This Week in Guidance

 

 

 

This week students learn about the power of their words. Students are encouraged to use "Magic Triad" or kind words.  They learn that they have the power to choose which words they use and that those words can hurt or help others. Helpful words are words such as "Good morning", "Hello", "Let's work together", "I'm glad we're friends", "We can take turns", "I like your smile" etc. Hurtful words are words such as "You're not my friend", "You're shirt is ugly", "We don't want to play with you", etc. Students learn that everyone makes mistakes and sometimes uses hurtful words and when we do we should apologize. When students hear hurtful words, they should say "Words are not for hurting. Please don't say those things" or "Those are not Magic Triad words, please don't say those things." They also learn that they can tell a grown-up or get help if needed. Please encourage your child to use Magic Triad words and praise them when you hear them using kind words. If you happen to use an unkind word, serve as a model for your child by saying "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, those were not Magic Triad words." If your child seems hurt by something someone said, acknowledge their feelings by stating "You felt sad/mad/scared when he/she said....." This will help your child learn to recognize his/her feelings and to start to understand how their own words can affect another person's feelings. When you say something kind to your child and they smile it is just as important to acknowledge that feeling as well. You might say "You felt really happy when I said....." We all know that words affect our thoughts, thoughts affect our feelings and feelings affect our behavior. When someone says something kind it usually leads to a pleasant thought that makes us feel happy. When we are happy we tend to engage in more healthy behaviors. Let's help our kiddos develop a healthy self-esteem and good social skills by encouraging kind words!