Wearing empowering messages on our hoodies in PreK this week proved to be very special conversation starters and the perfect way to empower kids!
by Lorrie Holmes
The idea of wearable affirmations in the classroom was born out of the positive reactions to my Halloween costume this year. Sheriff Good Deeds was such an easy costume to put together at the last minute, but it offered an unexpected value that open my eyes wider about how to add extra meaning to costumes as a PreK teacher. This included my issuing tickets to the kiddos for their good deeds which became amazing conversation starters with the kids in a way that was not forced at all. This opened up meaningful conversations about how good deeds are when we do something good just for the sake of doing it and without necessarily wanting something back in return.
This really got the kids thinking as they are still coming up to me daily and weeks after Halloween, and sharing with me the good deeds they are doing. I praise them of course, and also ask them if it feels good to do a good deed. Sometimes they wait to see if I will give them a ticket and other times, they are not even thinking about this anymore. I do offer stickers to the children from time to time for their awesomeness, but I also use this as an opportunity to provide them the idea of how wonderful it feels to do something without worrying about what they will get back in return and that the good feeling is better than anything else they will receive. The best part of all of this is they seem to be getting it!
Since I started this, I have now been acquainted with a very special company – founded by an early childhood educator who really gets why such empowering message are such great starting points for young children to ponder meaningful thoughts and ideas. Thank you Tania from Wish 2 Inspire Boutique for creating such beautiful, cozy hoodies with very meaningful messages that completely reinforce what I have been trying to instil into the children and as luck will have it, this wonderful lady – Tania – has partnered up with us in an amazing collaboration where I am wearing hoodies to school as wearable affirmations and sharing these message with the children.
What an incredible way to share these messages with the kiddos – on the front of cozy hoodies they love to snuggle up to and read with me. I have had so many special experiences with each wearable sentiment.
UNIQUELY YOU
This message was by far my favourite as it really got the kids thinking about what makes THEM unique as individuals. This message was very effective with children who are especially copying other kids to fit in. It’s a wonderful invitation to explore what makes each of us unique!
KIND
This hoodie was the perfect choice for World Kindness Day which is exactly when I wore it and I started our circle by asking the children what kindness is and we gave many examples of what was and what wasn’t kind. I also played this beautiful song, K-I-N-D by Stefanie Leavell, to even further reinforce this message now that the conversation was open and I had their attention!
NOT AFRAID TO BE DIFFERENT
Another beautiful sentiment! This message is complex for PreK but I was able to break it down by going back to what makes us unique and why we should be proud of being unique and not afraid of it. I asked the children what they liked about each other and asked the kiddos if they also liked these things about themselves and shared with them that these are the things that make them unique.
GRATEFUL
Just yesterday, I decided to pass a hoodie over to my teaching parter, Miss Gagan, which are her favourite colours – pink and black. Her message was, “Grateful” and of course, what Miss Gagan was grateful for is her family and to have the opportunity to spend so much special time teaching the children.
EMPOWER
I also wore a message, Empower. When I read this word to the children, I emphasized the enonounciation of power and asked them if they knew where I felt my power. Then I pointed inside.
OF COURSE, STUDENTS CAN ALSO WEAR THESE BEAUTIFUL MESSAGES WHICH MAKE GREAT GIFTS & FUNDRAISERS!
We are so grateful to Tania of Wish2Inspire Boutique for this unique collaboration what has opened up more communication with the kiddos and we look forward to reporting further to you with more wearable messages in the near future.
In the meantime, please check out her store to order your own wearable affirmations here!
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This story is sponsored by TEACHING THROUGH STORIES & SONGS
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