Body image in young children?!
Question: I work at a before and after school care and have noticed a few children already have issues with body image. Some kids get teased about their red hair or glasses while others feel fat if they wear snowpants..and they are 7. I want to do something, maybe some fun interactive activities I can do with the children to increase body image and self esteem. any suggestions?
They are ages 5-10
Answers: I work at a before and after school care and have noticed a few children already have issues with body image. Some kids get teased about their red hair or glasses while others feel fat if they wear snowpants..and they are 7. I want to do something, maybe some fun interactive activities I can do with the children to increase body image and self esteem. any suggestions?
They are ages 5-10
I don't know how well this will work, but it may be worth a try:
Try getting them to sit in a big circle. Have them all say something about the person next to them (or directly across from them) that is kind, but different than themselves.
Example: "Susan has square glasses, but I have round glasses."
or "David has blond hair, and I have red hair."
This may bring awareness, even if it is subliminally, to the children and their differences and may help them accept each others' differences more.
Just a little something I thought up. Hope it can help!
Try putting them on a diet.
play games that arny based apon clothing style or image... watch some barny and play tag and hide and go seek
I remember doing a school project for something like this. What we did was we all got different shapes and colors of apples. We used the apples to show everyone is different outside. When we cut the apples, they all looked and tasted (personality) on the inside.
Wow, this is a really good idea! But Im not sure how, maybe get them to write (or say) some good things about another person, like virtues. Good luck with it :D
yes
have them make a list of everything they like about themselves and other classmates and then share it with the group
give them a health class???
i was the same way, but it was my mothers fault for teasing me at home. dance, get a twister game or do streaches.
tell them to read shell silverstein. works like a charm
obviously, talking to them wouldn't help...
try holding some painting club, dressing up... there are many ways for kids to enjoy childhood and have fun, just as long as it involves interaction with other kids. they don't need to worry about body figures.
Maybe go around the room and have each person say they like about themselves and the person across from them.
I cannot believe kids these days and caring so much about appearance. They are getting too much exposure on TV and their parents aren't helping either.
Do fun excercizes with them or do activities where they have to incorporate themselves with others. Activities that it takes more than one persons work to get it accomplished.
I have to say, the media has a big role in children's body image. But I think I have a few websites that I found that can help you.
I'm so sorry to hear that, I'm 16 & I obviously deal with this everyday in my school.
It's terrible what the media is doing to our children!
I can't give you an answer, sorry. Just wanted to express my sympathies.
Maybe a game where you lay a bunch of vegetables around the room, & you say "Grab the green (or any other color) vegetables!" & who ever gets the most win, but only if they eat them! (= But make it a positive thing, not a "Vegetables are nasty so eat them up quickly" kind of thing.
I'm sorry that was so cheesy but maybe something along the lines of that? Hah.
drama, I think it will help with their self-esteem and also give them a chance to play another role, be a character, and get used to different ideas and ways of thinking. Try to get them to write the plays and also try to incorporate ideas that will help them learn from this.
Try to get the kids to get to know eachother well and introduce a game called 'differences'. Talk about how people were made differently and each of the kids are special no matter what people say - though in different wording. If the kids mention the word 'fat' say that it is not true and not right because people are different and diverse. Good Luck!
well you should play an activity that teaches them they are all equal and there are better things in life.
something cooperative where they need to rely on others skills. like the bigger kids are stronger so you could use them for that. or something similar
-Have them paint a mural of everybody in their class.
-Have them dress up as different people. They can draw a topic out of a hat and they have to dress up as that certain thing.
-Do show and tell every week.
Kids excel and feel great about themselves when they have done something successful. this roles over into every aspect of their lives. Brain games and simple games where they can feel like heros and winners will boost their self esteem and this deffinetly will role over into how they see themselves. Remember your not their mom or dad and sometimes there isn't anything you can do. I agree its a shame but don't beat yourself up over it. Do what you can to make them feel good about them.
you should have an activity that deals with tolerance and one that explains that people can be of different shapes and sizes.
i'm not really sure how you can make that sound fun. maybe coloring in a picture or doing dots to dots. make up a play that explains tolerance to people that are a little different.
making fun of red hair is just like making fun of the colour of someones skin.
you should have like a dress up day and explain that baggy clothes may make you look big but tighter clothes don't. so, they're not fat it's just the way clothes are designed to look.
Hi,
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Good luck!