whether or not they are a "good" or "bad". Therefore, we treat all strangers the same: We don't ever talk to, go with, or take anything from a stranger. The children are always surprised when I explain to them that if I went to the school down the street and asked a child to go with me or talk to me, I would be a stranger. I explain that while I would never hurt a child, I am a stranger to that child because they do not know me. Since children will be spending a lot of time outdoors now that the weather is warming up, it's a good idea to go over these points. This is also a topic that needs to be reinforced constantly. One way you could do this is whenever you are in a public place such as Wal-Mart, you could ask you child "Is that person a stranger?" and again reinforce that if they cannot tell you their name and that person has never been over to your house while you are home, they are a stranger. I have listed a couple of books about strnagers under the resource tab and I am sure their are many more out there. Another helpful website that covers a number of important topics that students seem to enjoy is http://www.wedolisten.org. The website has many animated books, lessons, posters and games about a character named Howard B. Wigglebottom. Each animated book is followed by a song. This would be a fun activity that you and your child could enjoy over the summer. The lesson about strangers is called: Howard B. Wigglebottom on Yes or No: a Fable about Trust. This is the lesson I am discussing this week.