Volume 5, No. 3 (Winter 2003) -- Special Issue on Tolerance

THIS IS ME

Aim: Children reinforce their identity and raise their self-esteem through an art activity. The questions encourage them to think positively about differences between people.

Learning points:

• We are all different but we share many similarities.
• Rights are based on the similar needs of different people.

What you need:

Sheet of paper for each child, pens, crayons or paints.

How to do it:

Write each child's name on a sheet of paper, or ask children to do this themselves.

• Ask them to decorate their name using crayons. They can color the name and draw some of their favorite things around it.
• Sitting in a circle, ask each child to show their name and explain their favorite things. Ask the questions listed below as a way to the develop children's awareness of their similarities and differences.
• Display work in the school with the title "This is Us."

Questions to ask:

• What did you learn about other people?
• Did you learn anything about yourself?
• How did it feel to see your name displayed?
• Were our favorite things the same or different?
• What would it be like if we were all the same?

If the group is too big, or the children are too small to concentrate for long, ask them to talk to another child about their work. After a few minutes, each pair can show their work to another pair.

Older children or adults can sit opposite each other in pairs and draw each other. Ask them to talk to each other, finding out about the other person's interests, history, dreams, family, work, and drawing or writing these things around their portrait of the other person.

For another adaptation, ask the class to move around the room while music plays. When the music stops, they must find a partner, and ask each other any question. For example, what is your favorite color or food? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Where would you like to travel? Restart the music and repeat process until all children have exchanged their opinions. At the end, ask questions similar to those listed above.

LOOK AT ME!

Aim: Increases children's self-esteem, making them more likely to be tolerant of others and respect others' rights. Also introduces ideas about how to make their classroom a happier place through their own actions.

Learning point:

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

What you need:

Flip charts, pens, crayons or paints. One hour.

How to do it:

Divide the children into pairs.

• One child lies flat on a long sheet of paper.
• The other child draws around the child on the paper.
• The child lies on the floor next to their outline. The other child can add details to the outline. For example, details of the face, color of hair, clothing.
• Each child can then present the picture of their partners, explaining what he/she discovered about this person.
• Children can take their portraits home and put them in their rooms.

Questions to ask:

• Read the Summary of Rights from the Convention on the Rights of the Child*.
• How would people need to help each other to achieve these rights? (By caring about friends,family, others).
• How did it feel to be drawn?
• How did it feel to be drawing?
• Everyone needs to be cared for by someone - this is a right we all have.
• What happens when people don't get enough attention? Write a story about a time when you felt lonely.
• If you moved to a new school, how would you want people to treat you?
• Can we think of any ways to make sure that no one in our class is lonely?

Choices:

The whole class could also draw one child. For example, to make a left-out child feel part of the class community. The child could choose what he or she would like to be (eg. an astronaut).

If a child is joining or leaving the class, this activity can be used to make them feel part of the community. A child who is leaving could have all the things they will need in their new life added: love, friends, sun, smiles.