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Spark Student Motivation: Thanks for the Compliments

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Tried and true teaching tools, tips, ideas, lessons, and differentiated resources for the upper elementary classroom.

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National Black Leadership Commission on Health

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Family Guide to Supporting Mental Health

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Family Guide to Supporting Mental Health

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Parent - How to Model Healthy Coping Skills

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Parent - How to Model Healthy Coping Skills

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How to Model Healthy Coping Skills - Child Mind Institute

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One of the best ways to help children navigate big feelings is through modeling healthy coping skills

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Crumpled Paper: Bullying Lesson Plan | PBS LearningMedia

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This short and powerful activity helps students to understand the effects of bullying.

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Emotions: Family Engagement | Skills for Success | PBS LearningMedia

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This lesson will help students learn about emotions. The ability to identify and process feelings is an important social-emotional skill for students to learn. This lesson includes activities for students to build understanding.

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Spirit days can be a great way to have fun, improve school community, and inspire conversation about meaningful topics. Spirit days can include dress up days or days when the students are encouraged to do specific challenges. You can also do a combination of both!

Here are some ideas for dress up days:

Wear green (The green ribbon represents mental health)

Wear an article of clothing that makes you happy

Hat day

Wear mismatched socks or shoes as a reminder that it’s okay to be different. * Please note that it may be hurtful to some to call this “crazy” sock/shoe day, especially when promoting mental health.

You can also do different challenges each day like:

Compliment 3 people

Introduce yourself to someone new

Help someone with something

Give someone a thank you note

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DIY Gratitude Board Ideas: 20 Creative Boards for School

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Ready to shift your classroom culture for good? Implement these creative gratitude board ideas and watch as your classroom changes for the better!

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Create a Well-being Space (Update the Staff Lounge)

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Create a Well-being Space (Update the Staff Lounge)

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Thriving Schools | A partnership for healthy students, staff & teachers

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Make good health a part of everyday life for your teachers and staff by providing them with a dedicated place to take care of their own well-being - relaxation, quiet, social interaction, or collaboration.

Why are well-being spaces essential?

A well-being space (or wellness space, zen den -whatever you choose to call it) provides an area to relax and recharge during the school day.

These areas can foster environments that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. They can also be a great place to promote staff connection and collaboration.

A warm, welcoming well-being space is one way to show hardworking school staff and teachers they're valued and appreciated, which decreases staff stress, boosts morale, and increases job satisfaction.

Healthy and fulfilled school staff can perform at their best, model emotional regulation for students, and have fewer sick days.

Who can create a well-being space?

Anyone! It's recommended you work with teachers and staff, leadership, union partners, wellness teams, and facilities and maintenance.

It's important that you gain the proper approval before creating your space. Be sure to connect with school or district leadership first.

Read more about Kaiser Permanente's Workspace Wellness Space program here or watch this quick video overview!

"We have received a lot of positive feedback about the wellness space. We regularly see staff using the wellness space puzzles or relaxing on the furniture during their breaks. There are more people in the staff room than prior to the updates. We have received feedback that it is a relaxing space that staff enjoy."

How to Create a well-being space at your site

Below, you'll find steps from start to finish for creating your own space! We know that space and funds can be limited, remember, even a dedicated corner with a few items can make a big difference.

Prepare

☐ Get approval from the principal and/or administrators. Consider being creative with unused space that could be repurposed. Make sure this space is for the adults at the site since it's designed for their well-being.

☐ Seek input from teachers, staff, and administrators about what they'd most like in their Well-Being Space. Some rooms are for active living, promote relaxation, or foster connection. Remember: Work with facilities and maintenance staff and school administrators early in the planning of the project. Find a sample survey here: Staff Well-Being Space - Educator Survey Sample.

☐ Leverage or consider establishing a wellness committee or champions to implement and maintain the well-being space and support an overall culture of well-being. Consider equity and inclusion for all staff to benefit from the room.

☐ Identify your funding source, partner with local businesses, solicit community donations, or talk to your parent-teacher association. We know that space and funds can be limited, so many of these ideas are low- or no-cost. Even a few small items like some posters or plants can make a big difference.

☐ Take a "before" and "after" picture to celebrate your success.

Design Your Space

Consider the type of well-being space the teachers and staff want at the site, options might include:

☐ Active Living

Hang a bulletin board to display upcoming staff wellness offerings and healthy activities in the community (5K race, cooking class, farmers market, etc.).

Take photographs of teachers and staff "thriving" and hang them around the break room to give it a personal feeling and encourage healthy living.

Put up posters or flyers with links to mini workouts or yoga poses you can do anywhere

Consider if you have budget for water dispensers, yoga balls, free weights, or resistance bands. Note: Make sure you have a plan for how you are going to maintain the equipment over time.

☐ Promote Relaxation

☐ Foster Connection

Hang sign-ups or information about group activities or potlucks to encourage connected time together.

Provide games or puzzels for collaborative fun

Start a gratitude practice or establish learning opportunities to complete together.

Create a card-making station with supplies for teachers to share appreciation for one another.

Consider if you have budget for tables and chairs, lamps, and plants.

Implement Your Space

☐ Ask your principal or leader to announce the space to staff. This message can include an invitation to a grand opening or unveiling event.

☐ Consider a grand opening or an unveiling to show off your new well-being space. A principal-led ribbon cutting with an open house event including other wellness offerings can be a fun way to kick off your new space.

☐ Rotate Wellness Champions or create a sign-up for staff to monitor and maintain the space over time.

☐ Develop a calendar for related well-being events that include on-going promotion of your well-being space. Consider adding Monthly Health Topics | Kaiser Permanente to keep the content fresh and relevant.

☐ Take an "after" picture to share with teachers, staff, and school leadership to promote your room and celebrate your success.

☐ Continue developing your well-being strategy to ensure the on-going well-being of your teachers and staff. If you aren't sure where to begin, take our Thriving Schools Integrated Assessment to find areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.

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Well-Being Spaces for Teachers and Staff

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Make good health a part of everyday life for your teachers and staff by providing them with a dedicated place to take care of their own well-being - relaxation, quiet, social interaction, or collaboration. A well-being space (or wellness space, zen den -whatever you choose to call it) provides an area to relax and recharge during the school day.

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Quick MHA Activities for Parents to do at home

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Quick MHA Activities for Parents to do at home

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Gather paper, markers, magazines, scissors.

Make a traffic light model with your child - draw one, build one or find a picture of one.

Go
The traffic light will be used to help with problem solving. Explain the three colours:

Red means stop! When they have a problem, they stop.

Take a deep breath

Talk about what the problem is

Yellow means think!

Slow down, maybe take several deep breaths

Think and talk about possible solutions

Green means go!

Try out your solution

Talk about some problems your child might face and how the traffic light might help (e.g. fight with a sibling, I want the toy, I want a snack now, I want to watch tv now).

Put the traffic light you created somewhere visible, like on the fridge. Help your child use the visual and this process each time there is a problem or a conflict.

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Easy and Fun Mental Health Activities for Home - School Mental Health Ontario

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This is a series of 12 mental health activities designed for parents and families to try at home. They're connected to six areas of social-emotional learning and are available as a PDF file or graphics. Download a PDF file with all activities. Manage stress How children cope with stress varies depending on their age and abilities.

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Have a table of notes where teachers and staff can write cards of gratitude and appreciation to each other. Spread gratitude, a powerful form of self care, and do it on a Tuesday to make it Grati-Tuesday! Involve students in helping to deliver the cards around the building.

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There are several variations to this activity.

It can be done in groups or whole classrooms. Cut strips of construction paper and invite students to write examples of how to spread kindness and connection. To make it more personal, students can also write positive messages to each other. Connect the strips in rings using glue or a stapler and hang the chains in the hallways.

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Boost a Child’s Mental Health in 5 Minutes

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Intentional child time is all about meeting your child where they are and giving them your full attention. It can also improve their mental health and make it easier for them to follow your directions. Spending quality time together can also strengthen your relationship and boost their confidence.

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Useful strategy to share with teachers. They can select two students this month to spend 2 minutes a day getting to know each other for 10 days.

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What if instead of going head-to-head with your most challenging student, you created an ally in him? During the 2013 ASCD Conference on Educational Leadership, presenter Grace Dearborn shared a strategy for making that happen: the "Two-by-Ten."

Dearborn explained that by spending two minutes a day for 10 consecutive days getting to know a disruptive student, teachers can begin establishing an initial connection. Historically referred to as the "two-minute intervention" by researcher Raymond Wlodkowski, the Two-by-Ten strategy is a way to not only break the ice but also form the foundation for a sustainable relationship-and better classroom behavior.

"It's a motivator, it's a management strategy, and it's a formally researched way [to turn a student from a negative to a positive influence]," says Rick Smith, founder of Conscious Teaching , who often presents the method with Dearborn. Smith says Two-by-Ten gives a disruptive student what he is seeking in the first place: a positive connection with an adult.

"Safety is a fundamental human need and if kids don't feel it, they're going to ask for it," he says. "Oddly, the way they sometimes ask for it is to act out." Although it may seem like they are trying to sabotage your classroom, a student is more likely communicating the message "Would you connect with me, so I can let down my guard?"

Lisa Kitzmann, a 3rd grade teacher at Eldridge Elementary School in Hayward, Calif., used Two-by-Ten to address the outbursts that were occurring frequently in her classroom. When Eldridge gained a mix of new students because of local school closures, behavior issues in the Title I school escalated.

Although Kitzmann, who refers to herself as a "teddy bear teacher," already connects with students daily, she says the strategy "really helped me target the kids I was struggling with and give them more structured attention."

Curiosity motivated Kitzmann to study the efficacy of Two-by-Ten for her master's thesis. Over the course of a year, she used the strategy on four students (three separate times) and teamed up with a teacher's aide to collect data based on daily observation checklists (which tracked disruptions such as talking with peers, interrupting the teacher, and not following directions) and the number of "red alerts" or behavior referrals sent home to parents.

Kitzmann ultimately found that the students she worked with were "less disruptive, changed their attitudes, and had a stronger drive to succeed in school" after exposure to the Two-by Ten strategy. In addition, the class as a whole was "running more smoothly."

Still, it was a learning process for everyone, Kitzmann explains. Some of the students were more receptive to the conversations than others, but most tended to warm up to the attention by the second week.

Keeping the content of the conversations PG-rated and centered on the student's personal interests is essential to making the strategy work, Smith asserts. Teachers can use an interest inventory to ask questions or just "focus on whatever the kid is talking about to his friends or what he's wearing-his sneakers, backpack, anything at all," says Smith. "If he has a Packers jersey on, that's a sure clue."

The discussions, however, should extend beyond the typical "how are you today, nice to see you," says Kitzmann. Even talking about what the student shared in class or wrote about in an exercise does not have the same effect as when teachers probe more deeply. "The focus of Two-by-Ten is just getting to know the child outside of school," she says. "Find out what his favorite food is, what his favorite hobby is, how did his baseball game go, etc. If [your approach is] authentic, the child will know it."

When a student is especially "resistant and shutdown," Smith recommends striking up a conversation with one of the student's friends within earshot and eventually drawing that student in, even if it takes several days.

Two-by-Ten is "one of the most powerful relationship-changing strategies I know," writes Allen Mendler in When Teaching Gets Tough (ASCD, 2012). Mendler suggests that, at least for the first few days, teachers build the time into their lesson plans when other students "are engaged in an assignment or project that requires less ... direct teaching."

Kitzmann initiated her conversations outside of class when she could more subtly approach a student. "I would do it walking out to recess, walking beside the student to music or PE, checking in on them at lunch, or walking out with them at the end of the day."

Smith advises, especially at the secondary level, that teachers learn the student's schedule and "position yourself in the hall [during passing periods] so [that] you happen to run into him 'by mistake.'" The planning may take a lot of foresight, he says, "but if that kid turns himself around in your class, it will have been worth it."

Allotting time for shorter conversations can also be beneficial as long as they occur every day (not counting weekends) because consistency is what "allows the walls to come down," Smith continues. Thus "half a minute a day for 10 days is better than one 20-minute conversation because [the student] needs that ongoing connection to relax."

"Does Two-by-Ten solve everything? No," Kitzmann is the first to admit. Although the strategy is not a remedy for disruptive behavior, "in 10 days, you establish enough of an understanding that helps you relate to a child or get a relationship going."

By taking the time to ask the right questions, you learn a lot about the student and often begin to "see the child in a different light," Kitzmann elaborates. "In every experience, I have been surprised by what a student shared, or what they taught me, or how they inspired me."

"Once you make that extra step to connect with a kid, you get results," Kitzmann affirms. "And after the 10 days, the tendency is to keep the momentum going. It just continues; it's natural."

Adds Smith, "You have to remember that the teacher is often pretty guarded as well, initially, because the kid has been acting out. And then as you connect heart-to-heart, that's where the magic happens."

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What if instead of going head-to-head with your most challenging student, you created an ally in him? During the 2013 ASCD Conference on Educational Leadership, presenter Grace Dearborn shared a strategy for making that happen: the "Two-by-Ten." Dearborn explained that by spending two minutes a day for 10 consecutive days getting to know a disruptive student, teachers can begin establishing an initial connection.

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Clinicians can assist teachers with preparing dialogue journals; they can be used in elementary, middle or high schools.

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Dialogue Journals for Middle School Students | Greater Good In Education

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Teachers and middle school students write to each other in journals, helping to build positive teacher-student relationships and to grow students' self-awareness and social awareness.

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Have each student design a puzzle piece to add to the school or classroom puzzle

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Activity can be facilitated with small groups in middle school or high school to build empathy and connection.

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Finding alternatives to screen time.

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77 Things to Do Instead of Screens — Sparkle Stories

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When kids are away from screens, that means they are free to explore nature, cultivate social connections and foster creativity — explore this list of 55 things to do instead of screens.

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Spark creativity, good conversations and bonding with fun "would you rather" questions.

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Contributed by The Family Dinner Project Team

Take turns asking "Would you rather....?" questions. You can make up your own, but here are a few of our favorites:

...own your own boat or your own plane?

...sweat melted cheese or always smell skunk?

...be able to fly or be invisible?

...speak every language in the world or play every instrument?

...live in the future or in the past?

...be the best player on a losing team or the worst player on a winning team?

...live in the city or the country?

...walk the Great Wall of China or Amazon River?

...live without a telephone or a television?

...meet the president of the United States or your favorite movie star?

...be a rabbit or a horse?

...go to the beach in the summer or skiing in the winter?

...be fabulously famous and poor or unknown and rich?

...win an Academy Award or an Olympic Gold Medal?

...take a vacation on an exotic island or in a romantic city?

...have to eat a bowl full of crickets or a bowl full of worms?

...lose your sense of taste or your sense of smell?

...raise chickens for eggs or sheep for wool?

...live on a houseboat or in an RV?

...live in space or under the sea?

...have feet for hands or hands for feet?

...have a head twice as big or half as small?

...be totally covered in hair head to toe, or completely bald?

...shoot spaghetti out of your fingers or sneeze meatballs?

...always have to enter rooms backwards or always have to somersault out?

...always have the same song stuck in your head or always have the same dream at night?

...have a unicorn horn or a squirrel tail?

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Contributed by The Family Dinner Project Team Take turns asking "Would you rather....?" questions. You can make up your own, but here are a few of our favorites: ...own your own boat or your own plane? ...sweat melted cheese or always smell skunk? ...be able to fly or be invisible?

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Help students to get to know each other better through the fun activity "Two Truths and a Lie."

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Two Truths and a Lie

An Icebreaker Activity for Middle and High School
(10 minute version or 25 minute version)

Start by modeling the process by telling two truths and a lie (preferably something that could plausibly be true) about yourself. Ex statements such as:
I have two children.
I once won a pie-eating contest.
When I was ten, I hated science.

Allow the class to guess which is the lie. Allow about a minute for every student to think of two truths and a lie about himself/herself.

Have the students form groups of four, preferably with people they do not know well (or assign at random). They should sit together for the remainder of the activity.

Within each group, students mst first learn each other's names. Then they are to tell each other two things that are true about themselves and one that is a lie (preferably something that MIGHT be true). The others in the group must determine which the lie is. Allow about five to six minutes for the groups to complete this.

Tell each group they must choose two of the truths about the members of their group and one lie to share with the class. Have them write them down legibly. For example: One member of our group once traveled to Russia, one member... etc.

(Ten minute version stops here)

Ten minute version conclusion:
Ask if the class found out any surprises through this process, then proceed to rest of the "truths" about the course, etc. Perhaps throw in one "lie" to keep them attentive.
Teacher can post some of the results on class web page, bulletin board, or as the fact of the day on the blackboard for the next week or two.

Continuing (longer version):

Have the groups report back to the class and allow other groups to guess which were the truths and lie from each group. Once the truth is known, each group should tell the names of all members and which person the truths are about.

After all groups have reported and been guessed, if there is time compose as a class:

Two truths and a lie about the class as a whole
(Ex. In Mrs. Jones' 4th period class, one person.... and another person ....)

What they believe to be two truths and a lie about the subject they will be studying (Ex. Biology will involve memorizing tons of Latin words.)

POST the whole-class truths and lies on a bulletin board for the first month of school and revisit them, if appropriate. You could even ask which of their preconceived "truths" about the class have proven to be "lies" and vice versa.

Want to see more ideas?
See a full list of reviewed resources ideal for first day activities.

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Two Truths and a Lie - An ice-breaker from TeachersFirst

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An Icebreaker Activity for Middle and High School (10 minute version or 25 minute version) Start by modeling the process by telling two truths and a lie (preferably something that could plausibly be true) about yourself. Ex statements such as: I have two children. I once won a pie-eating contest.

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Facilitate interesting conversations, like-mindedness and connections among students through thought provoking game "would you rather" questions."

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150 Would You Rather Questions for Kids & Students - Classful

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Read our 150 ‘would you rather’ questions for kids & students that we guarantee you’ll get a great response and thoughtful conversations.

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Help students interact and get to know more about each other....

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For older students, three relationship building activities: concentric circles, spider web and "all my people who."

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Spending a little time having fun in the classroom can have a major impact on students' engagement and sense of belonging.

My superintendent recently told us that most students begin hating school after second grade. Why is that? My superintendent believes it is because show-and-tell basically stops after second grade. I wonder if it's because high-stakes testing begins in third grade. More than likely, it's a combination of both. When teachers sacrifice building relationships with students for the push to cover the curriculum, we increase student anxiety and decrease student learning.

I prioritize spending time throughout every school year building and maintaining relationships with students. I have found this time to be invaluable. The time I spend on relationship-building activities with my students and on allowing them to get to know me shows them that I value them as people. When they feel seen, they are more open to what I need to teach them. Here are three fun, simple activities I do throughout the school year that help form relationships and build relational capacity within the class so that my students are ready for the rigors of my academic work.

3 Relationship-building Activities

Concentric circles: In concentric circles, students form two equal circles, one inside the other. For example, if you have 22 students in your class, you would have an interior circle of 11 and an exterior circle of 11. The interior circle should face outward toward students in the outer circle. If you have an odd number of students, have two students in the outer circle act as one unit. The facilitator asks the group any question that will help students get to know each other better-some fun, some serious. Give students time to answer the question with their partner.

After a few minutes, give the instruction, "Inner circle, rotate three to the left." The students in the inner circle will then rotate three students to the left, and now they have a new outer circle partner. Vary having the inner circle rotate to the left and the outer circle rotate to the right. Students will work their way through the class answering questions and getting to know each other. Every once in a while, the teacher should give their own answer to the question so that students can get to know them as well.

Would you rather vacation at the beach or the mountains?

Tacos or cheeseburgers?

Who is your favorite relative and why?

I always start with some fun questions:

What is one of your dreams or hopes for your life?

Who is your best friend and why?

What is something you are afraid of?

Then I go a little deeper.

Is Gatsby a likable character?

Do you think the American Dream is a possibility today? Why or why not?

Can you think of a place that is similar to the Valley of Ashes in the area in which we live?

Concentric circles are also a great way to build a discussion about a topic in class. For example, when my students read The Great Gatsby, I might do concentric circles and ask them questions like these:

The beauty of concentric circles is that it can do double duty. It can be used for academic purposes while it is also building relationships among students.

Spider web: For the spider web activity, students will stand up. They do not need to stand in a circle or in any organized fashion. One person starts holding a ball of string or yarn. The first person shares something interesting about themselves. For example, the first person might share, "I am on the cross country team." If a student can make a connection in any way to the last person who shared, they raise their hand. The student who is holding the yarn then throws the yarn to the new student who is making the connection.

Then the student now holding the yarn shares the connection, so they might say, "I ran a half marathon last summer" (or whatever the connection may be). The teacher can be involved in this one as well. When everyone has shared, the yarn will look like a big spider web.

Tip: Be sure to emphasize the connection point: We are all different and yet all have similarities with each other. No one in our class is ever alone. I really like to bring this out in the middle of a semester during the difficult months of November and February. Students and teachers are tired. There are also new students who may have joined the class. Completing a spiderweb reminds the students (and the teacher) that we can always make connections and that we will get through the school year together.

All my people who: This is a fun, active game, similar to musical chairs. Have all students sit in chairs in a circle facing inward. There is one fewer chair than students in the class. The student without the chair stands in the middle of the circle and says, "All my people who..." and then states a descriptor. For example, "All my people who... like tacos" or "All my people who... have brown eyes." Every student who fits that description has to get up from their seat and move to a new seat that is not next to them. In the meantime, the student in the middle is trying to get a new seat. The student who is left standing is the new student in the middle.

Students love this game. When they're sitting all day, it gives them a chance to move. Plus, honestly, they don't expect teachers to be this fun. However, it can get a little rough, especially among older kids who will dive for chairs and push students out of the way. Be sure to preface this game with specific instructions to keep the game fun and safe: No pushing, no tipping chairs over, be careful of landing too hard in chairs so they don't fall over. I have played this game with both middle school and high school students, and yes-I have fun actually playing with them.

I have never regretted taking the class time to build relationships with my students. It builds trust. When the students trust me, they are willing to go on the rigorous academic journey that the rest of the year holds. Building relational capacity with the students makes for a more fun and academically successful year.

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3 Fun Relationship-Building Activities for Older Students

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Spending time on relationship-building activities in class can have a major impact on middle and high school students' engagement in learning.

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Tons of great activities including Theraplay activities.

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Teachers can reflect on and select how they would like to generate trust with their students. This activity can be facilitated with staff members in large group setting or shared as a resource.

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Help siblings and the entire family to work together, practice empathy and increase connections. Together they work toward a family goal and focus on experiences rather than things.

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I recently read a quote from Here We Read that said, "Give children more experiences, not things."

It got me thinking about our Sparkle Jar. I really hadn't stop to ponder the what, why, when, where, or how because it's something I have done in the past in my classroom and now in our home. It's a way we have created a team spirit and simplified the stuff accumulated around here.
It's one of the ways we choose experiences over things while building connections, highlighting the Golden Rule, practicing empathy, and finding wonder in our day to day lives.
What? The Sparkle Jar is a cookie jar where we drop sparkles (which are just flat marbles for fish tanks) for a million different reasons. It is important in our home for being intentional in encouraging our children to care.

Why? There was a time when all my children had chore charts, sticker charts, allowances, etc. that helped them do one thing... focus on themselves. Their ego-centric selves were always on high alert in competition with their siblings about every single little thing. Were they the best? The fastest? Number one?

It wasn't about a family striving to be stronger and more unified. It was individuals competing with each other for more.
Enough was enough.
We wanted our family to build up each other, striving for connection and relationship, thus came the Sparkle Jar. It was a way to focus everyone on a common goal as a team player with one thing, not twenty.
Simple and sweet. One and done.
You get the message.

Where? The Sparkle Jar sits on the counter in the kitchen where we gather the most often. It's a constant reminder of the goal we are all working towards and reminds everyone to pitch in for the common good of our family.

It's not just for our family either. When someone visits like our grandsons or cousins, they can contribute to the jar too. If they get 'caught' caring for someone, helping at first request, or cooperating with others, they add sparkles to our jar. They love the thrill of throwing them in and our kids love that others help in meeting our goal. Also, if we're away from home, we keep tallies of sparkles. It still works on the road.

When? When we first started the Sparkle Jar, we drew a line low on the jar to fill and treated our family to blizzards at DQ. As time passed, we upped the line and added more sparkles to our stash to earn family fun like passes to the Aquarium or zoo, maybe a trip to the bookstore, or day trip on a nature outing as a family. The sky is the limit. We don't always have a specific goal in mind other than using up all the sparkles at which point we meet as a family and discuss what we might need or want to do.

The focus is the good deeds done on the journey, not the finished destination. It's a beautiful journey too because they know once we fill the jar, we start over toward a new goal. It encourages us all that caring for others is never done or complete. It is something we strive for all of our days on earth.

How? We have seen a significant willingness to help without even being asked. Our children look for ways to care for each other. The Golden Rule is truly the foundation of our whole Sparkle system. If you are thinking of how you want to be treated, you are very likely to 'Sparkle' in your own behavior towards others. Trying to take our eyes off ourselves and focus on others.

Even as adults, we could improve on this level. The kids have even caught me and Scott doing something they believe deserves sparkles. We let them catch each other in a Sparkle act too. "Mom! The boys made our beds today!" It really is beautiful to watch. When they see each other being sparkled for a choice, it must likely to be repeated by all the rest.

Celebration Day. Once the jar is full, we plan our celebration day. We've done tons of things with our kids that lots of families just do randomly, but we choose to pair it with our Sparkle Jar celebration. One idea is to rent or buy a movie on Amazon, pop popcorn, and enjoy family movie night. Another is to let everyone choose a book they have been wishing for. We have even taken them out for evening rides on the boat with a dinner picnic and sunset swims.

It really doesn't take much to bring wonder and enchantment to our children's lives. It just takes intention and effort.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "The people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

SO evident with our Sparkle Jar... when everyone is showing each other respect and caring to help, the camaraderie and family spirit creates positive energy which inspires more and more of the same! Who wouldn't want that for their family?

Intention and Effort. There is much intention and effort involved with this idea. We can't begin something like this just to let it fizzle out. We have to be excited for our family and look for opportunities to sparkle them with love. In the beginning we over sparkled our children as a way to get them aware of their choices and actions. As time has passed and we see certain things becoming second nature to them (a perk of sparkles), we don't always reward for that reason. It just becomes the right thing to do.

As you can guess, this system works best with younger children, but I still see the older children encouraging the younger ones, helping them to make good choices, and always pitching in before being asked. I love seeing the older ones giving sparkles to the younger ones which shows me they own the responsibility of why we started it in the first place.
Honestly it helps us move from managing our children all the time to them managing themselves - creating a lovely place to do life together!
You might wonder if our children ever have their own money in which to learn management, saving, and wise choices. They do have opportunities to make money - pet sitting for neighbors or helping in the yard. They also prefer monetary gifts for birthdays and holidays over more stuff. Because we homeschool and have workbooks, I write $10 on the inside back cover and when they finish the book, they get paid. A win-win for all of us!

I have even seen the sparkle effect work in situations at the store when one child is wanting to buy something they don't have quite enough for and another child steps in to cover the deficit. Sometimes they require pay back and other times they let it go. I let them work that out on their own.

I believe Sparkles are teaching our children three important character traits:

1. Empathy: Stepping into someone else's skin and walking around in it.

2. Collaboration: Working together on a common goal in mind.

3. Cooperation: Coming together as a team for the good of everyone.

Can you think of any profession that wouldn't look for those qualities in their employees? How about spouses in a family? What about in a classroom or sports arena? Can you see the endless outcomes of this simple habit training?

Did you know there is real research behind smiling? It says, "The mere act of smiling reduces blood pressure, lowers stress hormones, and boosts your mood; a British study even found that one smile generates the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate."

Why would we not do everything in our power to share a smile and encourage a smile??? The act of smiling triggers endorphins which make us happy. We smile to be happy. Feelings follow our actions. As moms and dads, we are the atmosphere of the home. If we smile and try to have fun with our children, we can create a wonderful place to be a family.

The best thing we can give our children is a happy and peaceful home with happy and peaceful parents.

Other ways I see the Sparkle Jar working for our family is allowing us to focus on what we want more of and making sure we will get it!

So, for us, the Sparkle Jar works a sort of magic. It focuses us on finding the good and beautiful and lovely instead of competition, selfishness, and entitlement. Would our kids be just as vigilant about caring for each other without sparkles? Maybe, but pointing out their good makes me feel good too.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 - "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

The Challenge. Choose one thing you want to see an improvement in and focus on that one thing. If it goes well, add another or be like me and go all out.

( One caution: We don't take Sparkles away! The reason for a Sparkle Jar is to encourage good choices, and we want to keep it completely positive. If there is a behavior or choice that is the opposite of a Sparkle, you could say, "I am so sorry you made that choice. If you had done this or that, you would have earned a Sparkle. Do you think you could do that next time?" Try to state the positive of what you want them to do not what you don't.)

Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go, aand when he is old he will not depart from it."

We all want a calm and peaceful home with our children fostering close connections and relationships. I hope with all my heart this helps someone find a beautiful rhythm in their daily lives.

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The Sparkle Jar: A Simple Way to Build Connection | No Hands But Ours

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I recently read a quote from Here We Read that said, "Give children more experiences, not things." It got me thinking about our Sparkle Jar. I really hadn't stop to ponder the what, why, when, where, or how because it's something I have done in the past in my classroom and now in our home.

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Is your emotional account with your child full or overdrawn? Learn ways to increase deposits and strengthen your relationship with your child.

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Blog Home > Health and Safety > Caring for Kids

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Hugs and Love and Everything Nice: How to Fill Your Child’s “Emotional Bank Account”

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Build his self-worth—and compensate for those less-than-stellar parenting moments—by filling your child’s coffers with good feelings.

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Create a sign-up in the Staff Lounge for staff members to join a walking group during lunch or after school. Offer proposed times and seek input. Share ideas about short routes near the school. Share ideas about other nearby trails or hikes for more ambitious walkers

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Work together on short term wellness goals

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Invite staff, via email, but also by public posting, to identify a staff member in the building that they can partner with to focus on 1-2 wellness goals for the month. Allocate time in a school staff meeting for partners to connect and discuss goals and strategies. Examples could include: healthy eating (packed lunch), change in bedtime routine, mindful exercise, physical activity, planned FUN. Be intentional in targeting key areas for growth. Use SMART goal format, and plan for accountability feedback loops between partners.

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8 ways to Strengthen a Parent-Child Relationship

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8 ways to Strengthen a Parent-Child Relationship

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8 Ways to Strengthen a Parent-Child Relationship | Family Services

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Human touch and loving affection is needed at every stage of our lives for healthy emotional and neurobiological development. It is important that your child receive gentle, loving touch (i.e., hugs) from you several times throughout the day. Treat every interaction as an opportunity to connect with your child.

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Download the Action for Happiness App TODAY

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Download the Action for Happiness App TODAY

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Download this app for daily actions, calendars, tips, happiness habits, meditations and more to connect with others

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8 Fun Get to Know Your Students Activities

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As a new school year kicks off, we know how important it is to create a welcoming environment for our students. Making connections and building strong teacher-s

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Written by Pam Molnar; Photo: PhotoXpress.com

If you are looking for alternative ways to entertain the kids and yourself this winter, try leaving the electronics in their chargers. Here are 50 suggestions to help combat cabin fever and get you through until the Spring thaw.

Use your imagination:

Make paper airplanes out of colored paper

Cut out paper dolls and accessories from newspapers

Create doll houses and furniture out of felt pieces

Build skyscrapers out of Lego® or Tinkertoys®

Use large cardboard boxes to create kid-sized houses that they can decorate

Get outside:

Take a walk around the neighborhood with the dog(s) or a friend

Make a family of snow people

Play a game of tic-tac-snow

Snow graffiti

Ice cube scavenger hunt

Make a game of it:

Pick card games like Uno, Hearts or Rummy

Try a dice game like Tenzi or LCR

Bring out the board games - classics like Monopoly or Sorry!

Create a Battleship game out of two pizza boxes

Tape a tic-tac-toe board on the floor and use colored bean bags for the X and O

Expand your mind:

Play Sudoku or complete a word search

Browse your local library for a good book

Set up a home laboratory and create some science experiments

Put together a model car

Work on a puzzle

Play a road trips game without leaving the house:

Name that Tune - Turn on the radio and see how quickly you can identify the songs

I Spy - Describe something in the house so the other players can guess what it is

Alphabet Game - Name animals, foods or athletes starting with the letter A, then B and so on

Mad Libs - Fill in the blanks to a short story with nouns, verbs and adjectives

Bingo - You will find free printable bingo sheets online

Spend time with family:

Look through photo albums or school memorabilia

Use your talents to create a family variety show

Cook dinner together or bake cookies

Sing karaoke or have a dance party

Listen to a book on CD together every night

Get crafty:

Make homemade play dough from Kool-Aid

Build structures with marshmallows and toothpicks

Create pasta people with glue and a variety of pasta shapes

Use duct tape and cardboard to make swords and shields

Design Popsicle stick snowflakes, paint white and hang in the windows

Get out and go:

Go bowling

Play indoor laser tag

Head to an indoor pool for a game of Marco Polo

Get messy with a game of paintball

Try rock climbing

Do something for the animals:

Teach your dog a new trick

String popcorn on a string or make homemade suet for the birds

Collect towels and blankets for the animal shelter

Create a maze for your hamster

Make a no-sew pet bed for your cat

Think Spring:

Have an early Easter egg hunt

Have an indoor picnic or beach party

Use watercolors to paint a summer sky

Make fork printed flowers with paint

Order a caterpillar or butterfly kit and watch them grow
Pam is a freelance writer and mother of three. This list was compiled over the last 16 years of hearing her children say, "I'm bored!"

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50 Things to do Instead of Screen Time - Calgary's Child Magazine

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Written by Pam Molnar; Photo: PhotoXpress.com If you are looking for alternative ways to entertain the kids and yourself this winter, try leaving the electronics in their chargers. Here are 50 suggestions to help combat cabin fever and get you through until the Spring thaw.