24
Blue felt sad the other day because she didn’t get used during art class.
I know better than anyone how bad that makes a pencil feel,
so I gave her a great big hug to help her get through it.
25
I let Orange and Pink teach me how to do the polka!
26
Purple started to tell me all about his dream to overtake the colored markers
and rise to the top of the art supply market.
Instead of rolling my eyes and ignoring him, I sat down and listened
to his whole idea, even though it took him like three years to tell it to me!
Actually, I ended up getting pretty excited!
27
Since Red feels bad about being stubby,
I figured out a way to help her.
I rolled around on a glue stick and
glued her to my side so she could be
tall again and see out of the pencil box!
28
I still don’t get to color as much as
the other colors do, but that’s okay.
Now I have more pencil friends
than I know what to do with!
But just like Red says,
you can’t have too many friends.
I just LOVE being Brown!
29
“Class … today I would like you to take out your colored pencils
and draw a picture of a big Brown grizzly bear!”
Yippee!
30
FRIENDSHIPS ARE VERY IMPORTANT when it comes to our emotional health! A lack of friends can have devastating effects on a child. Children who struggle with making and keeping friends often experience mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. They are also more likely to get into trouble and drop out of school.
To a child, having even just one good friend can make a huge difference. Research shows it is not the quantity of friends children have that matters, it’s the quality of even one or two good relationships. You can help your children or students become better at making and keeping friends by teaching them three basic social skills:
and pout when things don’t go his way? Or, is your child excessively shy and quiet around other children, afraid to try new activities, or reluctant to join a group?
to your child.
Relate the skill to his world-view by attaching it to a situation the child has experienced. Demonstrate how to effectively use the skill. (For example: “You told me there’s a new student in your class that you’d like to know and be friends with. If you want to introduce yourself to him, look at him, smile, and say something like ‘Hi, my name is Jason. Would you like to play catch with me during recess?’”)