I am so over January. This cold, dreary weather is getting old. February always brings newness and excitement as we prepare to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The kids always look forward to the parties and candy, but I see it as an opportunity to help them work on their relationships.
Share Your Heart with Those You Love is centered on developing healthy communication skills to use both in social situations and at home. There are many aspects to this game, including identifying healthy friendship characteristics, but also behavioral interventions to improve relationships.
One set of cards, “Connected Friendships,” focuses on building strong relationships with friends. Some questions require role play and some help children process the importance of communication with others. Questions are also designed to get children to think about empathy and consider the feelings of others.
The next set of cards, “The Language of Love,” focuses on assertive communication and body language. Children will learn how to make I statements, show emotion through non-verbal expression, and role-play responding verbally to situations.
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The “Love in Action” cards help children see that there are many ways to show love and affection beyond verbal statements. They will be able to think of ways to show support and connection with their actions. It is also important to note the reference in the game to the love languages. This was taken from Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages book. He contends that people feel loved in different ways: some with quality time together, some through physical affection, some through words of encouragement, gift-giving, or acts of service. It is helpful for kids to recognize the different ways that others show and want to receive love.
Finally, the “Healing a Broken Heart” cards address broken relationships and working through the emotions of being hurt by someone. It also discusses avoidance of social situations due to fear of rejection or fear of being hurt again. These cards will challenge children to consider what they will miss out on if they avoid love altogether.
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