The second session of “Practical and Interactive Life Skills Training for Children” took place on Saturday, March 19th, 2022.
The afternoon started off with Salpi Nercessian, the Program Director. She gathered the kids with a warm-up game, to see how well the children remembered each other’s names.
Then ensued a time of seated exercises, as well as deep breathing. The kids also had a chance to share examples from their ‘positivity jars.’
Next, it was time for the main program, the topic of the day being RESPECT. As one can imagine, respect is really hard to describe and explain in simple terms. Nonetheless, Mrs. Nercessian was able to introduce the topic creatively. The children really understood the impact of spoken words and actions towards others and that it is very important to think before speaking, always taking into consideration people’s boundaries.
All of these point us towards a major life concept, the “Golden Rule”, which is the principle of treating others as one wants to be treated. These wise words are spoken in the Bible, by Jesus himself, in verse Mathew 7:12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”
Afterwards, the children even got a chance to practice determining what is respectful versus disrespectful through case studies.
During the “Arts and Crafts” part, the children wrote the “Golden Rule” on a yellow ruler. This ruler will be a reminder for applying the “Golden Rule” in their everyday life. The children received a self-evaluation sheet through which they will be able to evaluate themselves to see if they are applying the “Golden Rule” during the week.
The afternoon ended with the continuation of the story of Pollyanna. It was impressive to see how well the kids had remembered, from the previous week, the details of the story.
The children all parted with smiles on their faces.
Don’t forget to stay tuned for Part 3, next week, where the concept of “Listening” will be explored.
Lara Kassarjian
