Six Ways You Can Share 12-21-12 with Your Children
By Peg Jones
The newest rumor going around the schools this week is that the world is going to end on December 21. Kids have lots of questions about the end of the world, and some are very scared, of this happening. So much has gone the past two weeks in our world, and the children need to know everything is going to be ok..
As parents and teachers, caregivers of children, we need to help children to not feel this gloom and help the child to think of the positive aspects of the day. The media talks about it and books talk about the end is near, then there is their friend who think and talk about how the end is near too. All of this talk is really taking a toll out of some kids. There could be acting out, and there could be a lot of procrastination too. Not wanting to go to school, or doing their jobs around the home, not wanting to their homework, not eating correctly, and not feeling too motivated life in general. It is pretty obvious how high the energies are these days. People are finding it hard to cope in many ways. Our children pick this up from the adults and they are feeling the effects too.
After the horrific shooting in CT, last week, and the emotional effects this has had on everyone, we need to take the time to hug our kids and give them big kisses and tell them we love them. After some thinking about this and talking to others who have young children, I have come up with some ways to help children cope with the rumors and silly talk of 12/21/12at on the tv and the radio.
- The Mayan calendar is ending not the world. The Mayans could not see beyond this date. This was 26,000 years ago and that is a long time to see in the future, since most of us don’t see beyond 6 months at a time.
- We can tell our children that this is a day of great light and joy. This is a day to plan all of the good things we would like to accomplish in the New Year. My suggestion is have some magazines and some scissors and glue and some cardboard. Encourage them to make plans for the next year of what they would like to do and accomplish during that time. They can make a dream board of all they want to do through writing on the board and cutting out pictures or drawing what they want to do for the year 2013
- Each child could make their own calendar for the next year, through coloring on the top for each month and they put in their activities they do for school and home. The calendar can be a pre-made calendar that they can design for themselves.
- There could be a discussion of what we are grateful for. They can make posters and you can make up a list that encompasses everyone’s contribution to the grateful list.
- Make it a weekly or daily practice to talk about what each family member was grateful for.
- Random acts of kindness. Talk to your children or class about doing random acts of kindness. Ask for examples of this. Then give them three pieces of ribbon a yellow ribbon. Ask them to think of three people, they would like to do a random act of kindness. At the end of the day, they can talk about what did for random active of kindnesses to others during the day.
The fun thing about these activities, is that they cost very little money, except for the materials needed; and they may already may be somewhere in the house. There will be needed time to get the calendars together, but the older kids can help with copying the blank calendars.
