This week I'm sending you a brilliant book I've just sent one of my 1:1 clients off with.
I was with a bunch of kids last week and 3 out of 4 legged it, running away from the other one and hiding in a bush.
One part of the group found it hilarious.
One part didn't.
No prizes for guessing which was which.
Chatting to them afterwards, I genuinely believed that the 3/4 kids did not intend to be mean. They had an idea, they thought it would make them laugh, and it did. They had no idea how devastating it would feel to the kid left behind searching for their mates.
As a parent and as a teacher, I know that that moment when you try to bridge the action (running away) with the result (sobbing child) can be really hard. You want to show them how to look out for each other, but you don't want to make them feel really bad about themselves.
That is what I absolutely love about this week's Book Chain book — Room For Us All by Lu Fraser & Sarah Warburton.
Little Pam the squirrel desperately wants to play with the squirrel gang. But no matter how hard she tries, they just will not include her.
What I'm loving about this book is that it presents the squirrels with an opportunity to think about how their actions impacted Pam, and what they can do to make the situation better.
The squirrels realised what they'd done was unkind.
They acknowledged it and apologised.
They worked to make things better.
After reading this with my kids this morning, I asked them these three questions. Try them with yours.
That last one is the brave question. You don't have to use it, but if the moment feels right, it's a good one.
Love,
Becca