Love - Ages 8-14 - Values Education for Children and Young Adults

Love - Living Values Activities for Children Ages 8-14

Adapted from LVE's Living Values Activities for Children Ages 8-14

Imagining a Loving World

"Use your mind to imagine: Think about someone who is loving and kind. It can be a real person in your life now, or a person who helped you before, or it can be a person that you have seen in the movies. Think about that person's attitude . . . Picture that person helping . . . Now, I want
you to imagine that everyone in the world was that loving and kind . . . What would the world be like?. . . Now, step into your imaginary plane of the mind, go up into the blue sky, and fly! . . . Picture leaders of different nations and how they would treat each other . . . How would they be with the citizens of their countries? . . . Picture friends playing . . . See the students on a playground and in the neighbourhood . . . Fly the plane over your own neighbourhood . . . and now over this school . . . Imagine what would be happening . . . Now the plane circles and lands, and you are relaxed and in your place here again."

Share: Talk about what you pictured and experienced when you used your mind to imagine.

Discuss:

In a loving world, what would everyone want for his or her family?
In a loving world, what would the rulers/leaders want for their citizens?
If all the leaders of countries were like this, would they start wars?
In a loving world, would anybody be interested in war? Why or why not?

Artistically Express: Draw a symbol or picture of a loving world or make up a poem.

Words of the Heart

For two minutes, think of as many combinations of words having to do with the heart that you can, such as hard-hearted, soft-hearted, big-hearted . . . or a heart of gold.

8-year-old Activity: Make a "heart person" from pipe-cleaners or paper and tell your parents what the heart person would say.

9-11 year-old Activity: Make a small storybook with the characters as hearts of different kinds. Illustrate the different-hearted characters on each page and write a statement about what that heart would say.

12-14 Language Arts Activity: Continue the above discussion by asking students to think of characters in literary works they have been studying recently. What actions of the characters reveal that they are mean-hearted, big-hearted, small-hearted, etc? Ask which of those characters they would like to join them in their world now, and why. Identify your different moods in a poem, using heart words!

Love is Caring, Love is Kindness

Discuss the following Reflection Point: Love is caring, love is sharing. What are little things people can do that are kind, that mean a lot? Select something to do. You can log onto the LVE web site to share your kind acts or projects if you wish.

Activity: Do little things that are kind - make cards for your mother, father, grandparents or caregivers on special days, make cards for a child who has moved, share a dessert, help someone. Several students who are friends could befriend a new student in their class, showing the student around, introducing him or her and playing with him or her at break. The class or club may wish to select a Secret Friend for the remainder of the week as described below.

Secret Friend Activity: Have each student write his or her name on a small scrap of paper and put it in a box. Allow each student to choose one name from the box, being careful not to select their own name. During the week, each student is to note down positive things about the student whose name they have chosen, and noting his or her qualities.

At the end of the week, each can make a card (younger students may wish to make a picture of the other student) and write down some of her or her positive notes. If a respectful atmosphere already exists within the class, allow each student to share what is written and the students in the class can guess for whom it is written.

Love - Ideas at Home for Parents of Children 8 Years and Older

Excerpts from Living Values Parent Groups: A Facilitator Guide

Parents may want to share with children ages 8 through 10 their own version of the visualization exercise, A World of Love, as they go to sleep at night. Parents may wish to add ideas from their own faith and of the image of the child being wrapped in a cocoon of love. While you could do this with the child when involved in the unit, if the child really likes it, you may wish to continue visualizing one night a week or so. For older children, share with them that your homework from the parenting group on values is to do A World of Love visualization with them every day for a week. Suggest you take turns doing it.
Ask your children to help you find songs that sing of universal love, love for humanity, or love for nature.
Love is sharing, caring, being a trustworthy friend. Positively affirm your children when they are exhibiting loving behaviors.
Occasionally leave a sweet note for your child for no reason at all, or share something you appreciate about him or her. These notes are especially important when the child is struggling with the self, peers, or the world.
Think about the routines and rituals you have at home. Would you like to add anything or change something? If there are two caretakers, are both participating? Is there a time daily to share or a time weekly to do something together?
Listen to you children?s concerns and help them find practical ways to make the situation more positive. Keep your ears open for interesting, age-appropriate volunteer opportunities for children -- ones which show them they can make a difference.
At least one hug a day is still nice, no matter how old the person.

Excerpts from Living Values Activities for Children and Love Ideas at Home for Parents
Young Adults | Ages 3-7

Focusing on the Value of Love