Why we help

 This week we are focusing on the important social skill of helping.

The main question of the week was: Why do we help?
These are the answers we heard:

Makayah: We feel good, they feel good.
Lochlan: So other people can be happy.
Annabel: People might need to feel good.
Lochlan: So we feel kind, and they feel loved.
Emily: Don’t want someone to feel alone.
Makayah: To help them get more stuff cleaned up.
Lochlan: Help the younger kids learn how to help.
Moshe: Giving money to people helps them to be happy, and then they want to give and can give more money.
Clive: Fill others with joy juice.
Lochlan: I feel good when I help.
Eliana: Because we want to give someone love.

Being helpful allows the children to recognize that we are each a needed and contributing member of our community.  They take pleasure in feeling a part of the "we".

We put our "helping glasses" on to help us focus on the big and little ways we are helpful.

We washed tables, 

cleaned paint marks,

 
shared and cleaned up play dough,

 
 dried spills,

tidied up toys mid-playtime, 

 and played with friends.

 

I want to note, these things happen weekly in class.
We have a group of phenomenal children who are quite aware of each other and their surroundings.
They all understood the why of helping, no prompting was needed.
We see the results, their sense of pride in themselves and their genuine joy knowing they truly helped.
The children witness the results when they see that they are filling their classmates' love buckets.
These moments strengthen their friendships.
Makayah: Well, I feel love and they feel love.
Lochlan: Everyone feels love.