Social-Emotional Wellness Activities for Families

Activity/Craft

My Friend and Me

This project helps kids work on listening skills and shapes.

1. Take two blank sheets of paper and fold them in half. One paper for you and one for your child.
2. Starting with the left side of the paper, give your child directions to draw shapes. Draw your shapes first on your paper for each step so they know where to place the shapes on the paper.
3. Draw a circle for the head, rectangles for the neck, body, arms, and legs and circles for the hands and feet.
4. Tell your child they just drew a friend and now they will draw themselves on the opposite side of the page.
5. Let them be creative in decorating. Be fun and ask them what's missing, let your child suggest eyes, nose, ears, hair etc.
6. Have your child cut out the people and you can roll play with the paper dolls. Give them a scenario and act out responses or let them choose the scenario.

It's okay if your child draws off center or their shapes are wonky. Practice makes progress. Have fun with the project and don't worry about perfection.

VIDEO

For Older Kids

BOOK LIST

• Cool Down and Work Through Anger by Cheryl J. Meiners

• The Mine-O-Saur by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by David Clark

• One by Kathryn Otoshi

• Melena’s Jubilee by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Aaron Boyd

• Tyaja Uses the THiNK Test by Linda Ryden, illustrated by Shearry Malone

• The Squirrels Who Squabbled by Rachel Bright, illustrated by Jim Field

• Max and Bird: An Amusing Cat Friendship Book for Kids by Ed Vere

• Rita and Ralph’s Rotten Day by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Pete Oswald

MINDFULNESS ACTIVITY

Practice mindfulness activities daily to help children regulate their breathing and calm their minds. Change it up and make it fun. Add music or special lights. 

Rocket Ship Meditation

• Join your child in standing up straight with your arms to the side.
• Moving in segments and counting down from five, inhale as you raise your hands until they join together at the top.
• When you reach one and hands are joined overhead, arms straight, shout blastoff, exhale and swing your arms back down to their original position.

Five - Four - Three - Two - One

Blastoff!

MOVEMENT ACTIVITY

ADDITIONAL PARENT RESOURCES

• From Morning Messages, Tune In, Listen, Choose a Solution
• Article on sharing for toddlers Why is it So Hard for Toddlers to Share from Baby Sparks
• NAEYC article on Five Step Conflict Mediation