In a previous blog we wrote about how the ‘C’ in C.A.R.E. is for ‘Children’. We at Unified Caring Association (UCA) are continuing to source caring tools and resources for our members. Recently our members’ website was updated to include a refocused Children section specifically to help members “grow caring children.”
In this area for our members, we have assembled resources that:
-help assess your child’s resilience,
-support children of all ages experiencing bullying or social media challenges,
-teach about feelings and emotions,
-have fun with activities such as coloring pages for all ages,
-suggest age-appropriate safe mobile apps, and
-watch carefully curated caring videos.
Is My Child Resilient?
As parents, we are constantly striving to protect our children. Building up our kids’ personal resilience is one of the best skills we can pass on. UCA developed a simple tool to assess any child’s personal resilience. Parents and grandparents probably want to do more than give their children the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or just be tougher. Today, being more caring, more empathetic and more positive about the future are part of being resilient. That goes far beyond “suck it up” guidance.
Show-Tell-Do for Feelings and Emotions
Children (and many adults) often learn by watching us, then begin to imitate our actions and behaviors. With the use of tools like the Moonbeam Feeling Pack and Book and fun coloring pages we can show them the ideas we are trying to convey while talking about caring actions that could be taken. After the ‘show-tell’ happens, the kids can then put into practice what they have learned. This is one fantastic way our children can begin a journey of caring action. This method of watch-to-learn can be best represented by kids watching videos that help them understand emotions, social skills and more.
Safe Mobile Apps
In the vast world of mobile apps filling the app stores, we search for ones that are compatible with caring values and teach age appropriate skills. For safety, we verify each mobile app with Common Sense Media who reviews, monitors and rates all kinds of electronic media apps. We pick mobile apps that our members won’t have to be nervous about. We have a starting list of safe age-appropriate mobile apps. And they are all rated high by children.
Caring Videos
There are many videos on the web today. It can be hard to find caring and appropriate videos for our children to watch and learn from. For children 10 years and younger, our members have access to a listing of publicly available videos that are really valuable and genuinely caring. Some examples of the video titles are:
-Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler
-Listening with My Heart
-Kindness is a Muscle
In these videos we see examples of caring for others and how kindness is a better tool to use in social situations. All of these videos, tools, and more can help us grow caring children.
